Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-02-13
HEART OF
BALTIMORE
BURNT OUT.
Business Section Swept by
Awful Fire.
IS BLOCKS DESTROYED.
FLAMES RACED JJNCHFCKED I1NTrt
FLAMES RACED UNCHECKED UNTIL THEY
BURNT OUT
THE LOSS is OVER s1ss.ooo GOO

Tremendous efforts werf made to bio, <
it. Dynamite was ussd freely. Taa
fire apparatus was cen Sred and all tbo
skill of the fire fighters called into play
to defeat the element hat had eaten
up millions of dollars North of prop
erty. And human skill and pluck and
grit and unfalteriug courage won. The
fire was checked But behind il Law
great Quilted waste of more than l4u
acres in extent
Every stree, that led 20 the fire area
was crowded with awe-stricxen spac-
tators. Down the narrow gulch-lik.
streets the black smoke hung densely.
split now aud then by red glare CT
flame. TIE crash &C e. Z bail6in.,s
was lost in the roar of exploding dynu-
mite as it was used TO demolish stric-
lures as yet untouched by fire.
Scene OF Complete Devastation.
The burned area is a scene of COM
2lete devastation. Numberless build
ings that were the pride of Baltimore
costly and stately, and occupied for
divers purposes wcrc yuttcd. and only
smouldcring debris or walls or rem
nants Of wall re- ain - mark the
'tt-s. The baltimore An..cican bliid-
Ing. one Of the finest. is now hat a mass
Of sn.ould"ring debris, save for rem
ncnts and front and side walls. Across
South street. whore stood the Bahi-
more Sun building. only the pillars
that marked the front remain. Entire
blocks Just below there are wiped ovt
without. in some cases. wall left
standing From Fayette street down
holiday street as far as German
street. there is no bIilding left save
the Corn and Flour Exchange. at the
corner of German street. That build
Ing, whose walls tower above The
crumbling debris of what were adjoin-
ing structures, was gutted. and the
standing walls formed cauldron, the
flames of which burst at times through
the windows, but could cause no further
damage. In numerous other wrecked
buildings the flames played about the
debris and threatened to weaken the
foundations of the few walls that we're
left standing.
Like grim tower in the ruins stands
the walls of the HISTORY Continental
Trust company's building The walls OF
the Baltimore and Ohio building are
also standing, but the Pennsylvania
railroad building, directly across CAL
vert street. is raZed. Only the walls
remain of the once stately Equitable
building. Only remnants Of one wall
are left of what was the National ho-
tel. at Holiday and Fayette strets. No
buildings are left standing as far as
the eye can see down Baltimore street
fro nfc irf A al
street there is the same picture of COM
plete destruction. A broken sign and
q tottering front wall show where the
Maryland w. C. T. U. building once
stood. Adjoining this was the build
ing occupied by the Iron Ship COM
pany and by the British consulate.
whose building is complete loss. The
building used by the German consul
late. on this square, is also in ruins.
Custom House Ruined.
The costly United States custom
house, in course Of construction, is said
to be ruined. The marble blocks are
badly damaged, the cornices on the
north side are destroyed, and the mar
BILE is cracked in a number OF places.
The only other federal building dam
aged was the United States storehouse,
No. ], diagonally opposite. Here the in-
terror sustained serious damage bur
the outer walls are intact, the only
building in that section whose outer
structure was preserved. Westward
along Pratt street is only debris from
which flames leap and play.
Down Pratt street, west from Gay
for several blocks the oil in the wreck
of the Standard Oil company's build
ings ignited and there was a success
sion of explosions, with the bursting
out of flames At times the smoke |
rolled up and threw great black clouds |
over the ruins. Pratt street for many |
squares is almost impossible by reason
Of hugs piles of masonry and the water