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Culture & Artsby Elizabeth Suman2:57 pmNov 23, 20100

The Baltimore Fire of 1904 and how it was transformed into music

“Fire, fire,” I heard the cry, from every breeze that passes by”

Above: The sheet music for “Baltimore Fire”

In a 2005 article recently republished on his blog, Inside Bluegrass contributor Lyle Lofgren writes:

“A song commemorating a specific event, such as a burning city, is not much remembered after the city has been rebuilt.  A song about a specific murder, though, can last long beyond the event, because the theme recurs over generations.”

Lofgren is referring to “Baltimore Fire,” the  twangy, emotional reflection on The Great Baltimore Fire of 1904, sung by American banjo player and country musician Charlie Poole. According to Lofgren, the song was  found in an old songbook by Charlie or a member of his band, the North Carolina Ramblers, in 1905, and it is an adaption of a song called “The Boston Fire” (1873).

Chorus to “Baltimore Fire” (1905)

“Fire, fire,” I heard the cry, from every breeze that passes by;
All the world was one sad cry of pity.
Strong men in anguish prayed, and calling loud to heaven for aid,
While the fire in ruin was layin’ fair Baltimore, the beautiful city.

The Ramblers recorded “Baltimore Fire” in the early 1900s and it was reissued in 1996, on the album Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Rambers, Vol. 2.

Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers, 1927 (image courtesy of www.authentichistory.com)

According to Maryland Digital Cultural Heritage (MDCH), firefighters were first alerted to the blaze the morning of Sunday, February 7th, 1904, when an automatic alarm sounded at the John E. Hurst & company building on Redwood Street (called German Street at the time). The initial fire eventually spread to several building’s in Baltimore business district, and additional firefighters were called in from Washington and Pennsylvania.

The fire was mostly extinguished on the afternoon of Monday, February 8th, though “it took weeks for the smoldering fires to finally be put out,” according to MDCH.

Read Lofgren’s full article for more about the Baltimore Fire of 1904, and Pool’s version of the song.

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