The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-02-08

which cannot yet be estimated. as the
fire was still burning fercely when
night fell Owing to the wide extent
of the calamity il will be tomorrow be
fore an approximate estimate can be
made, though it is certain that it has
already exceeded $25, 600 000.
The FIRE broke out shortly before II
o'clock this morning in the wholesale
dry goods store Of John Z. 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.
Entire Department Called Out.
In a half hour a dozen big ware
houses in the wholesale dry goods and
notions district were burning fiercely.
The entire city fire department was
called out. but was utterly Dowerless
to check the spread of the flames,
which We're aided by high winds, and
by noon there were savage fires in at
least thirty big warehouses, and the
flames we're steadily eating their way
into successive blocks northwest and
south.
On Baltimore street the block be-
tween 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 con-
solidated gas companys building and
I Oehms & ANNE hall burning fiereely.
Walls Crumbled and Fell.
/ Meanwhile stores north of Baltimore
/ stree. were being similarly consumed
Mullins hotel was ignited, and other
/ buildings near ii. West Of Liberty
/ street. on the south side of Baltimore
| the block was doomed. and the big BAL
J timore Bargain house was also at
I tackled. In Hopkins Place, where the
fire started, Hursts building and other
Z wholesale houses on both sides Of the
! street crumbled and fell.
/ The big dry goods houses of Daniel
! Miller & Sons and VI. 4. Sutton & Co
/ were soon afame. 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 succumDed
} TO the flames, and the walls fell with
, 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 caldron, from whence the
/ flames radiated over the doomed neigh
I bOrhOOd.
Unavailing Efforts.
In Hopkins Place, the Hopkins Saw
ings bank and the National Exchange
bank were Quilted by flames, the few
streams Of water that the firemen were
able to turn on them proving utterly
Intellectual 10 even halt the destruction.
Here. across the street. were the ruins
of John J.. Hurst & Co.'S building. and
next TO Il s. Hecht, Jr., & Sons block
was i'm flames. Adjoining was the large
building owned by the William Koch
importing company, which was also
quickly destroyed.
Across the street the Stanley &
/ Brown Drug company building was
soon in ruins. Fronting on the Balti-
more street side of this block were the
Roxbury rye DistilIing company, the
building occupied by SHERMAN &
Todes. the house Of Allen Sons & Co,
which has hardly been completed, ana
next to it was the establishment OF N
Moses & Co. On the corner was the
building occupied by Messrs. Sugar &
Shear and several other smaller con-
Germs. All Of these were swallowed up
In the flames, the whole square being d
/ mass Of FIRE
Guests Escape From Hotel.
At 1870 o'clock Mullins hotel, sew
en-story structure at Liberty and Bal
timore streets. was in flames from gar
bret to cellar, and Its great height and
narrovness converted the doomed
building into a huge and dreadful
ktorch All the guests Of the hotel had
been ordered out Of the building short
~ after the fire broke out in John E.
Hurst-s place. There was no panic o.
confusion. and none was injured.
Though every bit of FIRE fighting APP
! paratus in the city was called into re-
QUESTION as the flames continued tc
spread. the fremen realized that they
had a task before them which was toe
great for them to combat. kilograms
for fire engines were sent to Washing
ton and Philadelphia, and about
O'Clock six engines arrived from WASH
ington and four from Philadelphia, ano
Joined In the battle with the flames.
Engines from stations IN Baltimore
Howard, Anne Arundel and Hartford
( counties also arrived as soon as Dos
/ sible. some of the apparatus travelins
/ a distance Of thirty miles and more.
Water plugs in every section within
| a radius of half a mile from the fir'
were ia usa, and st is roughly estimat
ed that $50 hose were playing at ont
time upon different parts of the fire.
Owing to the great congestion of fir'
/ apparatus, the crowds of people aEC
the general confusion. many OF the en-
{ gines from out of town We're unable Il
find a place where they win be Of am
service.
The area bounded by German. Lib
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