The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-08

the landmarks of Baltimore, frame
| building OF unknown antiquity; Hecht
Bros department store. and the build
ing of the Baltimore American, at the
southwest corner of Baltimore and
South streets. Just across South street
from the Amevlcan building was the
building of the Baltimore Sun
ON BALTIMORE STREET
On the north side of Baltimore were
Mullins hotel. the jewelry house of J.
S. Mcdonald & Co, and S. S. Kirk
Sons & Co. the Baltimore & Ohio
building, the offices of the Pennsylva-
MIA railroad. Hopkins chinaware and
crockery estab lishment the Methodist
BOOK Concern store, Hunts leather
store, Knabe's piano warerooms, and
various other retail Establishments On
the streets running north from Balti-
more and as far as Lexington were the
Equitable building, the Calvert build
ing, the telephone exchange, the Herald
| building the Union National bank. and
structures of a similar character.
Between Fayette and Lexington
streets and St Paul and Calvert stood
the new 100000 court house. Just east
of it was the postoffice building. and
east of that the city hall and the Rol-
liday street theater
The Western Union office was located
IN the basement of the Equitable build
ing, at the corner of Calvert and Fav-
cite streets: the Postal Telegraph in
the basement of the Continental build
ing, corner of Calvert and Baltimore
streets, and police headquarters in the
LOSS IS GIGANTIC.
me loss from the fire will be so gigan-
TIC that it will be impossible to estimate
be immense, while firms whose places are
In these are making arran gements to re
timore and familiar with its sad affairs
say the section destroyed includes all the
Ieading trust companies, all the largest
W4oiesaie houses, many of the principal
LelaI stores and thousands of smaller
| business establishments. Many of them
carry insurance and it is doubtful if many
OF the insurance companies will be able
to pay their losses dollar for dollar and
those that do will probably require time
in which to arrange for the payment
me start of the fire was in the base
me1t of Hurst & Co.'S wholesale dry
goods house. After burning for ten min
utes or so there was a loud explosion
from the interior of the building as the
building exploded Instantly the immense
structure collapsed, sending destruction
/ TO ADJACENT buildings IN all directions and
caused the hre to get beyond control of
The first, attempt at dynamiting was in
the large building of Armstrong Gator &
! Co. but 1t failed to collapse The force
! of the explosions tore out the massive
granite columns that summarized the build
! ing and left it with apparently almost no
/ support, but the walls failed to collapse
and stood until the flames had crossed
Charles street and were eating into the
block between Charles and Light street
The fire in the meantime had crossed to
| the row OF buildings South Charles
| street, between German and Lombard
streets and all these places occupied
principally by wholesale produce and
grain dealers, were in flames
CARROLLTON HOTEL IN PATH
Shortly before midnight the Carrollton
hotel was in flames and the fire was
sweeping toward Calvert street with ir-
resistible fury.
/ The firemen working on the south side
! had succeeded in checking the flames at
Lombard street. and as the wind was
blowing from the northwest there was
Z IL
1 direction. The western limit had also been
/ been reached at Howard street, and the
danger was now to the east and north.
The progress of the flames toward the
north had in the meantime, been so rapid
as to be simply appalling From struc-
/ ture to structure they few, licking up the
massive buildings as if composed of pa
per In the block between German and
Baltimore streets they flew along. and
almost before it could be realized the
buildings along Baltimore street were
blazing from roof to, basement.
For a time it was hoped the fire could
be kept from crossing the north side OF
Baltimore street and the firemen made
/ desperate efforts to prevent 1t. Their
/ efforts, however, were useless, and soon
the tall, narrow building of Mullins hotel
began to dart out tongues of flame and
the remaining buildings between SHARP
/ and Liberty streets, were soon ablaze and
the fire began its march to the north
apidly the flames darted from place tC
place, and soon the entire south side OF
| Fayette street was III the grasp of the
flames Down Fayette to Charles they
swept and in space of time that seemed
incredibly short, the building occupied
by Puts & co. was evidently doomed.
DYNAMITE USED.
Seeing that nothing could save it. il
was decided to destroy the building with
dynamite in the hope of preventing the
fire from crossing Charles street. The ex-
plosion was successful and the entire cor
ner instantly collapsed. but apparently
this had no effect upon the progress OF
the fire, for almost before the sound oil
the falling walls had died away the build
ing on the east side of Charles street be
gan to blaze and the block between
Charles and St Paul streets was doomed
In q desperate, but futile, effort to pre-
vent the fire from going further to tbs
east building after building was dyns-
mited in this block. but it was all of nc
avail and the fire steadily proceeded on
ward. The Daily Record building was
soon in flames and not many minutes
later the fire had leaped over St. Pau
street. and the lofty. massive Calver
building began emitting smoke and fame
The Equitable building, just over a mar
row alley, quickly followed. and these two
immense buildings gave forth glare tina
lighted the city for miles around
IT was thought that the fire could b.
prevented from crossing TO the north sid,
of Fayette street. and here again a des
perate stand was made by the hremen
Again it was useless. ard soon the large
building of Hall. Head1ington & Co., OF
: the northwest corner Of Charles and Fay