The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1904-02-10
BAL |MORE PREY
OF SAVAGE FLAMES
$40, 900. 900 Fire Devastates
Business Section Of Mary
land Metropolis.
BRISK WIND FANS THE BLAZE

Philadelphia and Washington Send
Help, but No impression Was Made
on Fire-Terrific Explosions Marx
Progress of Destroying Element.
Baltimore, Feb. s.-The fire which
broke out at a few minutes before IL
O'Clock in the wholesale dry goods
house of John E. Hurst & Co. has
ragged with unrestrained fury continu-
ously ever since and this morning It
is still unchecked, steadily eating It's
way eastward on Baltimore street.
after having destroyed almost all OF
| the large stores and warehouses il
the wholesale district around Hopkins
place and all the buildings on both
sides of Baltimore street from How
ard to Holiday streets, from Charles
and Baltimore and Charles and Lex
ington, and on Fayette street from
Charles to Holiday, including totHl
Of about 20 blocks of the most mod
ern and substantial buildings in Balti-
more, involving a loss which cannot
now be estimated, but which ce,-
taink has reached s30.000.000 or S40,-
| 000, 600
Ever since about o'clock, when
darkness came, the fire department,
although aided by engines from Wash
| ington, Philadelphia, Wilmington and
| the surrounding counties and suburbs,
| has been powerless to make any ehec
| tive resistance to the consuming ele-
ment, though for hours as many az
600 streams OF water were thrown
into the flames.
A number of buildings on South
Charles street between German and
| Lombard were dynamited. Suisse
| quently the structure of ]. W. Puts
| G. Co., notion dealers, at Charles AMI
Fayette streets, was dynamited, and
then the Daily Record building, Ross
drug store and others. But this he
role remedy merely delayed but did
not impede the onward march of the
confiagration, and for two hours or
more the fire department has stopped
practically helpless and resourcelesS.
Spread Every Direction.
Following the rapid destruction Of
| the palatial commercial buildings In
the wholesale district, the cyclone of
| roaring flames burst into Baltimore
street, licking up within few min
utes the seyen.story Mullins hotel and
rapidly rolling with Irresistible force
| both eastward and westward, cutting
down in its wrathful wake wholesale
and retail houses, manufactures.
| shops, jewelry stores, furniture en-
| poriums and restaurants. At Charles
street the remorseless tide swept Oh
down Baltimore street and turned into
| Charles street where 1t quickly en-
| quilted the History Union Trust build
ing By O'Clock the publishers and
| other occupants of the Daily Herald
| building at Fayette and St. Paul street,
and of the Record building opposite.
were compelled to vaeate, as were thu
occupants Of the Calvert and Equit
able structures two of the most
massive Office buildings in Baltimore.
Down Baltimore street parallel
wave of roaring cracking flames cut
their way, consuming everything IN
their course, speedily reaching the
Evening News building, from which
| the employees had to hastily fee,
| though not until valuable records had
been removed. Shortly thereafter the
| Continental Trust company, 14-sto4y
| building, took fire. A block below the
American newspaper building was en-
veloped in clouds of sparks and burn
| ing splinters and the employees were
| ordered out
Financial District Doomed.
The financial district, including the
chief banking and brokerage firms on
South and German streets, seems 20
be now doomed. and scores of the
city's leading financiers and business
men are scurrying in and out of their
Offices bearing packages or placing
valuables in conveyances.
During all these hours the pyrotech
mic display has been magnificent and
imposing beyond the power of painter
to depict At this hour vast columns
OF seething flame are shooting sky
ward at varying points of the CON-
pass and the armament is one vast
| prismatlc ocean of golden and silver.
hued sparks. Great multitudes of
people line the streets, awe-struck
with the panorama which is being en-
acted before their eyes.
| At 1910 O'Clock the roof Of the
building occupied by the Associated
Press took fire and the employees were
compelled to vacate, though they had
| time to take away with them their
| telegraph instruments, typewriters
mad other valuable equipment. They
found refuge in branch office of the
Western Union company on Gay
street The prospect is that this Of
| fee will have to be vacated in a few
minutes, as the flames are breaking
out west and east and volumes OF
sparks and blazing cinders and spin
tiers are flying in every direction.
Military Ordered Out.
| At this hour the fire is absolutely
beyond control and all occupants OF
buildings In the center of the city are
rapidly removing their valuables.
The city hospital, corner Of Calvert
| and Pleasant streets, is removing to
other hospitals as rapidly as possible
| the "a patients in that institution
Seventeen injured were brought t.,
| this hospital, most of them f1remen.
They were suffering from burns
| scalds and decorations. Nearly every
| physician in the city is in the fire dis.
trict. So far as known at this hour
no one has been killed.
Detachments of the Fourth and
Fifth regiments have been called out
| and are patroT1lng the streets in the
vicinity OF the fire, guarding property
and keeping order.
Fortunately thus far the confagra.
ton has not reached the residence
portion of the city, but fires are break
ing out in East Baltimore and the in
| dications are that the residence streets
are doomed.
The Baltimore and Ohio railroad Of
| fee building has been destroyed, and
so has the Maryland Institute of Art
building.
At 11:45 o'clock the temporary Gus.
tom house, adjoining the postoff1ce,
caught fire. One hundred and fifty
policemen from Philadelphia arrived
here to assist the Baltimore police
and military. Out of five morning pa
pers here, the Sun was the only one
to publish a paper.
Merchants Save Their Books.
Hundreds of merchants and busl-
ness men with offices in the threaten
ed district were notified by watch
men and police. Nearly all took steps