Baltimore, Maryland Fire
February 7-8, 1904
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At 2
o'clock this morning [February 8, 1904],
the business portion of Baltimore
surrounded by the white line had been
destroyed, and the fire was still
spreading. |
One of the surprises of the fire was the
discovery after the excitement was over that two
financial concerns whose homes were directly in
the path of the flames escaped practically
unharmed. These were the Mercantile Trust
company and Brown
Brothers’ Bank. The escape of these buildings
was clue to their lack of height. They do not
exceed four stories, and as they were surrounded
by lofty structures the flames swept over them.
Unconcealed joy greeted the discovery and the
information that millions upon millions in
securities in various vaults escaped
destruction, whereas all was at first believed
to have been swept away. Practically all of the
vaults and strong rooms and safes of the
financial concerns whose buildings were
destroyed were found unhurt. A tremendous loss
in securities had been anticipated at first, and
when vault after vault yielded up its treasures
unharmed the joy of the guardians was boundless.
From one trust company’s safes alone papers to
the amount of more than $200,000,000 were
recovered. Merchants and their assistants, smoke
soiled and begrimed and hollow-eyed from anxiety
and loss of sleep, worked like laborers in the
smoking ruins to uncover their safes, and in
nearly every instance they were rewarded by
intact contents.
Lest we forget : Chicago's awful theater
horror, Chapter XXVI, The Story of the Burning
of Baltimore, pages 357-368
Go to
page 1,
2,
3, 4
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