The Savannah morning news., 1904-02-10
BALTIMORE TURNS TO
GRIM WORK BRAVELY

of a clear winter day, whose bright
ness was in itself an inspiration, the
apathy of yesterday gave way to en-
ergy, and from the Governor of the
state to the least private citizen the
people of this distressed city aroused
themselves to meet the appalling con-
ditions that confront them.
1t was a day of conferences. The
Governor, the Mayor and the various
municipal officials met and threshed
out the problems that are theirs by
virtue of public Office. From this con-
ference came a decision that Baltimore
for the present needs no outside help,
but will endeavor with her own re-
sources and those of the state to meet
the emergency.
At this conference also was devel
oped the machinery for an advisory
legislative commission to act in con-
junction with the Legislature.
The military officials had unusual
problems to decide and solved them in
a military manner, for tonight every
pass that has been issued giving en-
No civilian may pass the Gordon Of
citizen soldiers, which, after forty
eight hours of continuous duty, to-
night stretches around the fireswept
desert, where are safes and vaults
containing untold treasure.
With equal promptness the Chamber
of Commerce held a general meeting
and issued a formal announcement
that reflected the prevailing hopeful
ness, declaring there are already such
evidences of recuperation that all are
encouraged in the hope of the early
restoration of every branch of trade.
The Stock Exchange members met
and decided to rebuild as soon as pos
sible. The same story can be told OF
practically every commercial body,
while on every hand is evidence OF
private effort toward rehabilitation.
Buildings and Labor in Demand,
Old buildings long unusued, private
residences near the business section, in
fact, every available structure bears
crudely lettered signs on board or cloth,
announcing, that within is the tempo
rary office of firm. The names on
some of these signs are those that
rank high in the financial and COM
mercial circles of the world, and in
these temporary offices men who for
years have known only mahogany
desks, work. on deal tables and plain
boards.
Labor is in demand, and the news
papers already contain display adver-
tisements for men to begin the work
of clearing the ruins.
All things considered the public
stock taking that engrossed the busi-
ness world of Baltimore to-day was
satisfactory. But this does not mean
that the great fire was a lesser calam-
ity than has been pictured in these
dispatches. The words that have hur-
ried over telegraph wires restored by
almost superhuman energy to meet
waiting worlds demand for news, have
given but an inadequate conception of
this catastrophe. The bald fact is that
14O acres of business buildings, repre-
senting property to the approximate
value of $125, 10000, were destroyed
within twenty-four hours
Vaults and Safes Intact.
A great cloud was lifted this after
noon when it was discovered that prac-
tically all of the vaults and strong
rooms and safes of the financial con-
Germs whose buildings were destroyed,
are unhurt. A tremendous loss in Sc
curities had been anticipated here, and
when vault after vault yielded up its
treasures unframed, the joy of the
guardians was boundless.
From the Continental Trust Com
pany's safes alone papers to the
amount of more than $2OO,O00.000 were
recovered The news cheered the whole
city and encouraged immediate and
thorough investigation. Merchants and
their assistants, smoke-soiled and be-
grimed and hollow-eyed from anxiety
and loss of sleep, worked like laborers
in the smoking ruins to recover their
safes, and in nearly every instance
they were rewarded by intact contents.
Another surprise was the discovery
that two financial concerns, whose
homes were directly in the path of the
flames, were practically unframed.
These were the Mercantile Trust Com
pany and Brown Bros Bank. The es-
cape of these buildings is attributed to
their lack of hight. They do not ex-
coed four stories and as they were
surrounded by lofty structures, the
flames swept over them.
Plenty of Federal Money.
There is between $11,OOO,0OO and $12,-
OOO0O now in the vaults Of the sub
treasury, of which over $7,0OO,O0O is
in gold. The remainder consists of
currency, silver and minor coin. This
amount is inadequate to meet the
emergency demands of the trade Of
the city. With considerably more than
three-fourths of the leading banking
institutions of the city destroyed and
their vaults buried in the debris and,
therefore, inaccessible, though hap
pily intact, the business of the city
are seriously embarrassed in the
transactions Of business.
Assistant Treasurer Dryden and
Cashier H. L. Nice are taking every
possible measure to meet the necessi-
ties arising from the lack OF banking
facilities. In their steps they have the
hearty cooperation Of the Treasury
Department which has expressed