The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-02-15
THE BALTIMORE CONTEMPLATION
Extracts of a Letter Written by Res
 ident of That City.

Extracts of a Letter Written by a Res
 ident of That City.
 The following is an extract of letter written by Miss Rose Buckner of Bal timore to her mother, Mrs. Louis Buck ner. who is visiting at her mothers home, Mrs. Marks Jacobs of Day street, this city:
 Sunday began like perfect Indian summer day. We'll, in the afternoon, wind started to blow. and while the flames were still at Charles street, we could see in which direction they were going. However, when I wrote to you at 8 D. m. on that afternoon, I had no idea they had made such headway. At p. m. guests stopping at cur house got a hurried call. telling that their house was on fire. and that the flames were spreading, but we did not feel alarmed for this section. In the meantime the wind was getting fierce, and the day closed cold and clear. After supper we went into the street, and the sight that met our gaze was appalling. It re- minded me of, and looked like the pie lures have seen of the burning of Rome. Great volumes Of smoke and flames were rolling down; we had to dodge the burning cinders and wood fly ing down. I cannot describe to you what this was like. Looking slzyward it looked like it was showing fire, the pieces of wood flying and twirling like flakes. When we crossed over to High street looked down Baltimore and saw the Continental Trust building in one blaze. All I could do was to gasp-the Trust building-and close my eyes. The entire city seemed to be in one blaze. In the ghetto pandemonium reigned. This scene you could only understand were you to see it. By the time we reached South High street, several places were aplaze, caught from flying cinders. The people in the houses could be seen run { ming up to the roofs with pails of water and dashing it on the flames, aided by the Bremen. poor fellows, who did not know which way to turn, SC tired and worn were they. Soon these small fires were extinguished. and the folks this side the Jones' Falls felt easier. Tn the street the sight was, well, if it had not been so pathetic, would certainly have been ludicrous. Everybody. of course, was moving. Enough wagons could not be procured. and there stood the poor people shivering with cold with their household goods, bedding and clothing, all tied in bundles: wagons and car riaa;es flying past people screaming, gessiculating and praying, and when a burning cinder would alight near their bundles they cried and prayed louder. was glad to get out of it. On our way back I stopped at the Girls Home, and told the girls to bring their things up to our place. The sight here was on High Street. Tn the hall, with their little bundles ready for flight, stood the girls.
 About Il D. m, word reached us that the flames were making great headway, and it gave us all a scare for our safety. We immediately got what things we thought absolutely necessary in readiness for flight also, only waiting for the word from the authorities. The sight at this hour was terrifying, and the children began to fear, as one ex- pressed it, Tt looks like the worlds coming to an end, and it's beginning with Baltimore" Explosion after ex- ploson shook the neighborhood here on the hill. as they were dvnamiting the buildings in the hope of staying the progress of the flames. No one slept Sunday night. At a. n Monday morning I could see that the course of the wind had changed and that the cin- ders were flying southward. The flames were at the bridge at Jones' Falls, and the only hope of the eastern section of the city was that the fire would not cross the Falls to any extent AS the wind drove the flames toward the basin and the docks, all felt that the worst was overs We all passed through a horrible tllirty-six hours Patterson park presented a queer spectacle on Monday. A large number of the poor solks moved all their belongings there, and remained in the cold all night. 9th CTS did not even have money enough to pay for removal, and lost their little all. Standing at Front and Baltimore streets it is impossible to distinguish one street