The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-02-09
LOWEST GUESS is FIFTY MIL.
LIONS AND HIGHEST is TWO
HUNDRED MILLIONS.
HELP FROM OTHER CITIES
BUT FiREMEN WERE FORCED TO
RETREAT BEFORE ROLLING
WAVE OF FLAMES.

Baltimore, Feb. 8.-The most de-
%structive c%onflagration in the history
Of Baltimore occurred here Sunday,
raging practically unchecked during
many hours, completely destroying
scores Of the largest business houses
in the wholesale district, involving
losses which cannot yet be estimated
as the fire was still burning fiercely at
S a. m. Owing to the wide ex-
tent of the calamity it will be some
time before even an approximate estl-
mate can be made, though 1T is certain
that it has already exceeded $5O,OO0,-
900 and it is even placed at as high as
5000, O00 $1,000. 49,,
The fire broke out shortly before II
o'clock Sunday morning in the whole
sale drygoods store of John p. Hurst
& Co.. on Hopkins Place, in h heart
of the business district, with a series
of loud explosions which were heard
in remote parts of the city, and the
fire spread with fearful rapidity.
In a half hour there were a dozen
big warehouses in the wholesale,
drygoods and notions district burning
fercely. The entire city fire depart
ment was called out, but was utterly
powerless to check the spread OF the
flames, which were aided by h1gh
winds, and by noon there were savage
fires in at least thirty big warehouses,
and the confiagration was steadily
eating it's way into successive blocks
east, north, west and south.
Could Not Check Flames.
Building after building fell a prey
to the flames and there was no check
to the onward sweep of the flames,
which destroyed almost all OF the
large stores and warehouses in the
wholesale district around Hopkins
Place and all the buildings on both
sides of Baltimore street from Howard
to Holiday street, from Charles and
Baltimore to Charles and Lexington
and on Fayette street from Charles to
Holiday, including a total OF about
twenty-four blocks of the most moo
ern and substantial buildings in Bal
timore involving an enormous loss;
Darkness came at 6 o'clock and for
| hours afterward the fire department,
although aided by engines from Wash
ington, Philadelphia, Wilmington and
, the surrounding suburbs, was utterly
powerless to make any effective re
sistance to the consuming element
- though for hours as man, OF 4Ot
streams of water were thrown into
n che flames.
: Indeed so terrific vas the heat from
= the time the fire started and so dense
= and s%uffocating the volume OF flying
sparks and burning cinders that 1t wal
difficult for the firemen to stand Ions
. within fighting distance of the flames
- while early in the afternoon severa
trucks and engines were hopelessl.
disabled by timbers.
d Tenants Forced to Move.
-By 8 o'clock the occupants of tn
le Daily Herald building at Fayette an
y st. Paul streets and of the Recor'
e building opposite were compelled t
d vacate by the on-rushing flames, a
N were the occupants of the Calvert an
e. Equitable structures, two OF the mos
massive office buildings in Baltimore
at Down Baltimore street, a parable
"a wave of roaring, cracking flame
al swept. consuming everything in it
y. course, speedily reaching the Evenin
IL News building. from which the en-
IN .ployes had to hastily flee with vail
able records.
At Z O'Clock the situation was s
g desperate mat Chief Horton decide
Is that the only thing left to do was
On dynamite buildings at the threatene
points and thus prevent as far as poss
n BILE the spread of the flames. In pu
%suance of this policy, buildings 9
Charles street. between an
Fayette. were blown up. Simulta
eously the splendid structure of j. Y
Puts & Co., notion dealers at Charl'
and Fayette streets, was dynamite
and then the Daily Record buildin
lte Ross drugstore and others.
IA But this heroic remedy merely d
* layed but did not impede he nwa
q Fmarch Of the flames and for tv
IN hours or more the fire department W
on stopped practically helpless and
he s%ourcelcss in the face of the flamil
ur- furnaces. which sent their fer
be- tongues 200 feet into the air, a.
OPP which filled the heavens first with
7or cloud Of black, %funereal smoke. a
then with a shower of lurid spar
re. and livid cinders.
Nc Cyclone of Flames
Following the destruction of I
ose palatial commercial buildings in t
lee Wholesale district, the cyclone
MIA flames burst into Baltimore sire
licking up within a few minutes
ina seven-story Mullins hotel like SO
insatiate monster and rapidly roll
with irresistible force both eastw'
and westward, cutting down wholes
day and retail houses, factories, she
Ing, jewelry stores, furniture emporiu
che and restaurants.
hot The remOrseless tide swept on &c
ard baltimore street. but also turned !
lsly Charles street, where 1t quickly
ltal. quilted the e~leven-story Union Ii