The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-21

Before sunset Sunday one of these great dry goods firms had made a hand some offer for the lease of large build ing Just on the edge of the burned dis Srict. Representatives of another. Wnicn mas been fortunate enough to secure quar- | ters In the 5th regiment armory, were in New York City shortly after Sunday midnight arranging for new stock of line.
 With the destruction of about 2.50o buildings 1t is probable that between 5,OCp ana 6,OOO firms had to seek new offices, Ihese are scattered as far as mile and | naif from the scene of the 'fre,' for wniie It was still burning. dwellings, pub nc buildings of all kinds, including the foung Mems Christian Association, va cant school houses and churches and oth- ca structures were receiving the office outnts rescued from the flames. or the | uesk and chair with which many a Bal | timorean was obliged to begin business anew on Monday morning.
 At the same time hundreds of repre- sentatives of, the leading mercantile es- taohshments were hastening to New York IPniiadelphia and other points to make ar- ransements for carrying on business with out material interruption. It is doubtful 1T any city ever met great emergency | wltn such phenomenal promptness, en- ergy and activity as Baltimore has, the demonstration being fin the column after column of one line announcements of temporary locations published in the To- | cal papers
 | Some business men, indeed. who had never been known as great hustlers, but had been content to move with conserva- tsm and caution were reused into quick and vigorous action and by early Mon day morning when the fire had swept | from the financial and mercantile section | toward the 'wharyes no time was lost in l watching it's destruction of other prop l erty, but everywhere arrangements were being made for office room and for pro- Viding the facilities for immediate work
 While the water front on the north side of the harbor for about three quarters of a mile was swept and the docks and sheds of coast wise steamers were destroyed. great stretch of water front escaped and the export wharves, the grain elevators and the oil terminals with the coal docks were not touched, so that the foreign trade of the city will go on without in- terruption, only temporary hampering being occasioned by the loss of office room of many shippers nearer the ce.l- ter of the city. ..,-
 ''The great manufacturing plants of the city with fcwsvexceptions also es- caped damage, and consequently the pc | tentialities of Baltimore financially, commercially and industrially are as they ever were, an6 under the influence | of the spirit which has been so signaIly displayed by citizens in all walks of life, are bound to be realized more fully, perhnps, than if the fire had not oc- l cured. .t~tr
 Nevertheless Baltimore understands | HtrIl AS.- N-xs 1-... s..,. incurred and is not dlsheartened at the burden which has fallen upon it. Tt knows that the burnt district must Do restored assspeedily as possible ,and 1t l is determined to do all within its power to seize the nppoftunitv created by thB utter destrucslon of so many buildings fronting sou.. theF harrow down. town l streets for 1slshg improvements thcce long contemplated and discussed but postponed, aseit seemed. indefinitely. oy the prospect of the cost of removing | buildings t"a"
 "Thc three blocks oc ,upied by the city hall. the Temporary custom house, the | postoffice and the handsome marble court house escaped destruction 1t is believed, only through the shifting ot the wind at a vital moment, the last named building, it is true, having been injured to the extent of $50.000. The plan l of widening 'he streets about the int portant structures ard Of giving them a front of parking. adding to the effet- tiveness of their architecture and insur- ing them against fire, has now a hun dred supporters to one two weeks ago.
 The necessity Tor prompt removal of brick and stone and iron works render ed practically useless for structural pur- | poses has given at the same time an l impetus to the movement for an in:- provement of the water front by filling | in @ portion of the basin. harbor good enough for the city's uses a hundred years age. but now congested, and m suE7mer likely. to be a merace M the health of low portions Of the city.
 Tt is thought too, that, the freedom with which work may be now done will facilitate the carrying out of the design for a modern sewerage system and for street Improvements. The money for these undertakings is expected to be put In circulation through the city treasury and in the case of the Federal buildings. including the s2,OOO000 custom house in course of construction through the nation al treasury. These are but the leading items in the plan for beautifying the city and for taking advantage in every possi- ble way of wrestling success from the fire disaster. Out of the wreck and ruin there will come new and greater city, stronger and more energetic men and a closer union of all classes in the community.
 'The work of rebuilding the burned sec ton Is attracting the attention of lead ing architects, engineers and contractors in different parts of the country who are hastening to take part in the great task. It is recognized that as quickly as the ruins may be cleared and reconstruction work begun, warehouses and office build ings, Hanks and other structures costing in the aggregate not less than S100, ,00O 900 will be under way. It is the most gigan- tic work of this character ever undertake en and promises to surpass in many re- spects the rebuilding of Chicago.
 But the merchants and manufactur- CTS, tho fnanciers and the municipal au. thorities are fully AwaKe not only to the importance of maintaining the control Of the trade which has for years centered here, and of increasing it, but also to the necessity of utilizing this occasion for ex- pansion on many lines. Quickened Ut:h the determination to conquer all difficulties they will no lrnser be content with the business which the city has already gained, but with a spirit and energy borne of the trials through which they have passed, they will push out for still greater achievements.
 "In the meantime. the country should fully understand that, though somewhat hampered and restricted hy the lack or former facilities. the drawbacks are hut temporary and that the whole city is at work to reduce as much as p-ssible the time Of It's embarrassment The situation is well summed up In the words of a sub