The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-10
BALTIMORE WILL RISE,
IN RENEWED GLORY, FROM
THE ASHES OF ITS RUINS
Debris of the Great Fire Will Be
Removed and New Buildings
Constructed.
MUCH PROPERTY SAVED
Over $2oo,ooo,o 900 Worth of Sc
curities Found Intact in One
Company's Safe.
ACTION OF THE PEOPLE
No Appeal for Outside Aid-Total
Loss Now Estimated at
SI25, 100000.
MUCH PROPERTY SAVED
ACTION OF THE PEOPLE

plZ ZO,OOO,OOO.
BALTIMORE, Feb. 9.-Amid ruins still
hot and smoking. Baltimore has begun it's
resurrection. With the dawn of a clear
. winter day whose brightness was in itself
an inspiration, the apathy of yesterday
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 confront them.
II was a day Of conferences. The Gov
ernor. the mayor, and various municipal
officials met and threshed out the prob
lens that theirs by virtue of public
Office. From this conference came de-
cision that Baltimore for the present needs
outside help, but will endeavor with
her own resources and those of the State to
meet the emergency. At this conference also
was developed the machinery for an advis-
ory executive committee TO act in conjunc-
tion with the Legislature.
The military officials had unusual prob
lens to decide and solved them in a military
manner. for tonight every pass that has
been issued giving entrance to the fire lines
was revoked No civilian may pass the cor
don of citizen soldiers which after forty
stretches around the fire-swept desert
where lay safes and vaults containing un-
told treasure.
With equal promptness the Chamber Of
Commerce held general meeting and is
sued a formal announcement that reflected
the prevailing hopefulness declaring there
are already such evidences of recuperation
that all are encouraged in the hope of the
early restoration of every branch of trade"
WILL REBUILD AT ONCE.
The Stock Exchange members met and
decided to rebuild as soon as possible. The
same story can be told of practically every
commercial body, while every hand is
evidence Of private effort toward rehabili-
tation.
Old buildings long unused, private resi-
dences near the business section, in fact.
every available structure bears crudely
lettered signs on board or cloth annOunc-
ing that within this temporary office Is a
firm Names some of these signs are
those that rank high in the financial and
commercial 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 newspapers
display advertisements for men to begin the
work of clearing the ruins.
All things considered the public stock
taking that engrossed the business world
this does not mean that the great fire was
a lesser calamity than has been pictured
in these dispatches. The bald fact is that
140 acres of business buildings. represent
ing property to the appro roximate value OF
Sl25.0 600, was destroyed within the journey
of a clocks hand.
vast and so costly in actual values, but
with the passing of the first great shock
and prostration the brighter side is coming
uppermost and a realization or what Baltl-
more escaped Is daWning.
A great cloud was lifted this afternoon
when ii was discovered that practically all
the vaults and strong rooms and safes of
the financial concerns whose buildings were
destroyed were unhurt. tremendous loss
in securities had been anticipated and when
vault after vault yielded up its treasure un-
harmed the joy Of the guardians was bound
less.
SECURITIES RECOVERED.
From one trust company's safe alone pa
pers to the amount of more than $4,000. 900
were recovered. The news cheered the
whole city and encouraged immediate and
thorough Investigations
Merchants and assistants. smoke-soied
and begrimed. AID hollow-eyed from anxi-
ETY. and loss Of sleep. worked like laborers
in the smoking ruins TO uncover their safes,
and in nearly every instance they were re-
warded by intact contents.
Another surprise was the discovery that
three financial concerns whose homes were
directly in the fercest sweep of the flames
were practically unharmed. These were the
Continental Trust Company, Brown Bros
bank and the Mercantile Trust Company No
one ventures 10 offer an eXplanat tiOn of the
remarkable escape of the buildings in the
center OF a heat so intense that metal
trimmings OF the skylghts melted and drip
ped through on TO the desks. In the Me-
chanics Bank the time locks on the vaults
were still running.
As yet no figures on the loss and insurance
that can be regarded as official are obtain
able. careful canvass of insurance ex-
perts builders and business men placed the
loss in round figures at S125.O00.Ot0 and the
insurance ut from $50 100000 TO $50. 900 600
In declining aid proffered the city officials
have taken pains TO define their position
The blow that has befallen Baltimore has
aroused an intense civic pride in an effort
McI1ane expressed IL. the city will not
hesitate three minutes TO ask assistance If
IL becomes necessary.
To-day gave opportunity for a careful
investigation as TO the cause of the origi-
nal fire in the Hurst building 1t was first
reported that the blaze started from the
explosion OF a gasoline engine In the cellar
but this tonight is given an emphatic de-
nial- Henry $ Hurst, OF the firm of John
l.. Hurst * Co. says that there was no
gasoline in the building and that the fire
did not have its origin in an explosion of
this liquid I'm the Hurst building. This state
nent was subsequently cOrroborated by a
signed statement issued by s. w. II. Hop
per & Sons. insurance agents and brokers
who said that after careful inspections bv
deputies OF their firm and of the Fire Tn
derwriters' Association they were satisfied
that there was no gasoline in the building
Mr.. Hurst said that he and Charles
George, a trusted employe. were the last
persons TO leave the building at $50 D. m
Saturday and that all the electric lights
were turned of by a switch. Ii is not de-
MED that the fire originated in the Hurst
building, but how II started Is yet 10 be
learned.