Evening journal., 1904-02-08
FIGHT TO SEND
OFF THE NEWS
Reporters Driven From One
Building to the Other by
Flames
LONG TRIP or SOME MESSAGES


Fire driving us out. VIII hunt Tor
another wire"
This. in brief. tells the story Of the
struggle made by members OF the news
paper staffs OF the papers TO send the
complete story i'm detail OF the fire that
is devastating the heart of the city Of
Baltimore. Driven from one place to
another. sometimes by the flames. then
by falling buildings. by deluges OF
water and by broken wires. represent
atives of the press. with telegraph
operator at their heels. never gave up
in their endeavor to send the news.
In itself this story of promptitude
and of danger forms a thrilling feature
in the terrible tale OF the Baltimore
fire. Every means at command. every
effort that could be made, was brought
into play in order that the public
might know this morning the fun ex-
tent of the great confagration.
Driven Out BY Flames.
In the very middle Of n message
would come note that the fire was
driving them out. and that some other
place must be found from which the
news could be sent. The main offices
Of the Western Union. as well as the
Postal Telegraph. Companies We're all
most I'm the heart OF the fire belt. For
time it looked as II they would be
saved, but the Inevitable flames came
driving all before them. The main
trunk lines of the telegraph systems OF
Baltimore run through Baltimore
street the centre OF the fire belt. These
+, wires. soon fell into twisted, yaiueless
strands OF metal At midnight the on
orators IN the Western Union Office ai
Calvert and Fayette streets were in
danger of losing their lives With
them were q score or more newspaper
men, and they stayed until driven out.
one OF the staff representatives Of a
newspaper sent the following note
with an uncompleted dispatch:
"Fire on every side Of this Office.
viii have 10 get out in "A few minutes.
VIII get another wire srmewhere."
out Of the building tumbled news
paper men and operators. a few
blocks away a lineman discovered a few
wires that seemed to be IN working or
der. Up the pole he went, and soon he
had half dozen OF them CONNECTED
up" The operators had sent about a
score Of words when the service sud-
denly ceased.
Then back toward the hre-belt they
rushed. In little Office in Charles
street which was then a, seething caul-
dron Of flames, some good wires were
found on pole. and connections were
made there. In a minute half a dozen
instruments were clicking, and more OF
the story Of the fire came. Then. with
lout warning. there was "A break. From
the operator this message came to tn,
Operator;
Pole burning and wiz
That WIS all. The pole had fallen
lcarrying the precious wires with it
lUndeterred a search was made fol
lother wires. Some were found not fan
laway. Again the linemen made con-
Injections. This time the messages wer,
being sent from doorstep of a stor,
i'm Light street. The wires were work
ling badly. Word after word came in
slower and slower Then came another
note Of trouble. 1t read:
Have to abandon this place. now
fire next door, viii get another wire
! somewhere else soon as possible"
His Hair and Beard Gone.
This message came fifteen minutes
latter midnight. Up TO that time the
stories had como in only few word.
at a time. Both the Postal and the
Western Union suffered. and both com.
panies were unable to get wires work.
ing into this city. From fifteen min.
utes after midAight until minutes t'
1 o'clock this morning not a wort
further than that already received
REACHED This Office. Then a Westeri
lunion operator said that one of tn,
staff mon had n wire and that It rai
from a pole at the corner of Fayett'
land Light streets. whore many build
lings were burning. BY this wire more
news came in. and after fifteen minutes
the.ciicking OF tile telegraph instru
, lment stopped. After a moments pause
this message came:
Have 10 get out Op. (ineanin,
operator) hurt"
Almost az the same time that thil
ne,c came another wire was opened
lThis it was learned came from a CON
lfectiouery store in South street. nca
Baltimore street. It was a Postal wire
IN a very short time about 1000 words
were taken, and In the middle of a sen
tence the operator read:
'Wall next door fell. Getting out
Dangerous
And so II went all through the nigh
: ana through the early morning. Wire
came and went like breaking icicle.
None could be depended on.
Llnemen We're incessanty at wor
tearing for the wires and getting ther
, lcircuited into Washington so that IA
> news could get out. Any wire woul
; do so louS as il would run to Wash
ington ana be relayed. ( A message q
! O'clock was forwarded by a wire dang
ling FROM q pole at Liberty street an