His fortunes grew as his store eventually absorbed three adjacent buildings and expanded to branches in Dublin, London, and Paris, providing a livelihood for more than 500 employees.
The first alarm was turned in at 10:20 a.m. but the blaze was out of control within minutes, fanned by a wind that pushed the fire east by northeast in the direction of O’Neill & Co, which was about 400 yards away.
By afternoon, most of the buildings south of the department store in the block bounded by Hopkins Place and Redwood, Fayette and Charles streets had been destroyed.
Meeting in the offices of Mayor Robert McLane, city engineers recommended dynamiting buildings in the path of the blaze so there would be nothing left to burn—the demolished lots would create an artificial firebreak that would stop the conflagration in its tracks.
A devout Catholic, O'Neill had just rushed back from the Carmelite Convent on Biddle Street in east Baltimore, where he had gone to beg the nuns—including his sister—to pray for the safety of his store.
[5] Despite these efforts, the flames reached the exterior walls of the department store's southernmost building, igniting a portion of the cornice and then part of the roof.
"[7] At its peak, the temperature of the fire was estimated at 2500 degrees; buildings new and old in its path succumbed quickly to the flames [8] By the time it was brought under control the following day (February 8), the fire had destroyed much of central Baltimore, including over 1,500 buildings covering an area of some 140 acres (57 ha) But it is a matter of historical record that on his return from the convent—and after the confrontation with the would-be dynamiters—the wind suddenly shifted.
Although she died in 1936, the Great Depression and World War II delayed progress on the building [10] and over time the original bequest to the cardinal had grown to $14 million.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal, and placing my signature on the margin of the four pages hereof this 10th day Of July A.D. 1912.
His bright red hair earned him the nickname "Pinky" He was known for standing at the front door of his store, attired in an elegant morning suit, greeting his customers by name and ensuring that each received outstanding service.
The Memorial Chapel in the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen includes an image of O'Neill in one window, holding his prayer book and a copy of his will, (the other is located in the corridor leading to the Sacristy) and a painting behind the altar that reflects elements of O'Neill's life, including the 1904 Fire threatening his store, and two famous alumni of St. Mary's, Babe Ruth and Al Jolson.