The San Francisco call., 1904-06-19
STRANGE THINGS SEEN
IN TRACK OF FIRE
Freaky Performances OF Wind and
Flame at the Great Balti-
more Fire

AS the work of reviving the burned
district of Baltimore goes on curious
little stories crop up showing the ap-
parent inconsistency of the flames and
the strange'freaks of the wind. 1t was
short time after the fire that farm
er brought to the city $50 pounds Of
leaf tobacco. He explained to the pur-
chaser Of the leaf that he had gath
cred it from his land, seven miles
away, and that he supposed il to be
from a big warehouse that burned.
The owner Of an oyster pungy that lay
at a dock when the fire began had the
craft towed into the middle Of the
stream when the blaze threatened.
Seven miles down the river the cap
tain found in the stern bit of black
ened paper, and he was about to brush
it overheard when he noticed it's tex
ture. A close examination showed it
to be a charred 500 bill, which he
carefully preserved In a pocketbOOk.
At the sub-treasury the burnt bill was
redeemed. At Bear Creek, Maryland,
thirty miles from Baltimore, a
scorched postal card with the super
scription of the Third National Bank
was found.
AS showing the action of the heat
on the iron and steel safes in the vari-
Gus offices, these examples, quoted
from the correspondence of the Bos-
ton Advertiser, are of interest:
Felix Sullivan was, overJOyed to see
his big strongboX come up out Of the
ruins apparently unhurt, save for the
paint. The combination lock yielded
to his manipulation as easily as ever.
When he swung the dook back, how
ever he found every scrap of paper
within it reduced TO ashes. Even the
bit of Brussels carpet on the floor of
the safe was but charred wool.
"A big safe belonging to the largest
firm of pawnbrokers in Baltimore ap-
peared intact when brought out of the
ruins. 1t contained 324 gold and sill
yer watches, 200 diamond and other
rings and a lot of miscellaneous gold
and silver ornaments.
Except for less than a score Of
pieces, the watches, rings and orna-
ments had all melted and run together
in one big lump on the floor of the
safe. The inside Of the heavy doors
was not even scorched, and yet every
wooden drawer in the safe was in
ashes.
Several safes which were opened
before they had cooled exploded the
moment air reached the interior and
set everything within on fire.
Il. G. Matthews of an insurance
firm remembered during the fire that
in the firms safe, along with valuable
DdpGTS, NcTC SEVERAL DOAcS VI paTlOr
matches. He made desperate efforts
to reach the strongbox, but failed.
When the safe was opened not a
match had been ignited by the tre-
mendous heat, and everything was in
tact"
In another safe, where valuable
stones were ruined and gold jewelrv
melted in Jumps. a white silk hand
kerchief was found whole and not in
the least discolored. Theories have
proved valueless in trying to explain
the freaks Of fortune, for when one
circumstance had apparently been
cleared up another was revealed to in
validate the former guess just how
Peggy. the Office cat OF the United
Electric Railway Company came ont
of the Quilted wreck of the big CONT
mental Trust building with only a
slight singeing will never be explained
One is at liberty to take his choice he
tween attributing the escape to Provi-
dence, TO a fortunate hiding place. or
-doubting that Peggy was in the
building. In Baltimore, however. n
amounts to treason to doubt a fire
story.-New York Post.