Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-02-09

Baltimore & Ohio building are also
standing, but the Pennsylvania Rail
way building. directly across Calvert
street, is razed. Only the walls remain
or the Equitable building, Baltimore
and Holiday streets. Only remnants
of enc wall are left of what was the
National Hotel At Holiday and Fay
cite streets, no buildings are left stand
ing as far as the eye can see down Bal
timcre street from this point. All along
South Gay street is the same picture
of complete destruction. A broken
sign and "A tottering front wall are ali
that is left of the Maryland w. {. L. I.
building. Adjoining this is the builu:
ing occupied by the Iron Ship co. ana
nv the British consulate, whose build
| ing is a complete loss The bulldlhs
used by the German consulate on thls
square is also in ruins.
Notwithstanding the magnitude OF
the catastrophe the absence OF
disorder and confusion was re-
markable This was due to the
prompt action of the State and city
| authorities who IS soon as they real
| lied that they had a calamity to deal
| with. took u tight grip on the situation
and never for an instant let go. To-
night, the fire department and the ter
ritory Immediately surrounding it is
under the strictest military control.
During the confusion of Sunday
night, attachments of regulars from
nearby forts We're sent to the fire dis
| trict and assisted the police in getting
| order and restraining the great crowds
from cncroaching upon the firemen.
The 4th and 5th Regiments of Balti-
more. ordered out by Governor War
field, came on duty before daybreak
under the command of Brig. Gen.
! Riggs. In order to be on the safe SIDE
Gov. Warfield, after a conference with
| other officials, decided, early in the
day, to order out the 1st Regiment, the
companies of which were scattered over
the state to assemble and come to
| Baltimore at once. They arrived, dur
| ing the night.
The Maryland naval reserve We're also
called out.
There was some fear that with night
fall. footing would start The line of
troops around the ruins was so tightly
| drawn that it will be impossible foi
thieves to enter the fire zone withou
| detection. AS the financial district i:
included in the burned territory, there
is untold wealth hidden in the blister
ing and warped vaults of banks anG
safe deposit companies.
| While Gov. Warfield and Gen. Riggs
took general charge of the fire district
Mayor Mclean saw to it that the cit
liens generally did not get a chance to
annoy the soldiers or police. His first
act was to close all saloons, and there
| was little drunkenness seen except
among some of the visitors from other
points who brought their refresfment.
| with them.
The fire was most remarkable il
many ways, bnt more so in the lack of
casualties. 1t can safely be said that
no great fire in this country can show
n smaller dead or injured list. Up to
| tonight only one person was reported
killed and the number treated in the
hospitals will not be more than 80. The
dead man was q fireman from York.
Pa. who was crushed by a falling
wall. In the City hospital 81 perosns
We're treated during the fire and onl,
institution, and he was suffering from
exposure. The Maryland hospita
| treated about a dozen fireman and po-
licemen, all of whom were dismissed.
The Fayette street Episcopal church,
one of the oldest buildings in the city
at Fay and Fayette street on the Dor
der of the fire district has only the
outside walls left. On Gay street, be-
tween Lombard and Water streets.
two wholesale liquor establishments.
the .Iarret Williams Co., a five-story
| building and the Wilson Distilling Co.,
also a five-stOry structure, are reduced
to ashes, while a front wall is all that
| is left of the five-story wholesale liquor
plant Of I>uhl & Son. The Cummings
| & Melville dstilery, another five-story
building is gone. Another wholesale
liquor establishment, Broadbeck &
Co, at Water and Gay streets and
other similar establishments on Gay
street We're destroyed. The infamable
character of the contents of these
| buildings will give an idea of the
| fierceness of the blaze. Spirits fed the
| wood and the heat was terrible
Buildings sprang into flame before
| fire touched them and brick and stone
and morter crumbled like chalk
Other buildings completely destroyed
| were the Denouses Kleinly. wholesale
bruch company. where solitary PIN
nacle of brick stands guard. and Reiter
K Co. wholesale grocery. which had
| two five-story buildings; Edward
Bruck & Co.. wholesale liquor dealers:
| G. NJ. Lamb & Co., wholesale dealers
in produce; B. T. Buzby. glucose and
soap agents: w. ]. Brown, wholesale
grocer. with two four-story ware
houses: the Peabody office buildings,
whose vault escaped. big bank build
ing on Exchange Place; Martin Gillet