New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-08-28
A GREAT REFINERY BURNED.
THE OCKERSHAUSENY SUGAR-H0USE DE-
STROYED,

NEARLY SfOO,0OO, With INSURANCE PROBABLY
or 100000.
A very large fro occurred yesterday morn
ing on Soust ard the estimates of tho own"rs OF
the property tho loss viii he greater than at any c"nua-
grafton since the Broadway fro. About 1i5 ill., yester-
day flames were seen through windows IN the south
west Of tho third story tho sugar refinery Oh
Ockershausen Brothers. 1T No $50 sOuth-st The bnid
ING was seven stories IN hight built Of brick and ex-
tended through to FrOnt-st Francis Deering ana
Richard SobocR were the two night watchnen ana the
latter gave the alarm Frcntst, from which the flames
were first visible The hremen soon arrived on inc
ground most Of them going the Soutbst front OF the
building AS by that time flames were bursting from
all the windows Of the tall building The hydrant Oh
Frontst, opposite the Of tho building, was out o
order and. according to the statements OF those living
near fully half hour before stream OF water
could be obtained.
In the southwest corner OF the building, the first
llor were the charcoal kins and above them. on the
second fioor the charcoal stored. In this. APP
parcntly the fire originated. though III what manner was
not understood, work WAS done on SUNDAY ana
after the employees ceased work, about 1880 p M on
Saturday the fires rked down AM pat out, not 10
DO started again until a. IN. on Monday. The flames
spread almost Immediately from tho charcoal to
the sugar stored IN tho refinery, and all
Of the seven stories quickly In u
blaze the strongest efforts OF tho flrcmen merely keep
ing surrounding buildings from catching iiro' On
Front-si the heat was that IL impossible
10 remain near OF the building for any length OF
time, brit fortunately there was westerly wilma, ana all
IN houses opposite escaped dam One frlmo house
caught fire, hut the lmcs extingushad I'M
mediately About o'clock OF tho tlnhs of bone
black. stored on the third nbor of the "eiinery,
burst with loud explosion, Blowing out large por
ton of the south WALL which fell upon tue
oil refinery OF Henry J. Rudd Co, two-sioy Drlck
building fronting Soutlst This. catching hre' WaS
entirely destroyed portion of tie wall fell beyond
tins o refinery broke down the chimney aud crushed
in portion G the roof OF the building Of the Asbestos
Fetng Company. also Frontst. In the latter bald
ing portion OF the machinery was injured ana some Oh
the stock was destroyed by fire, but the owners stated
that the entire loss would not DO more than q few
thousand dollars. The loss Of II. j. Rudd Co. was
estimated at $1,000
The spread OF tho fumes WAS soon checked IN this
direction and there prospect that the fire
would not spread 10 the other adjoining buildings, when
the OF the house fell IN with loud crash tho
remen we're close under the walls on tbe east front oil
the building upon tho roof OF the foursory brick OIL
refinery OF Libby, Bartlett Kimbal, adjoining the
building on tho north when the walls ~ tie refinery
crumbng In the Intense bel,, 10 tottcr. The
men on tho oil refinery roof abandoning their hose had
barely time escape down the ladders when the walls
fell. The SuutI-st. wall fell outward into the
street and tire upper portions OF the noith
wall crashing through tc roof OF the OH refinery
The frs at communicated WIFE the lnihilaDic MA
lerlaI in the refinery, aud the whole interior was de-
6troycd IN few moments leaving nothing but the walls
standing At the rear Of the oil refinery. adjoining the
,ugarhouse on the Suuth-st. side, lie Ono-BtOiy
brick ollie, OF Murphy Scsbit, dealers In brick ANA
cement. Connected with the Office Was small onestorY
frame warehouse. In which stored about 80 barrels
Of cement. Both Of thrse building were totally lie
,troycd Tie loss thom however. was small WIN the
destruction OF thess buildings the limits Of the fro were
III, IL f,n i'm
were required to prevent the spreading OF the Names Tor
several hoaTs.
The district burned comprises about half OF the
block bounded by South, Front, aud Jack-on-sts and
Gouycrncur--p. The Frontst wall Of the sngschouse'
seven sioreB In hight. Is st standing. bat Is momena
rily expected to fall Large CRACKS aud s'nins extend
oui wino. Ia window aud up ana down t9 en-,
hight. aud the iron shutters hang inm lsr WhGoHs
crl 81 and twisted by tho heat section of thr north
west corner the building stan n by itsuil the adon
ing walls having partially fallen away The SOdtb-,,
only about hal OF each y st.ndins' IN, inc
walls Of the oil reils,ry % lGSpy, e bar e,
deemed un-aie. and were pulled down by tho nremcn
about 2;;il p "a yrterdhy Inc rHecs %, ,ho I
,,, "a ~ nj lie scene of ,Lr hrc Throughout the dsy
% u I'M, -, h,Ucd ~ IT,, rcrnpiod Tor dwelling
purpose and tn Dire was attended without loss OF o
or injury to the hrcnon'
THE Lossps MD INSURANCE.
The firm Of Ookcrsauscn Brotnrrs, owning tho sugar
refinery WAS composed Of Adolphus T.. George T., and
John H. Ocscrshauscn Adophus h. Ockershlu'cu Il M
AT ni, residence on Staten Island and first heard OF the
Are Yesterday morning. when hts brother George arrived
HIS son at the scene OF the disaster yesterday
and said that the refinery had been closed for
several months. during which time u large amount
NJ now machinery had been put into the
building About jane 10 work had been renewed. aud
the refinery was BEN; ~ or aDoutls M force INC
full capacity Of tho establishment was 5Oo barrels o.
-n.1r ty and on Stmdy 400 barrel, Ind been boiled
said that VII bis father LGaId Oh lh1 hi,iS'ai' ne
addition 10 lilo valuable machinery destroyed. tho hrm
hnd Just received ia hossnclds aud l,oOo boxes
On the inst uOr rom BOO 10 700 barrels oi
sngnr of which only 20 were saved On the thrh were
t1s cout iratiun and the upper doors contained mn
rnuery Of various kinds Mr Ocktf,laus,n slia tiat
the IN rauc" considerably less tin tue vane o! me
property hut the amounts, either OF tbs loss nr
The Insurance could not BE- known unII inc oo9"S ~
no safe. were recovered from the runs oi the
bnildint About 500 barrels OF sugar which were
stored IN the EtDckhou'r ON Fronts we're saved; Tie
h'ns "pIaicd Nearly 100 barrels wcrc stored there
on saturday, thus saving them nom tne n,heS' on,
Ockornnau-"n sad the tgado OF tho firm was To great
Ycnt IN southern States, their business IN tho 't)
acr r. Ockershauscn went TO Staten Island ycstcr
day 20 ascertain. II possible, from his brother. tue
amount of insurance on the stock ana buildings con
mpd Ca his return he said That thrrc were no memo
randn other records of the Insurance Other tli tn
policies contained IN thr safes OF the hrin now covered
IN by the debris lew days theae would ho aug 1t
ana then tho exact amounts c0uii De hArtflth,o ne
rrtigh estimate of The probable result. Iho stnck
ct sugar all kinds on hand was worth nbOu' SlsuV'
mi, Wou.d hc almost II not entirely covered Dy tiS M
surancc The machinery recently put INTO the DnldlSs
cot fuy so 900 rhe osS nbuvo insurance on lnls
Nouid xcred $4,000 The building was Dniit III isoJ
and at that time 100000. but laI deprecated III
yaluO This without doubt, was covered ny the hhur
.ucc The entire loss he thought, was between gi3Vopo
and 1915 900. The insurance would reach nearly foUV
900 The policies III tho best NcW-lOi companies
and were divided among Is largo nuihorf, nnt hI.
Ockcrsuuscn did not remember III what companies tney
were or the amounts ot any OF tI!r pnioio' 49,, o.,
The origin the present establishments OF tne Ockeis-
hansen Brothers small sugar refinery slareJ 10y
Il and 23 of the same street DURING the lhtneT5 nc
time tbs business continued 10 grow III size ana I'M
M death IL had assumed sisidcrabc
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