Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1904-02-11


big wholesale dry goods house Of John
E Hurst & Co., at Liberty and Ger
man streets. Just what originated
the flames is not known to certainty
One report says it was caused by an
explosion of gasoline in the cellar,
while another states that escaping gas
exploded and spread the flames. In
few moments the big building was
afre from top to bottom. The fire.
men were quickly at work, but they
were able to make no impression upon
the fierce flames. When the structure
was mass of seething flames the gale
that was blowing from the southwest
caught the fire and carried it to adj
joining building. 1t was the begin
ming of confagration that no human
power could check.
Unimpeded by the fire fighting force
of the entire city, the coufagratlon
spread through Hopkins Place and Oh
toward Baltimore street. The big,
substantial buildings OF the wholesale
firms that filled that neigbborhood
went down one alter another, the
flames becoming more rapaclous as
they leaped to fresh destruction. The
gale swept the 6le into the wholesale
houses and big stores on either side OF
Baltimore street, the principal busl-
uess thorougbfare Of the city. Building
after building went down and the sit
uatlon became terrible. The fremen
were powerless to quench the flames,
so dynamite was resorted to. Many
buildings were blown down, but the
flames leaped across them to seize up
on those beyond, and the gale carried
burning embers and myriads Of sparks
on ahead to start fresh fires.
The buildings on both sides of Bal
timore street from Hanover 10 Jones s
Falls were all destroyed. and the
flames also wiped out the many splen-
did office buildings on Fay cite and st
Paul streets on the north, and the sub
stantial business houses on German
and Lombard streets, on the south.
The wind blew the flames toward the
northeast until enormously valuable
property was destroyed along Fayette
and St Paul streets, and then changed
and carried the surging sea of fire to-
ward the southeast, keeping steadily
from the northwest until the path Of
destruction had been finished and the
FIRE had burnt itself out, after de-
stroying the warehouses and wharves
along the waters edge almost to
Canton.
By the middle of the afternoon it
was apparent that a great calamity
was upon Baltimore. Help was asked
for from other cities. Fire engines
and their crews were hurried to the
stricken city from Washington, Phil
adelphia, New York, Wilmington,
York and other places within reach
ing distance. With fifty steam en-
gines fighting the fire, however, there
was no staying the flames that were
hurried on by the gale, and each hour
saw additional millions of property
destroyed. Every newspaper in the
city save one, little paper called the
World, was burned out. The Sun,
the American, the Herald and the
Evening News were all burned out,
and not an atom of their valuable
presses, type and machinery was
saved. Every important office build
ing in the city except one was de-
stroyed. The splendid Continental
Trust building. l6 stories high, was
Quilted the Equitable, the Calvert,
the Law, the Union Trust, the Record,
the Maryland Trust, handsome mod
ern buildings used for Office purposes,
built of stone, brick and steel, were
ruined. The big B. & O. Central
building was Quilted. The Carroll
ton Hotel, with its costly furnishings,
was entirely destroyed.
The splendid new ourt-house, the
city hall and the postofice building
narrowly escaped destruction. 1t was
reported that they were burned, but
a fortunate change in the wind saved
them. The courthouse was damaged
10 some extent.
After the fire had left the stores
and office buildings it swept along the
water front and into the lumber yards
along the basin. 1t burned over a
very large area, but was finally con-
ouered before it reached the Canton
elevators. None Of the shipping was
destroyed as the vessels were moved
TO the opposite side of the harbor
Among the scores of big wholesale
houses that were burnt ont. and which
are we'll known in this section, are the
following: John E Hurst, Daniel
Miller Company, R NJ Sutton & Co,
Strauss Bros, wholesale dry goods ;
A mstrong, Gator & Co, notions doz.
ens of wholesale boot and shoe firms
the leading wholesale and retail jewel
ers, including Hennegen-Bates Com
pany, James A Amiger Company,
Samuel Kirk & Son Company near
ly all of the wholesale clothing firms of
the city and big retail clothing stores,
such as Likes, Berwanger & Co, Oehm s
Acme Hall, New York Clothing House,
The Hub; A. c. Meyer & Co., patent
medicines; ]. J. Halnes & Co., wood
enware Guggenheiner, We'll & Co.,
printers Chandlee & Co., china and
| glassware Marburg Bros, tobacco ;