, 1904-10-12
A SIGHTSEEING TOUR
Three Young Men Take an Inter-
eSting Trip to Baltimore,
Washington and Points In
Virginia, By Water.
What They Saw.
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We entered Baltimore in rather adj
verse circumstances. 1t had Just been
raining and the cobble paved streets
were in a very muddy condition. Be-
ing unacquainted with the city we
simply followed the current of travel
and eventually landed into the main
business section of the city. BY freely
asking questions we were directed to
a hotel where we registered for the
night. The following day, refreshed
by a good nights rest we ventured out
on a sightseeing tour of the city.
Having an eye for all that was unusual
we were attracted first to the fire burnt
district. Notwithstanding that the
lire occurred in February, 1904, and al
though the people began the work of
reconstruction Immediately, the fire
stricken portion of the city presents a
terrible spectacle and hardly shows
any signs of the tremendous under
taking of rebuilding the section. 1t
will be many years before the last
signs of this confiagration will have
disappeared. Over 20 solidly built
blocks containing over $500 separate
buildings were destroyed by this
horrible fire, many tenement blocks
were included in the path of the fire,
driving the poor occupants into the
bitter cold streets of those February
nights. A wonderful, almost miraculous
fact about the fire was that only n
man was killed. We wandered through
the ruins for squares and quares
Piles of crumbled brick and stone,
twisted iron and steel Orders, broken
and bent safes, deep chasms which
were formerly cellars and easements,
an occasional chimney grimly standing
sentinel over the scene and a few i'm
menSe and once handsome fire-proof
buildings now dark and unforbidding
skeletons Quilted by the fierce fire are
are the only remains of Baltimore's
once busiest section. One cannot help
but pause for a moment and let their
imagination wildly picture before
them the terrible scene that fire must
have been.
After spending nearly half a day
around the burnt district and watching
the active scene of Demonstration going
on in some parts we turned our atten-
ton to other sections of the city. The
famous Druid Hill Park, with its 700
acres of rolling woodland, its natural
beauty and wonderful variety of seem
cry, captivated us and for hours we
wandered up hill and down dale
through this magnificent possession of
the city. No keep off the grass signs
forbid the tired sight seer from resting
on the green moors and everyone is
free to roam anywhere and everywhere.
We visited the famous Washington
monument at Mt. Vernon Place, Eu-
taW square with its beautiful sunken
gardens and the famous Fort McHenry.
Wetook in the old Lexington market,
whose fame has spread all over the
world. On Tuesdays, Fridays and
Saturdays especially is this market a
sight of all absorbing interest. The
market house itself is simply a large
shed open on all sides, three blocks
long. But it is not this shed that
commands so much interest. The
hundreds of stalls and the variety and
assortment of the tempting display of
produce not only engrosses your atten-
ton but is a topic of interest. Eutaw
street on market days presents the
appearance of a beautiful flower show,
while on Lexington street the country
people with their wagons in double
rows line the street on both sides OF the
market, selling their vegetables, chick
II and dairy produce to whoever will
buy.
-Four hours around the wharves were
most entertainingly spent. Baltimore
is a great commercial centre and her
narrow rough paved streets around
these wharves are entirely too small to
accommodate the great amount of
travel over them. Policemen are con-
tinually kept busy i'll trying to keep
the endless string of wagons, carts and
vehicles of every sort on the move, but
Notwithstanding their efforts "A block
occurs every few moments bringing
hundreds of wagons to a standstill.
The streets referred to are so narrow
that four wagons abreast of each other
completely fill the street.
We were fortunate enough to see the
efficiency of the present fire depart
ment service put to a test. An alarm
was turned in in the very heart of the
city where the traffic is greatest. 1t
took but a very few moments for three
putting fire engines with fires agoing
to rush to the scene of action, quickly
followed by hose carts, hook and ladder
wagons etc. Although the fire proved
to be nothing but some burning boxes
which man mistOok for a more serious
fire yet it collected a large crowd of
excited people and showed that the
present Baltimore fire department is
not asleep and can answer a call with
promptness and dispatch.
We found the Baltimore trolley con-
ductors the most agreeable and ac-
commodating of any we had ever met.
1t was through their suggestions that
some of our suburban trolley trips were
arranged. Forest Park, Electric Park,
and Mt. Washington We're trolley trips
of merit through q beautiful section of