Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1904-02-11
|BAL T|NORE FIRE
UNDER CONTROL
The Maryland Metropolis Came
Near to Being Wiped Out
by Two Days Fire.
WHOLE CITY is STUNNED
Feeling of Horror and Awe
Makes Community Unable
to Help Itself.
on ono AAEM ADE III e
go, 600 MEN ARE IDLE
Tremendous Suffering Must Follow the
Destruction of Observation-Disclosures
Come From Many Cities to
Help Fight lanes.
BALTlMoRE,s DISASTER.

BALTiMoRE's DISASTER.
Loss BY the fire. stoo, ooo. 900
Population of city ...... 100000
Area burned over, about
one-haif mile.
ID People left unesaployed 10000
Injured .....-........ 50
wholesale, retail, financial and
shipping interests lose most heav-
q lily.
n Baltimore, Md. Feb. 9.--Baltimore is
staggering under fire loss which no
one has tie temerity to put In figures,
s. although the insurance men think it
NJ will surely be over $1C0. 900, GEO. The inn
b portant commercial district is black
ened ruins, laid bare by conhagra-
Z ton which reigned without a mo-
mentary check from Has a. m. Sum
day until late Monday afternoon. Late
in the day the officials again breathed.
1t is believed the flames are under con-
troll. They had ragged twenty eight
hours in spite Of almost superhuman
efforts put forth by the best fighting
forces which more than half a dozen
n cities were able to muster.
CITY IN GLOOM.
The city is overcome with gloom. The
s. only ligths in the burned district are
those from the smoldering ruins. The
only lights in that section which es-
capped destruction are from corner gas
lamps. The stores are closed in nearly
every street. The darkened avenues
are full of jostling people talking of
one subject. Apparently there lis but
one cause for gladness and that is that
there are no homeless. The residence
section of the city escaped. This pI use
of the situation relieved the officials
from any thought other than the saving
~ OF property.
Throughout the horrible contest in
which firemen and fire waged for SUI
premacy humanity was handicapped by
a gale which carried burning brands
over the heads of the workers and be-
yond the reach of the hundreds of
streams of water poured into the rag
Ing furnaces. But for the work OF vol
unteeTs IN seeking out and extinguish-
ing these timbers, it is almost certain
The burned area would have been twice
81 larger than it is. About seventy-fiye
squares of 40 acres are In ashes, ex-
n tending from Lexington street on the
north to Pratt street on the south !;
from Liberty street on the west to
Jones Falls on the east.
Insurance companies have opened
temporary offices in the Lexington ho-
tel, but their representatives decline to
estimate the loss. The answer of one
Is typical of all.
Its too big. We have not figures to
describe 1t. Make it about 500 600, 900.
That's the best we can do.r
The same INDIGESTION was true in re-
gard to the estimates concerning In
surance
The city was early placed under mar
tial law, and thus all danger of footing
in the doomed district vas eliminated.
Word was received that General Cor
bin of New York would be here today
to take command OF 1000 federal
troops which are coming from various
points The presence of three regi-
mentS of militia as an adjunct to the
police which We're augmented by de-
tails from Philadelphia and Washing
ton, resulted in the maintenance OF the
best OF order.
NO ONE DAREs TO GUESS.
No one dares to guess what would
have happened had the flames jumped
the falls. The struggle has been with
the one end of combining the fire to the
west side OF the muddy stream. That
this effort was successful is merely the
result of fire burning itself out and
coming In contact in front with the
concerted labors of nearly 100 fire COM
panies, aided by the powerful tug, the
Cataract. Again and again the terrible
heat, driven from the burning district
across Jones falls, ignited buildings
and lumber piles. Furious hand to hand
lights occurred. which, fortunately for
the residents of East Baltimore, were
won by the firemen. Several hours ia
the lumber district Of the east side vol
unteers watched every enfber. Bucket
brigades were formed to prevent the
destructive leap Of the flames cross
the narrow stream. Had the fire
gained a foothold in the east side lum-
Der yards 1t is conceded nothing could
have stopped the onslaught, and the
departments would have been power
less to prevent damage as great, If not
y greater, than the Chicago fire.
With the fire under control the
blackened waste which lies in the
wake OF the sea of flames presents d
view terrible In its pyrotechnic gran
ueur. 1t can be likened best to oceans
of great coke ovens, each shooting out
Its thousand tongues of flame from
pyramids of brick, stone and cement
Where the fire had died out nothing re-
mains but waste, from which rise hum
dreds of towering, insecure shafts OF
the same color. These are all that II
left Of what were handsome offics
buildings, storage wholesale and busl.
ness houses OF all kinds.
WEEKS BEFORE Loss Is KNOWN
The loss wall not be accurately esti.
mated for weeks, for business men
prosperous yesterday morning, are pool
today. Expressions heard among these
men, as they peer into the COLLAPSED
properties. reveal an astounding num-
Der who were only poorly protected b
insurance..
EAW persons explored fully even suci
portions Of the burned district as TIL
eoolkng ruins would permit. The higl
g winds made IL nearly impossible fo
any ore 10 pass through the street,
baFderad tit stumbling walls withou
grave danger I'd personal safety Tn
Mingled niasses ct wires cross and re
GROSS ilae streets and these were laShe'
S0 furfDusIy by the WIND that the,
gould net have proved more dangerou
Md they been alive
Some Ut these wires are strung fron