The evening world., 1889-07-25
Fears for the Big Dry-GOOdS House
Of Lewis Bros. & Co.
No Member of the Firm on Hand to
Deny the Dark RumOTS.
Their Last Statement Showed
Assets Covering Liabilities.
Immense Cotton and WooIlen Interests
Involved in the Crisis.

Tho announcement of the financial difficulty
of Lewis Bros. q CO.. the big d~ry-goods
commission house of SO and SO Worth street,
caused a sensation in the dry-goods district
this morning.
An assignment wns made this morning,
TIL only member of The firm in town,
Walter II. Lewis, who lives at G3 West Niue
tecnth street. could not be found this morn
ing, and ut the store. which was open, there
was no one who was authorized to speak for
the firm.
They IRE the agents of some of the wealth.
est cotton and wOOl'en mills in Che country
and ae one Of tn, oldest aud most reputable
firms in the trade. having been III business Mt
their present place for more than twenty
years.
Only last week Mr.. Sheldon. in his Special
R.rp,rt,n weekly financial publication, said
of the firm:
Lewis Bros. g. Co. are among the few
houses III the commission trade who g firm
lame and Locations have remained unchanged
for II score of wears. The many valuable ac-
counts for which they IRE selling agents
have been equally constant in their an
chorHge.'
Mr.. Sheldon himself said
This report is indeed n surprise to me,
for | have ALWAYS regarded the firm as one of
the sonndest i'll the trade. If it is true it Will
not only be n surprise to the trade, hut VIII
be II matter of sincere regret, for the house
was popular with the entire trade
At the agency of l.. q. Dun IL Co. 1t was
stated shat the credit of Lewis Bros. II Co..
had been Al up to IL very recent date. OF
late there have been some rumors that the
firm was very heavily involved, and their
credit sank.
This was not generally known in the trade.
but the representative of Il. G.. Dun a. Co.
SAID that the lab lities OF the firm were fully
~. OD0. 900, AMI probably considerably more.
1t their asst statement, however, was cor
rect, y lie ndd,d they will lie fully able 10
make their nsset, cover all liabilities. have
heard OF no assignment us vet"
1t is said that the firm was hurt in the fail
IRE of the Conshocton WoOllen Mill, in
Pennsylvania last Winter. They were agents
for the mills, and had advanced LARGELY
have also been made to other corporations
eyond the value of goods supplied, and this
lack OF sufficient security Tor their advances
Temporarily tied mp the firm.
Tie members o. the firm are Walter H.
Lewis. Joseph W. Lewis. Henry Lewis and
John l.. Bonrdman. II received its largest
cotton accounts on the dissolution of the old
firm of Anthony ii Hall many wears ago. Mr..
Hall going into the then new firm as a
member
Among the mills for which the firm are
sole selling agents are the Wamsutta Mills,
Wanregan Mills. Grinncll Mills, Slatersvil e
Mills. Hamlet Mills, State Cotton Company.
Manvllle Mills, Forestdale Manufacturing
Company. Jewell CITY Mills, Dunnel Manu-
tacturing Company, Franklin Manufacturing
Company, Hnrtel a. Co., Hartford Silk Manu-
fnc'urinG Company, United States bunting
Company. Shopper Bros. Richmond Woollen
Mills, Woodvale WoolIen Mills. Chester
Woollen Mills, Samuel Bancroft, j. l.. Peck.
Dexter. Richards a. Son aud s. H.. Edes.
principally New England mills, with several
III PENNSYLVANIA.
They are also agents in this city for Fran
coz, Henon d Greder. of Paris. LYONS. ST.
Etienne, Grenohle, France MIassing, l'reres
Il Go. Paris, and Rudenberg, Mostbaum a
Co. of Crefeld.
The firm has branch houses in Philadel-
phia, Baltimore, Boston and Chicago, and
did q business of several millions n year.