The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-02-08
BEAUTIFUL CITY
OF BALTIMORE
DEVASTATED BY DEVOURING
FLAMES THAT THREAT
ENED
DESTRUCTION OF CITY
Loss at Present Hard to Estimate,
But Will Reach Two Hun
dred Million.
DESTRUCTION OF CITY

Baltimore, Nd, Feb. S-A fire which
broke out at a few minutes before II
o'clock Sunday morning in the whole
sale drygoods house of John E. Hurst
& Co, ragged with unrestrained fury
steadily eating it's consuming way
eastward on Baltimore street after
having 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 nearly
thirty blocks of the most modern and
substantial buildings in Baltimore, in
volving a loss which cannot now be
estimated, but which has certainly
reached fifty or sixty millions of dol
lars.
Two hundred millions is a vague
estimate of the loss. The fire at 6
a. m. was raging as furiously as when
first started
The local fremen were reinforced
from sister cities as far away as New
York Many building were level with
dynamite, but, apparently, without
avail.
The area extends from Liberty
street on the west to Jones Falls on
the east, a distance Of three quarters
of a mile, and from Fayette to Pratt
streets north, and south four blocks
wide.
This includes the Offices Of the
Pennsylvania, Baltimore & Ohio,
Chesapeak & Ohio and Maryland
Southern Railroad companies and
several steamship companies. All the
morning newspapers and Western
Union and Postal telegraph offices
are gone. Some of the morning pa
pers used Washington presses to
print today's edition.
At 9:30 the fire was spreading east
ward and southwark. but is burning
less vercely and there is hope it will
cease within few hours. The Monu-
mental theater viii probably burn. All
electric power is destroyed No street
cars are running. Jacob Ilginfritz. a
fireman from York, Pa, was killed
this morning, the first loss Of life re-
ported.
Philadelphia, Pa, Feb. 8.-Police
Captain MeCoach teleeraphed from
Baltimore that the fire was about un-
der control at 9 a. m.
Baltimore, Md, Feb. S.-The wind
changed to the northwest shortly
after clock and sent the flames to
the water front. the wholesale lumber
district Millions Of gallons of water
seemed to produce no effect in check
ing the flames, and, at daybreak, the
fire seemed to be growing in extent
The flames have reached the water
front at Light stret and threaten all
the southeastern part of the city.
More fire engines from nearby towns
have arrived Local fremen were al
most exhausted
Philadelphia, Pa, Feb. 8.-A tele-
phone message from Baltimore says
the fire at II: 10 O'Clock is absolutely
under control. Only two establish
ments are burning on the water front,
and they can be easily handled. Phil
adelphla firemen will be sent back at
1 80 p. m..
Baltimore, Nd, Feb. Sat noon
Chief McFee, Of the fire department.
said the fire was still beyond control
Baltimore, Nd. Feb. S.-Firemen
continued dynamiting the BUILDINGS
today, but the results are not salts
factory A fire company from vii
mlngton, Delaware. was cut off bv an
explosion of the Standard Oil com
pany while at Bolden's wharf. and
were rescued by tugs, but soon after