The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1904-02-10
BAL T|MORE'S Loss
FROM FIRE TOTALS
OVER S100,000,000
City Under Martial Law En-
forced by Federal and
State Troops.
TOTTERInG WALLS BEING RAzED
seventy-Five Whole City Blocks and
1850 Buildings Furnished Food for
the FIames-5urned District Pre-
sents Scene of Desola.ion.


sents Scene of Desolation.
Baltimore, Feb. Baltimore is
staggering under fire loss which no
one has the temerity TO put ia figures.
The important commercial district is
blaekened ruins, laid bare by a con-
fagration which ragged without a mo-
pentary chsck from 10:45 a. m. Sun
day until about 6 o'clock last night.
AT 3 O'Clock p m. the city officials
again breathed. 1t was agreed the fro
was under control. The flames ragei
rs hours in spite of the almost super
human efforts put forth by the best
fighting forces~which more than half
a dozen cities were able to muster.
The city is overcast with gloom. The
only lights In the burned district are
those from the smcldering ruins The
only lights In that section which reap
ed destruction are from corner gas
lamps. The stores are closed in near
iy every street. The darkened avenues
are full of jostllng people talking of
one subject. Apparently there is but
one cause for gladness and that is
that there are no homeless. The resi-
depee section of the city escaped.
Throughout the terrible contest in
which firemen aud fire waged for su-
premacy, humanity was Handicapped
by gale which carried burning brands
far over the heads of the workers and
beyond the reach OF the hundreds of
streams Of water poured into the rag
ing furnaces. But for the work of
volunteers in seeking out and extin-
gushing these embers IL is almost GER
tain the burned AGRA would have been
twice larger than it is. About rs
squares. or 40 acres are in ashes, ex-
tending from Lexington street on the
north to Pratt street on the south,
from Liberty street on the west to
Jones Falls on the east.
Fire Losses Are Appalling.
assurances companies have opened
temporary offices in the Lexington
hotel, but their representatives decline
to estimate the loss. The answer of
one is typical TO all;
TITS too big. We have not figures
to describe It, Make It above 500,
100000 That's the best we can do. y
The city was early placed under
martial law and thus all danger Of
looting was eliminated General Cor
bin OF New York has-arrived to take
command OF the federal troops The
presence of two regiments of militia
as an adjunct to the police, which
were augmented by details from Phil
adelphia and Washington, resulted Ia
the maintenance of the best of order
No one dares TO guess what would
have happened II the flames had
jumped Jones Falls. The struggle
has been with the one end of confip-
ing the fire west of the muddy little
stream. That this effort was success.
full was merely the result of the FIRE
burning itself out and coming in con-
tact in front with the concentrated
labors of nearly hundred fire COM
panies, aided by the powerful fire tug.
the Cataract. Again and again the
terrible heat, driven from the burning
district across Jones Falls, ignite1
buildings and lumber piles. Furious
hand to had fights occurred, which,
fortunately for the residents Of East
Baltimore, were won by the firemen
For several hours In the lumber dis
trict of the east side volunteers watch,
cd every ember. Bucket brigades
were formed to prevent the destruc-
tive leap of the flames across the mar
row stream Had the fire gained a
foothold in the east side lumber yards
it is conceded nothing could have
stopped the onslaught and the depar,
ments would have been powerless to
prevent damage as great if not
greater. than that of the Chicago fire.
Dynamite Extensively Used.
Dynamite explosions have been con-
slant. The program adopted of blow
ing up buildings in an attempt to stay
the progress Of the flames was con-
tinued until the fire was under con-
troll. Then the dynamiters turned
walls which threatened to collapse
The result was almost constant cam
nonading and the detonations were
heard in all parts Of the city.
With the fire under control, the
blackened waste which lies in the
wake of the sea of flames presents a
view terrible in it's pyrotechnic gran
deur 1t can be likened best to oceans
of great coke ovens. each shooting out
its thousand tongues of flame from
pyramids of brick, stone and cement
These are all that is left of the manv
handsome Office buildings, storage,
wholesale business houses of all kinds
The loss will not be accurately estl
mated for weeks, for business men,
prosperous Sunday morning, are poor
today Expressions heard among
these men as they peer into their col
lapsed properties reveal an astound-
ing number who were only poorly pro-
tected with insurance.
Few persons explored fully even
such portions Of the burned district
as the cooling ruins would permit.
The high winds made it nearly i'm