The San Francisco call., 1904-02-08
START OF THE CONFEDERATION
Dozen Big Warehouses Burning
FierceIy Within Half Hour.

Dozen Big Warehouses Burning
Ffercely Within Half Hour.
BALTIMORE, Feb. 7.-To-day's fire
visitation was the most appalling dis
aster in the history of Baltimore. The
flames, raging practically unchecked
during many hours, completely de-
stroyed scores of the largest business
houses in the wholesale district. Owing
to the wide extent of the calamity it
viii be tomorrow before an approx
mate estimate can be made.
The fire started shortly before eleven
o'clock this morning in the wholesale
dry goods store of John E Hurst &
Co, on Hopkins place, in the heart of
the business district. with a series of
loud explosions, which were heard in
remote parts of the city, and spread
with fearful rapidity.
In a half-hour a dozen big ware
houses in the wholesale dry goods and
notions district were burning fercely.
The entire city fire department was
called out, but was utterly powerless
TO check the spread of the flames, which
were aided by high winds, and by noon
there were savage fires in at least
thirty big warehouses and the flames
were steadily eating their way into sue
cessive blocks north, west and south.
On Baltimore street the block between
Liberty and Sharp streets was soon
ablaze. Then came the next block east
to Hanover, and after that the block on
the south side to Charles street broke
out into flames, the Consolidated Gas
Company's building and Oehm's Hall
burning fiercely.
Meanwhile stores north of Baltimore
street were being similarly consumed.
Mullins Hotel was ignited and other
buildings near IL. West of Liberty
street. on the south side of Baltimore,
the block was doomed, and the big Bal
timore Bargain House also attacked. In
Hopkins place, where the fire started,
Hurst's building and other wholesale
houses on both sides Of the street
crumbled and fell.
The big dry goods houses of Daniel
Miller e. Sons and NJ A. Sutton & Co.
were soon aflame, and along German
street east and west from the Hurst
building a dozen buildings were burn
ing and scores more threatened.
Mass & Kemper's big wholesale store
on Baltimore street quickly succumbed
TO the flames, and the walls fell with a
crash that was heard for squares The
Hurst building was utterly destroyed,
not even a wall ten feet high being left
standing, and was apparently the CEN
ter of the ealdron whence the flames
radiated over the doomed district.
In Hopkins place the Hopkins Saw
fngs Bank and the National Exchange
Bank were gutted by flames, the few
streams of water that the firemen. were
able to turn upon them proving utterly
Intellectual to even halt the destruction.
Here. across the street, were the ruins
of John T. Hurst & Co, of the build
ing next to it, S. c. Hecht Jr. & Sons
block. was in flames. Adjoining was
- ad hx- VIII
liam Koch Importing Company, which
also was quickly destroyed.
Across the street, the Stanley Drug
Company building was soon in ruins.
Fronting on the Baltimore-street side
of this block were the Roxbury Rye
Distilling Company, the building occu-
pied by Silberman & TOdes, the house
Of Allen. Sons & Co. which had hardly
been completed. and next to ii the es-
tablishment Of NJ. Moses & Co. On the
corner was the building occupied by
Sugar & Shear and several other
smaller concerns. All of these were
burned, the whole square being a mass
of flames.
At I:3O O'Clock Mullins Hotel, a
seven-story structure at Liberty and
Baltimore streets. was in flames from
garret to cellar and its great height and
narrowness converted the doomed
building into a huge and dreadful
torch. All of the guests of the hotel
had been ordered out of the building
shortly after the fire broke out in
Hurst's place. There was no panic or.
confusion and no one was injured
Though every bit of fire-fighting ap-
paratus in the city was called into
requisition as the flames continued to
spread, the firemen realized that they
had a task before them which was too
great for them to combat. kilograms
for fire engines We're sent to Wash
ington and Philadelphia and at 1
o'clock six engines arrived from Wash
ington and four from PHILADELPHIA and
Joined in the battle with the flames
Engines from stations in Baltimore.
Howard Anne Arundel and Hartford
counties also arrived as soon as pos
sible. some of the apparatus travelling
a distance of thirty miles or more.
Water plugs in every section within
a radius of a half-mile from the fire
were in use and it is roughly estimated
that $50 streams were playing at one
time upon different parts of the fire.
Owing to the great congestion of fire
apparatus, the crowds of people and the
general confusion. many of the engines
a place where they would be of any
service.
The area bounded by German. Lib
erty, Sharp and Baltimore streets was
early found TO be doomed. and the fire.
men turned their attention to saving
the buildings on Baltimore street, east
of Sharp.
The fire was beyond their control and
the flames ran from one building to an
other in spite of the fact that the nre-
men did their best to check their prog