The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1904-02-18
The Big Baltimore Fire


information started at 1o45 O'Clock in the morning Of Sunday Feb
uary 1t finally exnguished about midnight February
Property loss conserae estimated between $8ooooooo and
oooooo The fire has eaten the heart out OF the business section Of
the city 1t has swept down both sides OF Baltimore street.
way OF Baltimore for block after block Where very lately
great disappointment and office buildings OF the csood
heaps of crumbng Banks newspapers telegraph Offices
wholesale houses companies and
class OF dwellings gone
twenty-five hundred separate buildings were destroyed before the
fire burned itself the edge along
Falls, sluggish stream that through the city
Twenty-Five thousand men and Of employment In
companies have to the greatest losses they have
the Chicago expected fire insur-
companies will fail Many OF the New York New England
Western and foreign companies will be extremely hard hit There
hundreds ruined merchants will years city
The wholesale and financial Of the city together with
oyster packing houses warehouses small stores lumber yards docks
malt houses factories the granite otc buildings were wiped out in
wenty-our hours between o'clock yesterday morning and
o'clock this morning they had been figures slate and
sponge been passed them.
Busy Baltimore street wilderness Of twisted iron beams tangled
trolley and telegraph wires cacned brick crushed glass bent and bat
tered sheet iron, and other wreckage.
Side corner OF Sharpe Liberty
Harbor similar condition Soldiers stand with fixed bayOne
the OF leading the burned districts The city
der martial law All closed No business done
The Governor the Mayor and various municipal officials had con-
ference Feb which decided that Baltimore for the present
needs outside help At this conference also developed the
the Legislature
The Stock Exchange chambers and decided to rebuild as
possible The story be told practically every commercial
house while every hand evidence private effort toward ab
on Old buildings long used private residences the business
within the temporary Office of firm Labor in demand and the
newspapers already contain display advertisements for begin
cloud lifted this afternoon when discovered that
practically all of the vaults and ongooms and safes of the financial
whose buildings destroyed unhu tremendous
loss securities had been anticipated but vault after vault yielded
unframed From compan safes alone papers
the amount OF more than $2oooooooo were recovered
Another surprise the discovery that financial concerns
whose homes directly in the path OF the flames practically
unframed These the Mercantile Trust Company and Brown
Brothers Bank The escape these buildings due their lack Of
height They exceed four Stories and they surrounded
by lofty the flames swept them.
AS yet figures loss and insurance that be regarded
official be obtained careful estimate OF builders and bust
100000 $9ooooooo 1t probable these estimates will stand with
slight changes when the final figures written
OF the great region by the fire devoted to resi-
wholesale district the northwestern OF the fire
many of the wholesale dry goods merchants and
this hghc class retail district with most OF the principal jewel
furniture and piano factories Practically office building in
the city destroyed along with the banks and trust companies in the
financial district Around the Stock Exchange and Chamber OF COM
the offices brokers' and those with all the
foreign steamship and custOmhouse brokers Offices involved III
the widespread ruin.
Another wholesale district destroyed that devoted groceries
produce historic old Marsh Market going down ruins
Right in the heart OF the burned district located the immense cen
plant of the United Railways and Electric Company its fall
ruins To the eastward OF the powerhouse and extending to Jones
and haror the and southern boundaries OF the
and coues accessible sides by water and marking the hrSt
check and farthest progress OF the flames.
Today a scramble temporary office the OF
hundreds of business firms whose homes but recognbe
wreCkage.
One of the remarkable freaks of saving the Unit
ed States bonded warehouse high and built 1885
according odme methods of construction 1t stands tonight
almost unnured while the yscrapes supposed to be epoo which
surrounded it. masses OF ruins Insurance men and builders VINO
discussed the question tonight agreed saying that the most
nearly 6reproof building OF any in the city.
doors the United States bonded warehouse
and is the lack iron windows and doors the ohe1
building wS he'd @2ty +&s99@s%s 2s the spread the 2c
L1AoToNG THE OBJECTIVE DUsE IS ILL
LONDON February Japan is GENOA February 1S-Eeanor Duse
drenne
This accors Jap Old and has been on the stage since
stratag ocbld