The Oskaloosa herald., 1904-02-11

Is7OU
street, is RACED. Only the walls remain
OF the once stately Equitable building,
Only remnants of one wall are left Of
what was the National hotel, at Holli--
day and Fayette streets. No buildings
are left standing as far as the eye can
see down Baltimore street from this
point. All along South Gay street there
is the same picture OF complete destruc-
tion. A broken sign and tottering
front wall show where the Maryland
w. c. r. u building once stood. AID
joining this was the building occupied
by the Iron Ship company, and the Brit
ish consulate. whose building is COM
plete loss. The building used by the
German consulate, on this square, is also
in ruins
Customs House Burned.
The costly United States customs
house, in course of construction and oc-
cupying the triangular block between
Lombard and Water streets and Ex-
change place, is said to be ruined The
marble blocks are badly damaged. the
cornices on the north side are destroyed
and the marble is cracked in number
of places. The only other federal build
ing damaged was the United States
store house No, T. diagonally across.
Here the interior sustained serious
damage, but the outer walls are intact,
the only building in that section whose
outer structure was preserved, West
ward along Pratt street is only debris
from which flames leap and play.
Down Pratt street, west from Gay for
several blocks, the oil in the wreck OF
the Standard Oh buildings ignited, and
there was succession of explosions
with the outbursting of flames.
AT times the smoke rolled up and
threw great black clouds over the ruins.
Pratt street for many squares is almost
impossible by reason of huge piles OF
masonry, and water with which the fire
companies flooded that section.
The Fayette Street Episcopal church,
one of the Oldest buildings in the city, at
the corner of Gay and Fayette, on the
border of the fire district, has nothing
but the outside walls left. The hardware
store of John Brown at Concord and
Pratt street was reduced to debris. Oh
Cav street between Lombard and Wa
ter streets two wholesale liquor es-
adjustments, the Jarrett Williams COM
pany, five-story building, and the Will
son Distilling company, also five-story
structure, are reduced to ashes, while
| a front wall Is all that it left of the five
story wholesale liquor plant OF kuhl Il
| Son The Cummings & Melville distil-
lery. another fiye-story building, the
wholesale liquor establishment OIL
Broadbeck & Co, at Water and Gay
streets, and other similar. establishments
on Gay street were destroyed. The
wholesale candy mandatory of the
Lauer & Suter company at Lombard and
Frederick streets, embracing three
houses on Lombard and two on Fred
erick, each iof them four-story strac-
/ tar. The infiammable cbfsrs
,acter of the contents Of these i6;3;iiiItiings
will give an idea Of the fierceness OF the
blaze. Spirits fed the wood and the
heat was terrible.
Among prominent buildings destroyed
are the City hospital, Institute of Fine
Arts, Hopkins bank, Holiday Street
| theater, Guardian Trust building, Gus
tom house, Western Union building.
National Exchange bank, United States
express Office, Mercantile Trust build
ingS Postal Telegraph building, EQui-
table building az stories), Union Trust
building III stories) and the Continen-
tai Trust building (16 stories).
Loss. to Insurance Companies.
New York, Feb. 9.--Fire insurance
brokers in this city estimate the mini
mum loss to insurance companies in
Baltimore fire at $4,000, 900. Losses Of
big companies are now placed at from
$5O0.O0O to 81. 000, 900 each.