Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-09
THE FIRES MAGNITUDE
MIR. MACFARLAND's oBsERvA-
TIoNs IN BALTIMORE
Is Impressed by Police Arrangements
and by the Courage OF the
Citizens.

AZ went to Baltimore yesterday, said
Commissioner mcfarland, in response to
request for description of what ne saw IN
Baltimore. ito see our fremen rather than
the fire and it's effects. and as only had
an hour or two to stay saw comparatively
little of the burnt district where the great
losses occurred. In going over 10 the lum-
Der district. where our men were In the
front of the fight, however, got pretty
good idea of the magnitude OF the destruc-
ton and could realize what the scenes
must have been when the nre was at It's
height l was interested In what L coulo
see of the effects of the fire upon so-calied
fireproof buildings and shall De greatly III
terested in the reports which are. maze on
their observations of those eHects by the
architectural engineering experts Of Wash
ington and other cities.
81 was struck with the admirable police
ARRANGEMENTS and with the consequent gooo
order, and was also impressed with the
cheerfulness and courage OF the BATH
moreans whom l met and those .whom
saw in the streets. Doubtless tnere IS de-
preston and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS pu' 30"
nothing of 1t.
..By the time I reached baltimore the
flames were practically eXtinSu.sned eV-
erywhere except along Jones rams, ioiis
street crossings. Our fire companies, with
one exception, had been moved down from
the business district, as they hao nnShed
their work there, which was SO wen zone
stream in the general neighborhood OF the
President street station when l arrived
Volume Of Fire Reduced.
"Tbe fire. which ran down the western
side of the stream in the lumber yards and
comparatively low buildings, had been
greatly reduced by the efforts of our fire
men and others, And the smoke, which had
been so dense as to blacken their faces and
redden their eyes. had grown much thinner
Even then they practically had the nre III
check. although 1t occasionally got across
the stream and on the wooden prIdges anu
the was still clouded with snfo o1Ae
There was nothing dramatic IN the spec
tacle" said Mr.. Mcfarland except the
heroic determination and cheerful courage
of the firemen. They were, OF course, urea
and felt the cold and they had not been as
frequently supplied with coffee and sand
wiches after they got down into the lum-
Der district, where eating places were rev;
However some of the lumber dealers had
procured coffee and sandwiches, and We're
providing for all who came to them. had
arrangements made Immediately TO nave
coffee and sandwiches taken to the men,
scattered as they were, wherever they
might happen to be at work, and left d.
as they stayed in Baltimore. / saw most
of the men, either at our engines or on the
lumber piles or in the streets and found
them all well and glad that they had gone.
1 asked Chief Belt to get the men back to
Washington as soon as possible, and &C
cordingly he did SO.
Baltimore Appreciative.
II was very proud of all that the Balti-
moreans said about the splendid work
that our men did, not only the firemen,
but the policemen, some of whom l saw.
Baltimoreans were very appreciative of
what was done by the District. While
the companies We're In the BUSINESS quar-
ter they were provided with refreshments
by the citizens. Chief Belt also had
authority to use coffee fund
The only inhosptable thing that l
heard of was that dairy lunch room re-
fused to serve three of our men who went
in on their own account, because their
faces and their clothes were covered
with the smoke of the fire. The dairy
lunch room people said they We're too
dirty"