The San Francisco call. [volume], February 08, 1904, Page 1, Image 1

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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FTK2 WEATHER. |
rcrecact made at Caa Fras
, Cisco fcr thirty hours ending 1
j riidrljrht. February 8:
San Francisco and vicinity —
j Cloudy vrilh. thovrcrs Monday;
| lisrht eouthwest wind.
G. H. CTX&X.SO1T, .
Local Forecaster.
VOLUME XCV— NO. 70.
FORTY BALTIMORE BLOCKS BURN
JAPAN CASTS THE DIE FOR WAR
BALTIMORE, Feb. S.—(5 a. m.)— The con*
flagration is spreading and the fire department,
assisted by engines sent from nearby cities, is
powerless. Jit this hour the fire area is nearly
a mile long and from two to eight blocks wide.
The loss at midnight was estimated at $4O,*
GOO,OOO, and since that hour nearly a score of
blocks have been laid in ruins. Jl heavy wind
has aided in the spread of the flames. So far
as known no lives have been lost, although
many firemen and others have been injured by
falling walls.
Conflagration Causes a Loss That
Exceeds Fifty Million
Dollars.
BALTIMORE Md., Feb. 8,
4 a. m. — The fire continues to
spread in an easterly direction
and continues beyond the control
of the multitude of firemen. Great
r. umbers of wagons are busy at
this hour removing the house
hold goods of the residents just
cast of Jones Falls, the hundreds
of residences being threatened by
the rapidly extending flames.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 4 a,
m. — The Baltimore Sun, in its is
sue published this morning from
Washington, says it is thought
the loss will exceed $50,000,000.
The Light-street wharves, whith
er the flames were last reported
heading, include a number of
wooden structures filled with
merchandise. . . •
ALL WIRES ARE DOWN.
BALTIMORE. Fek 8.— At 3
o'clock this morning the fire was
raging fiercely. So far as known
at this hour no serious casualties
have been reported to the police.
Telegraph, telephone and electric
t.ires of all kinds arc prostrated.
Express wagons have been - kept
busy all night removing furniture
and fixtures from the counting
rooms and warehouses in the
threatened district
The fire has now covered an
area three-quarters of a mile in
length by nearly a quarter of a
mile in width, taking in many of
The San Francisco Call.
the most important buildings in
the city. No one will venture to
estimate the monetary loss./
STILL BEYOND CONTROL. /'
WASHINGTON, Feb. 8.— A
telephdne dispatch received from
Baltimore at 3 o'clock says the
Mount ~Vernon Telephone Ex
change is burning and that the
St. Paul Telephone Exchange has
burned out. The Mount Vernon
Exchange is about eight blocks
from the Union station.
The postoffice building has been
burned, also the Courthouse. The
Holliday-street Theater has been
blown up with dynamite and the
United States Express offices and
central offices of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad were burned.
The fire has reached Jones
Falls, • the strean\that separates
Baltimore from East Baltimore,
and a high wind is blowing. The
East Baltimore section consists of
small residential houses.
When the fire reached Jones
Falls the wind changed, driving
the fire south, and it reached the
wharves, where much inflamma
ble material is stored. There have
been many changes in the course
of the fire since it started. It
first took a northerly direction,
swerved northeast until about 4
o'clock and then struck due east.
Continued on Pare 2. Column fi.
SAN FRANCISCO. MONDAY/ FEBRUARY 8, 1904.
VIEW OF THE "WHOLESALE DISTRICT OF THE CITT OF 1 BALTIMORE, AS SEEN FROM THE HARBOR.
IN THIS SECTION A CONFLAGRATION HAS MADE RUINS OF MANY l BLOCKS * OF THE MOST IMPOS
ING BUILDINGS IN THE MARYLAND METROPOLIS. •
Flames Rage Unchecked At Midnight, With a Total
of Twenty Blocks Already Destroyed.
BALTIMORE, Feb. 7.—
(Midnight.)— The ' fire which
broke put at. a few minutes before
11 o'clock this morning in the
wholesale dry goods house of
John T: Hurst & Co. has raged
with unrestrained fury contin
ually ever since, and at midnight
it is still unchecked, but is 'stead
ily, eating its way westward on
Baltimore street, after having de
stroyed almost all the large stores
and warehouses in the wholesale
district around Hopkins place
and all the buildings on both sides
of Baltimore street from .Howard
to Holliday, and from Charles and
Baltimore to Charles and Lexing
ton streets, and on Lafayette
street from Charles to Holliday,
including a total of about twenty
blocks of the most modern and
substantial buildings in Baltimore,
involving a loss which cannot now
be estimated, but- which has cer
tainly already. reached thirty' to
forty millions of dollars.
FIREMEN DRIVEN BACK.
Ever since about '} 6 o'clock,
when darkness came, the Fire De
partment,;, although aided; by en
gines from Washington, Philadel
phia, Wilmington and the sur
rounding, suburbs, has been ut
terly powerless to make any • ef
fective resistance; to the consuming
el ement, though ■ for hours as many
as four hundred. streams of water
were, thrown into the flames.;- In
deed so terrific has been the; heat
ever since the -fire 'Started arid v so
dense and ■ suffocating the volume
of < flying sparks and burning .cin-
ders that it was difficult for the
firemen to stand long, within
fighting distance of the flames,
while early in the afternoon-sev
eral, trucks and engines were
hopelessly disabled by timbers.
' At 7 o'clock the situation was
so desperate - that Chief Horton
decided that the only thing left to
do was to dynamite buildings 'at
threatenecl points and thus pre
vent,' as far as possible, a further
spread, of the flames. In pursu
ance' of' this plan a number of
buildings on South Charles street,
between Gorman and Lombard,
were blown up. • Subsequently the
splendid structure of J. W. Put
back, -notion "dealer, at Charles
and •' Fay ette streets, was dyha
mitecl and then the Daily Record
Continued on Pace 2, Column 1.
Alcarar— "The Oa? Parisians."
California — "A Kisrht on Broad*
Tray." X •
Ccatral— "In Slglxt of St. Paul'*."
Chute* — Vaudeville.
Columbia — "Alexander . i the
Great."
risciier'i — "Eoly-Poly."
Grand — "Whoop-D ee-D oo."
Orpheum — Vaudeville. - .. '■-'
Tivoli — "When Johnny Comes
Marchlnr Home."
Special Cable vDlspatch to The Call and New York Herald. . Copy
right, 100-1, by the Xew York Herald Publishing . Company.
NAGJ^SAKh Japan, Feb. 7.— Much real en>
thusiasm has been created by the mobilization
of the Japanese second reserves, who are now
nxarching through the streets to their quarters.
The men turned out splendidly. The Russian
flag is still flying over the consulate here, but, the
German Consul will take over the Hussian inter*
ests here during the war. It is stated that the
Russian meh*opwar and transports returned to
Port Arthur after visiting a position to the north
of Dalny. . .
Tokio and St. Petersburg Govern
ments Recall Their Re
spective Ministers.
ST. PETERSBURG, Feb. 7.
— Although the fear was general
here yesterday that the presenta
tion of the Russian note to Japan
might be followed by an act on
the part of the Japanese Govern
ment which would plunge the two
countries into war, the startling
action of Japan in severing diplo
matic relations with Russia be
fore the . actual delivery of the
Russian note came like * a bolt
from a clear sky. It was believed
that the receipt of the note might
have unmasked an ultimatum, but
that Japan should sever diplo
matic relations — a step little short
of a declaration of war — was . al
most like a blow in the face under
the present circumstances, and it is
resented here accordingly. The
authorities believe this ' action
places Japan distinctly in the
wrong before the world, and
moreover such a "piece of impu
dence," as it is denominated here,
makes easy an appeal to the pa
triotism of the Russian people.
The news at any moment that
Japan had drawn the sword and
that the first clash had occurred
would not be surprising.
EVENTS BEFORE RUPTURE.
. The events leading to Japan's
abrupt action have marched with
great rapidity. The Russian note
THE THEATEES.
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
was already in the hands of Baron
de Rosen, Russian Minister in
Tokio, for delivery to Baron Ko
mura, the Japanese Foreign Min
ister, when, at 4 o'clock yesterday
afternoon, Kurino, the Japanese
Minister here, presented himself
at the Foreign Office and in
formed Foreign Minister Lams
dorff that his Government, in view
of the delays in connection with
the Russian answer and the futil
ity hitherto of the negotiations,
considered it. useless to continue
diplomatic relations and would
take such steps as it deemed proper
for the protection of Japan's in
terests. In obedience to instruc
tions therefore he asked for his
passports. Exactly what else
passed at this interview is hot
known, except that Count Lams
dorff expressed surprise and re
gret at this hasty resolve of the
Mikado's Government.
Kurino received his passports
and, affter consulting with Sir C.
S. Scott, the British Embassador
here, he returned to his legation,
where the preparations for his de
parture had already commenced.
RUSSIA ACTS PROMPTLY.
Another version of the situa
tion at the time Kurino notified
Count Lamsdorff of the course his
Continued on Page 3, Colnma li _