The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-02-12
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
10000 MEN ARE IDLE
Tremendous Suffering Must Follow tho
Destruction of observation-disclosures
Come From Many Cities to
Help Fight Flames.
10000 MEN ARE IDLE

Come From Many Cities to
Help Fight Flames.
eALTlMoRE's DISASTER.
Loss by the free. .stoo,ooo,ooo
Population Of city,. 100000
Area burned over, about
on.- Hall. mile.
People left unemployed 10000
Injured .............. 50
Wholesale, retail, financial and
shipping interests lose most heav-
lily.
Baltimore, Md, Feb. baltimore is
staggering under a fire loss which no
one has the temerity to put in figures.
although h insurance men think 1t
will surely b. over $780, 0e, 900. The i'm
portant commercial district Is black
ened ruins, laid bare by a conf1agra-
ton which reigned without a mo-
mentary check from 11:45 a. m. Sun
day until late Monday afternoon. Late
in the day the officials again breathed.
It is believed the flames are under con-
troll. They had ragged tw~enty-eight
hours in spite Of almost superhuman
0AAOILo Ruk W AAG 9N9s 6ASA9
forces which more than half a dozen
cities were able to muster.
CITY IN GLOOM.
The city is overcome with gloom. The
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
n subject. Apparently there is but
there are no homeless. The residence
section of the city escaped. This phase
Of the situation relieved the of1cials
from any thought other thar the saving
OF property.
Throughout the horrible contest in
which fremen n fire waged for SUI
premacy humanity was handicapped by
a gale which carried burning brands
owe the heads of the workers and be-
streams Of water poured into the rag
ing furnaces. But for the work of vol
unteers in seeking cut Ind extingufsh-
ing these tfnbers, 1t is almost certain
the burned area would have been twice
larger than It is. About seventy-nve
squares of 40 acres are in ashes. ex-
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
s < sssieal q 8 az sHss- mo *zsvsF OF one
Its too big. We have not figures to
describe it. Make 1t about $1e0, e0~, 600.
That's the best we can do"
The same INDIGESTION was true in re-
gard to the estimates concerning in
6uf1hce.
Tie city was early placed under mar
tial law, and thus all danger Of losting
In the doomed district was 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 were augmented by de-
tails from Philadelphia and Washing
ton, resulted in the maintenance of the
pest of order.
NO ONE DAREs TO GUESS.
No one dares to guess what would
have happened had the flames jumped
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 cbntact in front with the
concerted labutB 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 building:
and lumber piles. Furious hand. to HAND
fights occurred, which. fortunately 70,
the residents Of East Baltimore, wer.
won by the f1remen. Several hours IL
the lumber district Of the east side vol.
unteers watched every ember. Buckle
brigades we're formed to prevent tn,
destructive leap Of the flames eros
the narrow stream. Had the fr,
Der yards 1t Is conceded nothing coult
have stopped the onslaught, and tn,
departments would have been power
less to prevent damage as great, II no
greater. than h Chicago fire.
With the fire under control tn,
blackened waste which lies in tn
wake Of the sea Of flames presents
deur. 1t can be likened best to ocean
of great coke ovens. each shooting GU
Its thousand tongues of flame fron
I pyramids OF brick, stone and cement
: Where the fire had died out nothing re
a mains u waste. from which rise hun
I dreds Of towering. insecure shafts O
the same color. These are all that /
/ left Of what were handsome ofic
( buildings. storage, wholesale and bust
y ness houses of all kinds.
e WEEKS BEFORE LOSS IS KNOWN
e The loss will not be accurately esti
: mated for weeks. for business me1
prosperous yesterday morning. are poo
today. Expressions heard among thes
e as they peer into TIE. collapse
properties. reveal an astounding mum
Der who were only poorly protected b
\ insurance.
= Few persons explored fully even sue
portions Of the burned district as til
cooling ruins would permit. The hig
It winds made 1t nearly impossible fc
n any one to pass through the stree,
: bordered by crumbling walls withpr
Il grave danger to personal safety. Th
tangled masses of wires cross and re
i cross the streets. and these were lashe
i. SO furfously by the wind that the
70 could not have proved more dangerou
= had they been alive.
Some q these wires an strung fro,