The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-02-11
ENORMOUS LOSSES
En|ai|ed by Frightfu' Work
Of Fire Fiend in Baltimore.
CITY is DUMBF0UMDED
Appalling Destruction cf Property IS
timat.d near the Billion Mark.
Decentralization is
Complete.

Complete.
The following summary was given
out at Baltimore Monday afternoon
at 8 o'clock:
The burned area is more than two
miles square and is the site OF the
business center of Baltimore.
Every newspaper plant, the tele'
graph offices and .ne Office Of the AS
sociated Press have been destroyed.
The loss is estimated at $500, 100000
early in the day, is now reported to far
exceed these figures.
The fire began Sunday morning in
the wholesale house Of Hurst & Co.,
and followed by terrific explosions.
Washington, New York and Philadei-
phia and all neighboring cities rushed
! fire apparatus to the stricken city.
+ Several thousand fremen were en-
gagged in fighting the flames.
The legislature is called in ex-
ira session to authorize the declaration
Of marial law.
The city is being guarded by state
and federal troops, augmented by thou
sands of deputies, policemen and fire.
men.
Raltimcre's half million people are
appalled, at the disaster. Business 5
suspended. The city is under martial
law for ten days and the life OF the
great metropolis is literally suffocated
Many of the principal banking insti-
tutions, all the leading trust compan-
|! les, all the largest wholesale houses,
all the newspaper Offices, many OF the
principal retail stores and thousands
of smaller establishments are COM
pletely destroyed, while the Thousands
OF employees who depended upon these
institutions for their sustenance are
sweeping through the streets aimless-
ly. stunned into forgetfulness OF their
own calamity which has befallen their
beloved city.
Weeping men embrace each other IN
despair and women stand cowed wait
ing together as they view the track OF
the flames.
Scores Of men who closed their
doors Saturday night as prosperous
merchants face utter ruin today, many
had little or no insurance.
Several large insurance companies
will doubtless go to the wall on ac-
count OF the great losses they will he
called upon to pay. and those that will
be able to meet the losses dollar for
dollar will require time in which to
meet the demands.
At one time over 400 streams Of Wa.
ter were pouring on the flames.
The fire department of Washington,
Philadelphia, New York and Whining
| ton, Del, having rushed assistance to
Baltimore on special trains, but 1t was
useless. The flames took the water
as though it were oil and only leaped
higher and wilder at the attempts to
check them.
It was fearful sight to witness the
progress of the fire. Splendid build
ings of ten and twelve stories would
loom majestically out OF the smoke
and flames and ater fan crashing to
the ground before the firemen could
reach them.
The thunder OF falling walls was
continuous for over twelve hours, in
termingled with frequent roars of keen
er explosions, when gasoline tanks
and dynamite stored in the buildings
| caught fire.
! It took twenty-seven hours to stop
! the progress Of the great fire.
While anything like adequate COM
putation of the probable loss is at
this time outside the real of posi-
bility, estimates run from s75,ooo,e00
| to $500, 900, with the confident be-
lief of those who ought to be best
| posted that the final reckoning will
be nearer the latter figure than the
former
So far the loss of life and injury to
person has been singularly small. But
one man, visiting fireman from York,
Pa, has been killed while but fifteen
have been injured, none OF these Sc
riously. Some are reported missing,
but tie list is small, but few have
been rendered homeless. Thousands
and tens Of thousands have, however.
had their means of earning liyeli-
hood taken suddenly from them, and
the suffering will be very great.
Million Asked for Raltinnnne