The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-02-12
NEW CITY FROM THE RUINS
BALTIMORE TO REBUILD ON
 GRINDER LINES.

Whole Community Inspired by fh Re-
 sumption of Business by the Hanks
 Great Progress in Clearing the Debris
 from the strsets-An Expression of
 Sympathy from che Pope.
 Baltimore, Feb. 11.-To-day marked the most cheerful advance Baltimore has yet made in emerging from the dark cloud cast upon it by the great conf1agration of last Sunday and Mon- day. An incident that inspired the whole community with tremendous confidence was the resumption of busi- ness by the banks, deposits being re- ceived and cheeks honored in the usual way. It would be difficult to estimate the volume of transactions in this re- spect, but, according to the leading bankers, 1t was gratifyingly large, in view of existing conditions.
 The knowledge that Baltimores ter minal facilities are intact and that the grain elevators were not involved in the fire has also served to promote popular conviction that the situation is not so dark as it has heretofore ap- peared. Indeed, the optimistic feeling IS manifestly growing that the calam- ity, though narrowing in every detail, will give the city an opportunity to re- adjust itself on new and modern plans, and that new city of imposing gram deur is to rise from the ruins of the old.
 The progress which has been made to-day in the work of clearing the de- bris from the streets in the burned dis trict seems almost magical. Baltimore street, which at sunrise was confused mass of rubbish, is practically clean, and likewise South street, one of the great banking thoroughfares. Hanover street, near where the fire started, was passable for wagons, and Pratt street a long avenue of trade, is clear of in- cumbrances all the way through. The city engineers department, the building inspector and the street cleaning de- partment all worked in conjunction. No attempt was made to do more than to clear the streets from curb to curb, the debris being piled up on the sidewalk e1iiQ bdIh Ql llc UQllQlllS llllS-F M ttlly dangerous walls which overhung the streets were pulled down. The most ambitious attempts at razing walls were on Liberty and Lombard streets. At each of these places there are hoisting engines with wire cables, which are fastened to a section of the toppling walls and then wound up on the spools. The Hurst building, in which the fire started, was pulled down
 All through the financial district preparations are being made to open safes and vaults. Those of the German bank and the German Fire Insurance company, Baltimore and Holliday streets, were opened and the cash and < < books taken out uninjured The vault Of the Marine bank was opened this afternoon and found intact Not one instance has been heard of a vault the contents of which have been seriously damaged.
 The Chamber of Commerce. the direc- tory of which includes some of the wealthiest and most influential mer chants, has been exceedingly active to- day in sending broadcast to every cen ter Of trade in this country and Europe the assurance that Baltimore is even now in prime condition to transact all shipping, grain and foreign trade, and that all other lines of business will be restored to their normal channels with- in the next two or three months. The officials of the Chamber of Commerce announced that plans are already near ly completed for the rebuilding of their $600,000 structure, and that the new edi- flee will be far more palatial than the old.
 Many merchants and manufacturers whose places of business were swallow ed up in the confagration have signed contracts for rebuilding, and there are on all sides the greatest signs of activ- ity in this respect. All are simply wait ing for the city to clear the streets of debris and give permission to the own- CTS of the ground to take possession.
 As might have been expected, the present outlook is that, with the excep- tion of iron and steel, there will be a general advance of about ten per cent. in the price of building material when the work of reconstruction in the fire district begins. A number of building firms and contractors who were seen this morning agreed that in several lines there may be no immediate adj vance on stock now on hand, but as soon as that is exhausted there will be a wholesale advance, due to additional cost of hauling, storing, rents, etc; but the increase will not be nearly as posi- tive or demoralizing as was at first feared.
 The matter of accepting aid from oth- CT cities has not yet been finally decid- ed upon, according to Mayor McLane. The fire did not reach the residential section of the city, and there is not ac~ tual destitution at this time. The indi- cations are that the citizens of Balti- more will be fully able to take care of all cases of want that might present themselves. The mayor feels grateful for the many proffers of aid from the citizens of this country and from for eign lands.
 The mayor held a conference with Colonel Wilson, chairman of the per- manent relief committee, to-day, the result of which was that the members of the committee will be called together tomorrow to talk over the situation. Secretary Ufford, of the Federated Charities, said to-day that there have not been a half dozen applications to his society for aid since the fire.
 JHart and Sap0Dd