Newspaper Page Text
GREAT n nr' A nr FIRE war IN in A W Tllf A¥\r I
Wholesale District of City is Wiped Out
in Mammoth Conflagration.
A LOSS OF MILLIONS
Sunday Blaze Starts in
Heart of Maryland’s
Metropolis and Cuts
a Wide Swath of
Destruction.
The most destructive conflagration
in the history of Baltimore occurred
Sunday and Sunday night, raging prac
tically unchecked dur many hours,
completely destroying scores of the
largest houses in the wholesale dis
trict, involving losses which cannot
yet be accurately estimated.
The fire broke out shortly before 11
o’clock Sunday morning in the whole
sale dry goods store of John E. Hurst
& Co., on Hopkins place, in the heart
of the business district, with a series
of loud explosions, which were heard
in remote parts of the city and spread
with fearful rapidity. •
In a half hour there were a dozen
big warehouses in the wholesale dry
goods and notions district burning
fiercely.
The entire vity fire department was
called out, but was utterly powerless
to cheek the spread of the flames,
which were aided by high winds, and
by noon there were roaring fires in at
least thirty big warehouses and the
conflagration was steadily eating its
way into successive blocks east, north,
west and south.
Building after building fell a prey
to the flames, and apparently there
was no check to the frightful sweep
of destruction.
On Baltimore street, the block east
to Hanover, and after that tne block
on the south side to Charles street,
broke out in flames, the Consolidated
Gas Company’s building and Oelim's
Acme hall burning fiercely.
Meanwhile there were stores north
of Baltimore street being similarly
consumed. Mullin’s hotel caught and
other buildings near it. West of Lib
erty street, on the south side of Bal
timore, the block was doomed, and thq
big Baltimore Bargain House also
caught. Down in Hopkins place,
where the conflagration started,
Hurst’s building and other wholesale
houses on both sides of the street,
crumbled and fell.
Spectacle of Ruin Appalling.
The big dry goods house of Daniel
Miller & tjons and R. M. Sutton &
Co. were seen aflame and along Ger
man street, east and west from the
Hurst building, there were a dozen
buildings burning and scores more
threatened. The spectacle of ruin and
destruction from any point in
doomed blocks were something
ing.
lviass Mac, w & Kemner’s tempers hisr uig
store, on Baltimore stret,
succumbed to the flames and the
fell with a crash that was heard
squares. The Hurst building w r as
tpriv *■■■ J apetrnvp't “ * ^ ea -
On Hopkins place the Hopkins
ings bank and the National
hank were gutted by flames,
across the street were the ruins
John E. Hurst & Co., and next to
S. Hecht, Jr., & Sons, in flames.
joining was the large building
by the William Hoch Importing
pany, which was also destroyed.
Across the street the Stanley
Brown Drug Company was quickly
ruins, while fronting on the
street side of this block were the
bury Rye Distilling Company,
FATAL RIOT AT COAL CREEK.
Non-Union and Union Miners
Scrimmage and Four are Killed.
A bloody tragedy was enacted
clay in the litte mining town of
Creek. Tenn.. forty miles northwest
Knoxville, as the result of which
lives were snuffed out and three
sons wounded, one perhaps
The clash was the culmination of
ble between union and non-union
Three of the dead men were
by guards employed by the Coal
Coal Company, while the fourth
tim. a deputy sheriff, was killed by
guaid he had gone to arrest.
building occupied by Silberman &
Todes, the house of Allen Sons & Co.,
which had hardly been completed,
while next to it was the establish
ment of M. Moses & Co. On the cor
ner was the building occupied by the
Messrs. Sugar & Shear, and^ several
other smaller concerns. All of these
were swallowed up in the flames, and,
in fact, the whole block was nothing
but a cauldron of fire.
At 1:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon
Mi bens’ hotel, a seven-story structure,
was in flames from garret to cellar
j and its great height and narrowness,
j which acted as a sort of flue, convert
ed the doomed building into a huge
and dreadful torch.
Other Cities Send Aid.
Though every bit of fire fighting ap
paratus in the citj was called into
requisition as tne flames continued to
spread the firemen realized that they
had a task before them which was
too great for them to combat. Tele
grams for fire engines were sent to
Washington and Philadelphia and
about 1 o’clock six engines arrived
from Washington and four Irom Phila
delphia and joined in the battle with
the flames.
Engines from stations in Baltimore,
Howard, Anne, Arundel and Hartford
counties arrived as soon as possible.
Water plugs in every section within a
radius of half a mile from the fire
were in use, and it is roughly estimat
ed that there were 350 hose lines all
playing at one time upon different
parts of the conflagration.
Owing to the great congestion of
fire apparatus, the crowds of people
and the general confusion, many en
gines from out of town were unable to
find a place where they would be of
any service.
At 7 o’clock Sunday night the sit
uation was so desperate that Chief
Hoston decided that the only thing
left to do was to dynamite buildings
at threatened points and thus prevent,
as far as possible, a further spread
of the flames. •
At 3 o’clock Monday morning the
fire still raged. So far as known no
serious casualties were reported. Tele
graph, telephone and electric wires cf
all kinds were prostrated.
The fire covered an area of three
quarters of a mile in length by nearly
a quarter of a mile in width, taking
in many of the most important build
ings in the city. The loss, it is be
lieved, will reach $ 100 , 000 , 000 .
*
RUSSIANS PUNISHED BY KOREANS.
Czar’s Troops Do an Overt Act in Seoul
and are Promptly Squelched.
cause of a disorderly incident in Seoul,
capital cf Korea. One of the Russians
seized a woman and an angry crowd
gathered. A body of Korean . ,
b
darmes . soon arrived . , at , the ,, scene and
an encounter with the -Russians fol
l0 "f ■
The gendarmes , , {ought . , well, over
powering the Russians.
An , insurrection . ,. , has broken , . out sixtv .
•
miles •1 north ,, of . „ Seoul , and , the prefect’s .
, house , has been destroyed , , , by the ,
J peo- 1
p ] . e
____
, s M0RE fAV 0RABLE TO EUROPE.
--
America Gets Decidedly 7 the Worst End in
New Cuban Customs „ Duties.
President Palma’s decree increasing
the rates of Cuban customs m
accordance with the authority given
him by congress has been promul
gated.
The rates are considered more favor
able to Europe than America. The lat
ter hoped that a 30 per cent increase,
which is the maximum rate allowed by
congress, would have been placed cn
goods which the United States
manufacture in competition with Eu
j rope.
WAR NEWS IN WASHINGTON.
Associated Press Advised of Diplomatic
Rupture Between Russ and Jap.
; rrsL The Associated , . Press T”, at , ... , .
i ton was informed Sunday at the
! sian embassy that the Russian govern
ment has received a note from Japan
announcing the discontinuance of ne
gotiations and the interruption of di
plomatic relations.
Count Cassini, the Russian ambas
sador, upon receipt of the
from St. Petersburg, called upon Act
ing Secretary of State Loomis and in
formed him of the interruption of re
lations. i 1
2
t^ ++ ^ ++ 4 ' + ‘ , ' ,, " , '' f,! '* l '‘ f+ ‘ J ' ++ ‘ , “ I ‘ ++ ' , ':I;
4* Georgia **•
I M
Epitomized Items of Interest
Gathered at Random.
Hay Leaver Thomasville.
Secretary Hay left Thomasville last
Saturday morning at 6 o’cock via the
Atlantic Coast Line to resume his du
ties in Washington. The secretary
rrenounces the climate of Thomasviiie
second to none in the south. His
health is greatly Improved by Ills stay
among the pines.
* * *
Sanitarium for Hawkinsvllia.
A movement is on foot to establish
in Hawkinsville a modern, first-class
sanitarium by a certain well known
physicians of Pulaski county, The
sanitarium will be fitted up with elec
trical and modern appliances and will
prove a boon to the people of this
section and to Hawkinsville.
* * *
Inspection Orders issued.
General orders No. 2, relating to the
coming annual inspection of state
troops, have been issued from the of
fice of Adjutant General S. W. Harris.
These orders call attention to the de
tail of Major F. H. French, of the Six
teenth infantry, to inspect the Georgia
troops, and his inspection will be made
at the same time as that by "Colonel
W. G. Obear, inspector general.
Fruit Growers to Meet.
The Fruit Growers’ Association of
the state will meet in Valdosta Febru
ary 18-19.
It is expected that the session will
be one of the largest attended in the
history of the organization. Rates of
one and one-third fare have been
granted on all the railroads. The com
mittee is already busy preparing for
them and the growers are getting their
orchards into first-class order for in
spection.
* * *
Little “Georgia Magnet” Arrested.
Annie Abbott, the “Georgia Mag
net,” and heroine in a number of sen
sational episodes, has been under ar
rest in New York city, where she is
appearing at a theatre in a vaudeville
turn. The “Georgia Magnet” is
charged with purloining jewels to the
value of $12,000 from Mrs. F. C. Bay
ler, of Waterbury, Conn., the home of
1 lie watches. Her manager, Theodore
N Abbott, also well known in Georgia,
was arrested at the same time. Beth
have been released on bond.
More Money is Needed.
If Georgia is to have a building at
the coming St. Louis exposition, such
as has been proposed; considerably
more money than has already been
subscribed will have to be saised.
This fact is developed m a report j
made a day or two ago to Governor
Terrell by the active members of the
Georgia commission for the Louisiana
Purchase exposition. This report show's
tbat less tlian $ 9 - 000 has beGn Sllb "
scribed so far, while nearly $30,000 is
neebecl to carry out the plans in view'.
ThG * subscriptions up to the present
time have cofne practically altogether
f iro rom ™ the tnc ysouinern .southern part part o v>- f the tne state sta.e,
with the exception of one or two from
middle Georgia, „ .
* * *
C *" *° ° em ° Crat '‘ Com ";‘.‘ . tes ' '
„ The state democratic i executive
com
mittee has been called by Chairman E.
•
rn T. -r> Brow'n a to meet , m . Atlanta . , on Mon- ,»
day. , February „ , 29, ’ at il o’clock a. m.
The date . , of * the meeting ... rs compara
tively + . . an early , one. Two _, years ago
the committee met on March 9f > a
month later, and in 1900 the meeting
was he]d March ir _
When asked about the date Chair
man Brown „ saiu: ..
“Everybody seems anxious to know
when the committee prlmLy is eoina- tn fix the
date for the reason' and there ap
pear s to be no why the matter
should not be settled without any great
delay.
“But my particular reason for select
j n g February 29 for the meeting 'fifth of
the committee is that it is the
Monday in the month, a date on which
it will be more convenient for most of
the out-of-town members to be present,
because there are usually no courts
dxed f or that day.”
* * #
Pulaski Farmers Plant Tobacco.
The culture of tobacco on a large
!f ale has begun in Pu,aski count > r J '
-
T ; Who !!ves a few milGS £outh
of Hawkinsville, „ is now preparing * 6 to
k , an °f 8 acr8s of the wee;b He
as 3 ready EOvVn bis bed of the long
, ariet
° a ' ■
-
f/.' Jon f has mter9sted J itb him
. this f experienced
m a " tobacco
raiser from North Carolina, who expe
r “ v f y ^ es8fuI ;5 f PulaskI
J .1 a ^ J ° neS Sly f
nf tn f °° “ nr at “ ® y ° n .ban !
a expense
,
acies 01 cott ° n at
"
"
other farmers around him also
*
Wants Change in Law.
Governor Terrell will, in his
message to the general assembly
ommend that some provision be made
for legislators to serve during the
j terim which exists between October
and June, because if there should be
an extra session of the legislature, or
if the governor should die between Oc
t 0 ber. when the elections are held, and
next June, when the general assembly
meets, there would be no one to take
the governor's place.
The constitution of the state, in par
agraph 1 , section 4. article 2, says:
it Members of the general
shall assembly
be elected for a term of two
years and shall serve until their suc
cessors are elected. »>
If the legislature adjourns in June
and their successors elected next Oc
tober, then the members of the pres
ent legislature, according to the con
Btitution, are out of office. If the gov
ernor should die between October and
June, under present conditions there
would be no successor, as the presi
dent of the senate would no longer be
president for reason that his term as
senator expired when his successor as
senator was chosen at the general elec
lion.
* * *
“Cunjer” Doctor Gave Arsenic.
After making a thorough analysis of
the stomach of Sarah Mann, a negre ss
of Ellington, Clayton county, suspected
of having been poisoned, Dr. Edgar
Everhart, of the Southern College of
Pharmacy, of Atlanta, has reported to
the authorities there that unmistaka
ble traces of arsenic had been discov
ered.
Charles Mann, the husband of the
deceased, Boh Middlebrook and George
Shaw, all negroes, have been held in
the Clayton county jail awaiting the
result of the investigation. The Mann
woman died a few days ago under sus
picious circumstances, and the coroner
insisted upon an investigation and sent
the body to Dr .Everhart for analysis.
According to report, Mann and Mid
dlebrook were suspected of having in
duced Shaw, who poses as a sort of
negro “conjure” doctor, to poison the
Mann woman. It also seems that
Shaw had been suspected of similar
practice on former occasions.
The story told by the negroes is
that the woman was suffering from
some kind of pain, and the conjure
doctor gave her a drink of whisky. Her
death followed in a few hours. In the
qualitative analysis that followed un
mistakable signs of arsenic poisoning
were found, and the charge of murder
against the three negroes is expected
to follow. Otherwise the stomach was
found to be in a normal condition.
Does Not Affect Georgia.
The decision of the supreme court of
the United States in the case of South
Dakota vs. North Carolina, where it is
held that the bonds of North Carolina
must bo paid by that state will have no
effect on the bonds which the state of
Georgia repudiated about twenty years
ago.
when the announcement of the de
dgioil wag made it was understood
that Georgia „__ coukl b i;„m \ 0 !
forced tQ a the bo nds whlch had
, been repudiated by the Georgia legis
lature Tnthe
North Carolina case the state
was owner of a majority ot the stock
, n , he N , jrlh Carollna ra llroad, which
stock . , . had , , been pledged , , . as security for
... bonds issued. . The people buying t the u,
, bonds presented , , . - them to the
ten or
state , , of , South _ Dakota - , , to . , be Q used „ oor , fnr ror
educatlonal , purposes, and , South „ ,, Da
kota *\ 16d sait in the UnitSd Sta ®
court to collect the , money f for tb the
bon(ls claiming ; tbG that ^ orth they Carolina had never off!.ia^ been
aS l P
The p su P rome C0U H h held ld in m its its dP cl .
cision that the rsilroad couId be sold
to pay for the bonds, Governor Ter
rell states that the decision would not
apply to Georgia, because the sover
eignty of the state was involved when
it repudiated its bonds years ago,
while the state of North Carolina own
ed a controlling interest in the rail
road which had issued the bonds. The
bonds repudiated by Georgia were not
secured by any personal property of
the state.
* * *
A Graded Course of Study.
State School Commissioner W. B.
Merritt has just sent out a graded
course of study for the common
schools of Georgia, based upon the
books recently adopted for use in
the schools. The commissioner has
done his work well. The course Is
well graded, the requirements for each
year being well balanced and the
subjects properly correllated. The
work for a first reader pupil is dearly
outlined so that every teacher in the
state will know what the pupils
this grade must he studying in read
in gpelling> i anguag e, writing num
berg and na t ure study. Each
with the corresponding work in other
subjects is indicated. The course eri
j tends through seven years of uim
| months, in schools of shorter Hi;
the time will be longer, thou the
course will be tne same. It is tfia s ad
justed to any and ->11 schools. Oj^ of
these programs or courses of
will be sent to every teacher in
state to be posted on the school wan
as a guide to teachers and patrons and
children. If faithfully carried o;
will systematize the n
• work of the 5 ; idol
room and the instruction of the chiu
dren, so that each child will have a
well rounded education as far as
goes. The language, history, arithme
j j tic, spelling, will writing and geography
work be carried along together
I There will be no neglecting of any
these 0 f
essential studies for any one of
them or for any fad or frill. The child
can thus pass easily from school to
school or from teacher to teacher
without loss of time or repetition of
studies. It becomes a guide to each
teacher in the use of the new text
books and in the organization of the
classes. It will enable county school
commissioners to inspect the s ehools
j beGer advantage and examine the
I W8rk °I any grade in his several
' sc 00 s - ^ W ^1 enable the state
school commissioner to prepare tests
! or Gle S ra des a ^ over the sta.a and
compare the work of the several coun
ties. It will bring order into the
school work. It is hoped that every
; commissioner and teacher will put the
new course of study into immediate
operation. Following this outline
course of study will come during the
year a full syllaous describing in de
tail the work, each subject for each
grade, with touching suggestion::, sup
plemental work—in short, a school
room guide. This is now ng pre
I pared by Mr. Merritt, and he hopes r
| have it ready for use in the summer
j institutes.—J. S. Stewart, of State
j University.
■
j one point gained by Georgia.
Supreme Court Permits Filing of Bill in
Suit Against State of Tennessee.
Permission to file the bill of the
state of Georgia against the state ot
Tennessee in regard to the alleged de
struction of vegetation near Duck
town, Tenn., by the fumes of the cop
per furnaces located there, has been
granted by the supreme court cf th«j
j United States.
The bill was filed at once, and with'
; in the next few months the final hear
ing and the evidence will be Had and
; submitted. Since the bill was allowed
! to be filed and since the court enter
tained jurisdiction, many people in
Georgia consider that more than hail
the victory has been won. This was
the first case of the kind that has ever
been considered by the supreme court,
and the grounds upon which it was
founded are novel in many particulars. mead
Should Georgia win it will
Georgia win the case, it will mear.j in
that two of the largest corporations
t Britain will . los.
j Tennessee and Great
investment of something l.ke , 2 .
000 , 000 , unless some method diff°rent
from the present one of abstracting
the copper from the crude ore is dis
covered. Should the state lose, if
will mean the loss of about 20 or 30
square miles of territory in the coun
ties surrounding the location of th®
furnaces.
WILD DAY ON EXCHANGE.
Strenuous Week at New Orleans Reaches
Climax in Decline of Cotton,
Friday saw the wildest scenes of the
wild week in the cotton market at
New Orleans. The longs were forced
to take medicine, even more hitter
than they have been giving the bears
all the season.
At the lowest levels of the day
prices were 152 to 180 points lower
than the highest levels, and about 3
cents lower than what cotton was sell
lhg lor at lhe ilVBt 01 the week
'
UNCLE SAM STRICTLY NEUTRAL.
Our Asiatic Fleet Will Keep Sky of Russo*
Japanese Embroqlio.
A Washintgcn dispatch says: Re
, g ard i ng the movements of the Ameri
can Asiatic fleet, which is now in the
Philippine waters, it is stated that no
decision has been reached, except the
irrevocable one that the fleet shall
make no move which can possibly be
construed as a departure from the
Washington government’s policy o!
complete neutrality in the Far East,
CHINAMAN IN LINE OF PROMOTION.
Toung ......... Muden of lln.vers.ty . of , Cal,forma _ ...
| • «•<*> S*"'» u “ itorm -
Samuel Sung Yung, a Chinese stu
dent of the University of California
has just been appointed a lieutenant d
tbe university cadet regiment. Should
he rise to major or higher, he will be
eligible for a second lieutenancy in tim
United States army. Lieutenant Yung
is tb e only Chinese wearing the uni
form of an officer of the Uni fc-d
c- es army.
i~ V.