Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-02-09

Baltimore, Feb. 9.-After meeting
of representatives of the insurance
companies it is announced they esti-
mate the loss at $125,OO0,O0O and in
surance $9O,OOO,OOO.
City Staggered by Loss.
baltimore, Feb. Q. - Baltimore is
staggering under a fire loss which no
ole has the tCmerity TO put into fig
ures The important commercial dis
trict is blackened ruins, laid bare by
a confla grafton which ragged without
n momentary check from 1915 Il. III.
Sunday until late in the afternoon yes
terday. At p. n. yesterday the city
officials again breathed. 1t was agreed
that the flames were under control.
They had RI ged twenty-eight hours. in
spite of almost superhuman efforts put
forth by the best fighting forces which
more than half a dozen cities were
able to muster
Residence Section Is Safe.
The city is overcast with gloom. The
only lights in the burned district are
those from the smoldering ruins. The
only lights in that section which es-
capped destruction are from corner gas
lamps. The stores are closed in near
IN every street The darkened ave-
nues are full of jostling people talking
of one subject. Apparently there is
but one cause for gladnesS. and that
is that there are none homeless. The
residence section of the city escaped.
This phase of the situation relieved the
officials from any thought other than
the saving of property.
Finally stopped at 6 p. II.
At y. III, yesterday the Associated
Press sent out a bulletin saying the
flames would be held in check at the
Union docks and prevented from leap
ing Jones Falls and placing the en-
tire city east of there in jeopardy
At 3 p. m. that bulletin was CON
Ernled. y score of times flames of fire
We're found tapping the sides of lum-
Der piles on the east bank of the falls.
In some instances the lumber was
tossed into the fails. and this with sim
iiar heroic measures stayed the on
Throughout the terrible contest IN
which fremen and fire waged for su-
premacy humanity WAS handicapped
by Il gale which carried burning brands
over the heads of the workers and be-
yond the reach of the hundreds of
streams of water poured into the rag
ing furnaces. But for the work of vol
unteers in seeking out and eXtinguish-
ing these embers il is almost certain
the burned area would have been twice
larger than il is About seventy-five
squares. or 40 acres are in acres, ex-
tending from Lexington street on the
north 10 Pratt street on the south, from
Liberty street on the west to Jones |
Falls OH the easts
Open Offices in Hotel.
Insurance companies have opened |
Offices in the Lexington no |
tel. but their representatives decline to |
estimate the loss. The answer of one |
is typical of all: Its too big We |
have not figures to describe it. Make |
1t above S1OO.OOO,OO0. That's the best |
we can do The same indecision was |
true in regard 10 estimates concerning |
insurance.
The city was early placed under
martial law. and thus ali danger OF |
lOOting I'm the doomed district was |
Word is received that |
General Corbin, of New York. will he
here today to take command OF the |
federal troops. The presence Of two
regiments of malitia as an adjunct /
TO the police, which were augmented /
by details from Philadelphia aud
resulted in the mainten-
ance of the best of order.