Evening journal., 1904-02-08
BALTIMORE FIRE
HAND or PROVIDENCE
ALONE CAN SAVE CITY


publishers Press Special.
Baltimore. Feb. s. ii a. m-when day
broke over the stricken city Of Baltimore
the conhagration which had been rag
ing from 10 o'clock on Sunday morning,
worked with irreprcssible determination
to wipe out the entire city.
MANS Aid Useless.
No effort Of man to stem Hood Of fire can
avail.
only the hand OF Divine Providence can
silence the fearful scourge.
All night long people crowded around
lhre limits. They hardly realized the hor-
Iror OF the situation. All. even policemen
land nremen are exhausted from their
fourteen hours steady fire fighting.
The militia and regulars who we're called
out to preserve order and to guard stores
from possible pillage were spellbound by
the grandeur OF the mighty flames that
licked building after building into ruin.
Estimate of Loss.
The loss is estimated TO be from one
hundred TO two hundred million dollars.
No ono can exactly tell. The heart Of
the city has been laid m ruins. Reinforce
ments from Harrisburg, Philadelphia,
Wilmington and Washington had arrived
during the night.
The infusion Of new men into the con-
laict. however, was without avail They
were completely helpless and as building
latter building fell fire nghting apparatus
had to be constantly shifted in position.
Started in Centre.
John f. Hurst & Co.'S wholesale dry
goods establishment on the northwest
corner Of Hopkins place and German street
where the fire started. IS almost in the
lcentre Of the wholesale section. II was a
six-story briclc structure. packed from
basement to roof with dry goods and no.
tions much Of which was of a light and
iimsy nature.
The first warning that the place was
afire came when an alarm was received at
headquarters over the wires OF the auto
matte system which were connected with
the store. and this was about ten minu-
ties before il o'clock. When the depart
ment came II was Immediately seen that
! Ia fire Of considerable magnitude was
burning behind the closed and shattered
doors and windows OF the establishment.
Before they succeeded in getting at the
blaze an explosion came. which shook all
that part Of the city and was heard for
miles outside. The supposition is that the
explosion resulted from the contact OF the
thames with a quantity Of gasoline IN the
Y cellar which was used TO run an engine.
I This is merely a conjecture which could
not De confirmed last night.
: The firemen and the pedestrians who
J we're casually watching tho outcome Of
4 the nre say,that the explosion seemed TO
= blow out every window In the building and
hames burst out IN all directions.
y Masses OF burning cloth laccs aud frag-
S ments Of what had been sfackad on ths
= shelves ana floors Of the building wer,
e hurled high in the air. The force Of tn,
e Iexpiosion seemed to rond the roof. and
n from the interior was vomited a volcano
( Of brands and embers.
Amazing Swiftness Of Blaze.
I The winds caught these up and whlsked
them to and fro. until they were either
saught by the currents OF the gale that
whipped the housetops OF fell upon the
: roofs and window lodges Of the near.
= by buildings. Each seed Of FIRE terminated
!. and produced woeful fruit with amazing
celebrity.
AS the fremen were stI1l recovering
from the shock and consternat don bred by
the upheaval in the first building ths
stores on the opposite corners Of Hopkin,
!, place and German street started to burn
EXPLOSIONS Add Terror.
v At 8 o'clock tremendous explosion o
e about $50 barrels Of whisky. s.ored IN Ia,
upper floors Of "a Hanover street. hurle,
tons of burning matter across the stree
lonto roofs Of the buildings opposite
s which the fremen We're drcnching will
water in a vain hope to make Hanover
> streas the eastern boundary line OF th'
e connagration. The flames quivered for
few moments under the water. but sooi
ate into the buildings on the east side.
Two truck wagons caught ere and wer.
}, CONSUMED, and an engine was buried b,
= a failing wall, the hremen fleeing for thei
= lives.
: The whole city was notified Of the con
\ migration by a terrific explosion, whicl
" occurred not long after IL o'clock. :
sharp splitting roar went up with re
lverberating thunder. This was f0llowc,
! by a peculiar whistling noise. like tina
made by a shrill wind. The churches II
u the central section Of the city were file,
with worshipers, many of whom becam
o frightened, and, while no panics ensued
hundreds OF men and women left thei
= seats, and went outside to see what hai
/ happened. In a few minutes streets an,
4 lpavements all over the city were crowded
.r with excited people.
! Another deafening crash occurred, am
Is dense columns of cinders ana smoke sho
T. lup over the central section of the city
ana IN a huge brown column moved rap
L idly toward the northeast. Borne on tn
strons southeast wind, the column o
II smoke, blazing cindcrs, and even piece
Is of tin roofing spread over the centre o
S. the city. and a rain Of cinders fcll. com
lpelling pedestrians to dodge red-hot piece
k of wood.
q SOME OF FIRMS BURNED