BALTIMORE FIRE (Charlie Poole Version)

It was going to a falls by a narrow
That I heard a cry I ever shall remember,
The fire sent and cast its burning embers
On another faded city of our land.

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,
Calling loud to heaven for aid,
While the fire in ruins was laying
Fair Baltimore, the beautiful city

Amid an awful struggle of commotion,
The wind blew a gale from the ocean,
Brave firemen struggled with devotion,
But their efforts all proved in vain.


Source: Rambling Blues: The Life and Songs of Charlie Poole, by Kinney Rorrer©1982, by Kinney Rorrer of Danville, Virginia

Notes from the book:

The text of this song appears in a songbook called Mowry's Songster, printed around 1905. The great Baltimore fire had occurred the year before, wiping out over a hundred blocks of the city. No author for the song is given, but he must have gotten his inspiration from Joe Gulick's 1873 song "The Boston Fire." Poole must have taken his version from the 1905 edition. However, there are a few distinct differences between the two. For example, the 1905 text has "It was only through a fault and by an error," while Poole sings this line "It was going to a falls by a narrow." The chorus in both versions is almost identical to that of Gulick's "Boston Fire."

So, can somebody find Gulick's "Boston Fire"?

Charlie Poole recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7x5AWhT2ec