The Great Baltimore Fire

1904 was expected to be a year of new inventions, imaginative innovations and great civic pride. After all, there was The World's Fair in St. Louis to attend, Teddy Roosevelt had defeated Alton B. Parker for the US Presidency, the "Caterpillar Track" made its debut revolutionizing the construction industry as well as the art of land warfare, and a true American favorite was born - the ice cream cone. While many lofty predictions of greatness did come true, that fateful year would also turn out to be one of unimaginable tragedy, of perilous worry, and of great destruction. From the turn of the 20th Century to the fall of 1904 nearly a dozen major metropolitan disasters had struck a bewildered population in North America. Among these unfortunate cities were Chicago, IL; Hoboken, NJ; NY City; Toronto, Canada; and Baltimore, MD. In each conflagration, an overarching question rose to shadow the hope of salvation: Who will save us? Where are the heroes? On a cold and windy Sunday morning in 1904, public safety workers from Baltimore, Washington, New York City, Philadelphia, York, Harrisburg, Atlantic City, Wilmington, and many other brave cities would answer the call. This is their story. We are forever grateful…