The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1904-02-13
BALTIMORE BURNS
FIRE RACES MANY HOURS IN
WHOLESALE DISTRICT.
Philadelphia and Will
mingtOn Send Fire Apparatus
and Men--Four Hundred Streams
of Water Fail to Have Any Eff
fect--Use of Dynamite Likewise
Futile.

Futile.
broke out few minutes before IL
o'clock yesterday morning in the
wholesale dry goods house of John 7.
Hurst & Co. has ragged with unremit-
ting fury continuously ever since, and
at midnight it is still unchecked, but
is tseadily eating its consuming way
westward ON Baltimore street, after
having destroyed almost all the large
stores and warehouses in the wholesale
district around Hopkins Place, and all
the buildings ON both sides of Balti-
more street, from Howard to Holiday
street. and Charles and Baltimore to
Lexington, and on lafayette street to
Charlesa from Holiday, including a
total of about twenty blocks of the
most modern and substantial buildings
in Baltimore, involving loss which
cannot now be estimated, but which
has certainly reached thirty or forty
millions of dollars.
Ever since about six O'Clock, when
darkness came, the fire department, al
though aided by engines from Wash
ington, Philadelphia Wilmington and
the surrounding suburbs, has been ut
terly powerless to make any effective
resistance to the devouring element,
though for hours as many as 400
streams of water were thrown into the
flames. Indeed, so terrible has been
the heat ever since the fire started,
and so dense and suffocating the vol
ume of flying sparks and burning Gin
ders, that it was difficult for the fire.
men to stand long within fighting dis
lance of the flames, while early in the
afternoon several trucks and engines
were hopelessly disabled by timbers.
Buildings Dynamited.
At Z o'clock the situation was so
desperate that Chief Horton decided
that the only thing left to do was to
dynamite buildings at threatened
points and thuc prevent, as far as pos
sible, further spread of the flames.
In pursuance OF this plan number of
buildings ON South Charles street, be-
tween German and Lombard, were
blown up. Subsequently the splendid
structure of J. w. Putback, notion
dealer, at Charles and Fayette streets,
was dynamited and then the Daily
Record building, Ross drug store and
others.
However, this heroic remedy merely
delayed, but did not seriously impede
the onward march of the conafgration
and for two hours or more the fire de-
partment was practically helpless and
resourceless in the face of the roaring
furnaces, which sent their fierce
tongues 200 feet into the air.
Sweeps All Before 1t.
Following the rapid destruction of
the palatial commercial buildings in
the wholesale district, the cyclone of
roaring flames burst into Baltimore
street, licking within few minutes
the seven-story Mullins hotel, and
rapidly rolling with irresistible force
both east and west, cutting down
wholesale and retail houses, manufac-
tories, shops, jewelry stores, furniture
depOts and restaurants.
Baltimore, Feb. S.-4 a. m..-The
fire continues to spread in an easterly
direction and continues beyond the
control of the multitude of firemen.
Mobs and wagons are busy at this
hour removing the household goods of
residents just east of Jones Falls, the
hundreds of residences being threat.
ened by the rapidly extending flames.
Washington, Feb. 8.-A telephone
dispatch received from Baltimore at 3
O'Clock says the Mount Vernon tele-
phone exchange is burning and that
the st. Paul telephone exchange has
burned out. The Mount Vernon ex-
change is about eight blocks from the
Union station.
Baltimore, Feb. 8.-1:15 a. m.-The
fire is sweeping along the harbor and
river men are taking their vessels rap
idly out into the middle of the stream.
There are 70 or 100 of these and they
are anchored down the bay. The build
ings of the Standard Oil Company and
the Buchanan Fruit Company are in
flames.