The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1904-02-10
FIRE STOPPED AT RIVER
Baltimore ConAagration Check
ed at Jones Falls.
Efforts of 100 Fire Companies and
Fire Tugs Kept Blaze From the
East Side-75 Blocks Burned and
$500 Buildings Destroyed = lmpos.
sibIe to Estimate Loss.

Baltimore, Feb. 0. = Baltimore is
staggering under a fire loss which no
one has the temerity to put into fig
ures.
The important commercial district
is mass of blackened ruins, the re-
suit of a conhagration which ragged
without even a momentary check from
1915 a. m. Sunday until o'clock
Monday afternoon, when the officials
agreed the flames were under control
The fire had ragged nearly 3S hours,
In spite of almost superhuman efforts
put forth by the best fighting forces
which more than half a dozen cities
mustered
Apparently there is but one cause
for gladness and that is that there are
no homeless for the residence section
Of the city escaped.
The flames were held in check at the
Union docks and prevented from leap.
ing Jones' Falls and placing the entire
city east of there in jeopardy.
score of times insidious flames
of fire were found tapping the sides of
lumber piles on the east bank of the
falls. In some instances the lumber
was tossed into the falls and this with
similar heroic measures stayed the
fire.
Handicapped by Fierce Gale.
Throughout the terrible contest
which firemen and fire waged for SUI
premacy, humanity was handicapped
by a gale which carried burning
brands to remote sections But for
the work of volunteers in extinguish.
ing these embers it is almost certain
the burned area would have been
much greater. AS it is but Is blocks,
or 140 acres, are gone. The burned
district is within the territory bound
ed on the west by Liberty street, on
the north by Lexington, on the east by
Jones Falls and on the south by Ba.
sin.
The district thus swept by fire com.
prised nearly $500 buildings.
Insurance companies have opened
temporary Offices in the Lexington no.
tel, but their representatives decline
to estimate the loss. The answer of
one is typical of ALL "It's too big. We
have not figures to describe it, Make
Il above $1OO,O0O,0O0 The best we
can do"
The city was early placed under
martial law to prevent looting Gen
eral Corbin will take command of the
militia now here and the regulars or.
dered out
The struggle yesterday was with the
one end of combining the fire to the
west side of Jones' Falls. No one
dares guess the result if the flames
had Jumped this stream. That the fire
was checked was the result of its meet.
ing the concentrated labors of nearly
100 fire companies aided by the power.
full fire tug. the Cataract
Business men prosperous Saturday
are poor today Expressions heard
among these men reveal an astound.
ing number who were but poorly pro.
tected by insurance. Few persons ex.
plored fully even such portions of the
burned district as the cooling ruins
would permit, for the high wind made
1t dangerous topass through the streets
bordered by crumbling walls and GOV.
cred with masses of wires, lashed
about by high wind
Some of these wires are strung from
charred wooden poles which are left
standing in section where buildings
supposed to have been fire proof did
not escape.
lettering Walls Constantly Falling.
Many of the tottering walls fell dur.
ing the day sending out clouds of dust.
Flying glass dust and gravel, sparks
and embers filled the air all day. The
fire district men prominent in the com
mercial life were found Many with |
heat-blistered and smoke begrimed |
faces had been up all night and as the
morning broke were taking their first
inventory of losses And that was
only the trail of the fire fiend. The
heat and flames were then raging be,
yond, extending ruin square by square
until the very waters edge was
reached.
The President street station of the |
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Balti. |
more railroad is used as barracks for |
the militia. The building caught fire
a number of times and whenever the |
door was opened shower of sparks |
was carried inside In front the lum
ber piles furnished tinder for the |
flames which were ever creeping for |
ward, vet the men who had been pac
ing the streets all night lay asleep,
completely worn out
Residents and business men of the |
East side are not yet fully assured of |
their safety and vehicles OF all kinds |
fill the streets, cartng household eff |
fects to safer sections.
Colonel J. Frank Supplee, com
plete authority on factory statistics,
estimated the number of persons |
thrown out of work will reach 10000. |
Inspector of Buildings Preston. after |
making a careful study of the burned |
district placed the building loss alone |
at $150,000O00.
1t is feared that aid must come from
adjacent cities or a partial famine !
will be an added phase of the situa-
tion. Restaurants are entirely with. |
out food and the destruction of the
commission houses along the wharyes
has shut off the supply. Hotels are
but little better Preparations are be
ing made to rush supplies from New
York in order to avert suffering.