The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1904-02-12
THE baltimore FIRE.
Loss on Buildings in Burned Dis
trict Placed at $150,O00,000.
To Efficiently Guard the Hundreds of
Millions of Treasure in the SmouI-
dering Ruins Federal Soldiers
viii Be Needed.

The important commercial district is
blackened ruins. laid bare by a con-
flagration which ragged without a mo-
mentary check from 10:45 a. m. Sun
day until late in the afternoon Mon
day. At o'clock the city officials
again breathed. 1t was agreed the
flames were under control. They had
ragged % hours, in spite of almost SUI
perhuman efforts put forth by the best
fighting forces which more than half
a dozen cities were able to muster
The loss can not be accurately esti-
mated for weeks, for business men,
prosperous Sunday morning, are poor
Expressions heard among these men
as they peer into the collapsed proper
ties reveal an astounding number who
were only poorly protected by insur-
ance.
Inspector of Buildings Preston, aft
er making a careful study of the burn
ed district, placed the building loss
alone at $15O,OOO,OOO.
Baltimore, Feb. 9.--The burned dis
trict is within the territory bounded
on the west by Liberty street, on the
north by Lexington street, on the east
by Jones Falls and on the south by the
Basin Within this district were the
big structures on Fayette. Gay, LON
bard, Charles, Balderson, Ellicot, Hol-
lingsworth and Cheap Side streets.
Passing southeast along the Basin the
following large docks were destroyed:
McClure's, Patterson's, Smiths,
Frederick, Long and Union. Small
thoroughfares do not extend as far
north as Lexington street and which
were in the path of the flames are
Commerce, Frederick and Mill streets.
The district thus swept by the fire
comprised rs blocks and nearly $500
buildings.
Baltimore, Feb. 10-Amid ruins still
hot and smoking, Baltimore has begun
its resurrection With the dawn of
clear wintry day whose brightness
was in itself an inspiration, the apathy
of Monday gave way to energy and
from the governor of the state to the
least private citizen the people of this
distressed city aroused themselves to
meet the appalling conditions that con-
front them.
It was day of conferences. The
governor, the mayor and various mu-
nicipal officials met and threshed out
the problems that are theirs by virtue
of public Office From this conference
came a decision that Baltimore for the
present needs no outside help, but will
endeavor with her own resources and
those of the state to meet the emer-
gency. At this conference also was
developed the machinery for an ad-
visory legislative commission to act
in conjunction with the legislature
The military officials had. unusual
problems to decide and solved them
in a military manner, for Tuesday
every pass that has been issued giving
entrance to the fire lines was revoked
No civilian may pass the Gordon of
citizen soldiers which after 4S hours
of continuous duty Tuesday night
stretched around the fire swept desert
where lay safes and vaults containing
untold treasure.
With equal promptness the chamber
of commerce held general meeting
and issued a formal announcement
that reflected prevailing hopefulness,
declaring there are already such evil
dences of recuperation that all are en-
couraged in the hope of the early res
toration 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
All things considered, the public
stock taking that engrossed the bust
ness world of Baltimore Tuesday was
satisfactory But this does not mean
that the great fire was a lesser ca
lamity than has been pictured in these
dispatches. The fact is that 140 acres
of business buildings, representing
property to the approximate value of
$125,000,000 was destroyed within the
journey of a clocks hand. History is
marked by few calamities so vast and
SO costly in actual values, but with the
passing Of the first great shock and
prostratiOn, the brighter side is COM
ing uppermost and a realization of
what BaltimoFe~eseaped is dawning.
A great cloud was lifted Tuesday
afternoon when it was discovered that
practically all of the vaults and strong
rooms and safes of the financial con-
Germs which had buildings destroyed
were unhurt. A tremendous loss in
securities had been anticipated and
when vault after vault yielded up its
treasure unframed the joy of the guar
dams was boundless.
From one trust company's safes
alone papers to the amount of more
than 100000, 900 was recovered. The
news cheered the whole city and en-
couraged immediate and thorough in
vestigation. Merchants and their as
sistants. smoke soiled and begrimed
and hollow eyed from anxiety and
loss of sleep, worked like laborers in
the smoking ruins to uncover their
safes, and in nearly every instance
fbou mora roVuordod l.r ;,foo+ 80, +r,,4.