{"id":498,"date":"2014-02-07T10:48:24","date_gmt":"2014-02-07T10:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.formstonecastle.com\/?p=498"},"modified":"2014-02-07T19:31:24","modified_gmt":"2014-02-07T19:31:24","slug":"the-great-baltimore-fire-110-years-ago-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.formstonecastle.com\/?p=498","title":{"rendered":"The Great Baltimore Fire – 110 Years Ago Today"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"February<\/a>

February 8th, 1904 – Fireboat Cataract spraying water on East Pratt Street Wharves preventing the spread of the Great Fire of Baltimore from jumping the Jones Falls.<\/p><\/div>\n

110 years ago today a fire began around where the 1st Mariner Arena stands today. It burned all of downtown east to the Jones Falls. This became known as the Great Baltimore Fire. \u00a0It was finally stopped the next day, in-part, by the brave men of Baltimore’s first fireboat: Cataract. I’m proud to live in the house of one of its crew, stoker James H. Hoey. Thanks dude! Much has been written about the Great Fire, so I will focus this post on Engine 16, Cataract, her builders and her crew.<\/p>\n

\"Fireboat<\/a>

Fireboat Cataract docked at Commercial Pier in Fells Point<\/p><\/div>\n

Last year I had a chance to check out the MdHS Library. They had a copy of The Official History of the Fire Department of the City of Baltimore<\/em> by Clarence H. Forrest (c) 1898. \u00a0Below is a quote from the section mentioning the Cataract<\/p>\n