The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1904-02-13
BALTIMORE
RECOVERING
Fire Stricken City Has Begun
Its Restoration.
LABOR Is IN GREAT DEMAND

and Only Those On Ofhciai BUSINESS
Are Allowed In Burned District
Safes and Vaults Containing Untold
Wealth Believed TO Be Safe--ovef
S20O,ooo,0oo In Securities Recovered
From One Trust company's Safes.
Baltimore. Md, Feb l0.-Amid ruins
still hot and smoking. Baltimore has
begun its resurrection. Il was day
Of conferences The governor, the
mayor and various officials OF the city
met and threshed out the problems that
are theirs by yirture of public office.
From this conference came a decision
that Baltimore for the present needs
no outside help, but will endeavor with
her own resources and those or the
state TO meet the emergency. AT this
conference also was developed the ma
chinery for an advisory legislative COM
mission to act in conjunction with the
legislature.
With equal promptness the chamber
OF commerce held general meeting
and issued a formal announcement that
reflected the prevailing hopefulness.
declaring there are already such evil
dences of recuperation that all are en-
couraged in the hope of the early
restoration Of every branch Of trade.
Old buildings long unused. private
residences near the business section.
In fact every available structure bears
crudely lettered signs on board or
.loth announcing that within is the
temporary Office OF a firm The names
on some of these signs are those that
rank high in the financial and CONNER
cial circles of the world and in these
temporary Offices men who for years
have known only mahogany desks
work on deal tables and plain boards.
Labor is in demand. and the newspa-
pers already contain display advertise
ments for men TO begin the work OF
clearing the ruins to prepare for re-
building.
All things considered, the public
stock taking that engrossed the bust
ness world of Baltimore was satisfac-
tory. But this does not mean that the
great fire was a lesser calamity than
has been pictured in these dispatches.
The bare fact is that 40 acres Of BUSH
ness buildings, representing property
to the approximate value of $l25,OO0.-
600. was destroyed within the journey
of a clocks hand.
History is marked by few calamitics
so vast and SO costly in actual value,
but with the passing Of the first great
shock and prostration. the brighter
side is coming uppermost and reali-
zation Of what Baltimore escaped is
dawning. Had not that prOyidential
shift of wind occurred Monday night
there would have been another story,
a story of death and Of thousands who
now sleep safely in their homes SUI
fering for shelter Such sequel would
also have been written but for the mag
nificent last stand OF gallant firemen
and volunteers at the little sewer-like
stream Of Jones Falls. But Providence
and brave men worked hand in hand to
avert the horror of a residence section
confagratlOn. and the story of the
great Baltimore fire will always be
told In figures that represent wealth
instead of human lives.
Contents of Vaults Safe.
A great cloud was lifted when II was
discovered that practically all of the I
.....t4. - ~tro,u rco,,,c and uofaa nj
the financial concerns whose buildings /
we're destroyed, are unhurt. A tremen- /
dous loss in securities had been antici- |
pated here, and when vault after vault |
yielded up its treasures unframed the !
10y Of the guardians was boundless.
From one trust company's safes /
alone papers TO the amount Of more /
than $20O. O0o, 900 was recovered. The /
news cheered the whole city and en-
couraged immediate and thorough ia /
vestigation. Merchants and their as I
sistants. smoke-soiled and begrimod 4
and hOllOw-eyed from anxiety and loss [
of sleep, worked like laborers in the I
smoking ruins TO uncover their safes. I
and in nearly every instance they were I
rewarded by intact contents.
Another surprise was the discovery
that two financial concerns whose
homes were directly in the fercest
sweep of the flames, were practically /
unframed. They were the Mercantile
Trust company and Brown Brothers
bank. The escape of these buildings is
attributed to their lack of height They
do not exceed four stories, and as they
e SURROUNDED by lofty structures
tAa flames swept over them.
One of the most remarkable freaks
of the fire was the escape Of the bic
government buildings. The flames
wrought destruction on all sides of this
group Of structures, except on the
north. These buiidings-are the city hall.
the United States court house, used as
the temporary headquarters Of the sub
treasury pending the erection of the
new building, and by the customs Of
fee. the postoffce buildings, which also
contained the United States marshals
office, and the Office Of the collector OF
internal revenue All TO the south OF
this entire group is complete destruc-
ton. but these buildings escaped with.
out scratch.
During the fire a great quantity Of
gun cotton was brought into the sub
treasury building for purposes of
safety. 1t was placed directly across
the door of the great vault Of the sub
treasury. While the officials were care