St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-18
The Biggest Stock Of Mems
Clothing in the Country
Consumed.
Firemen Fight Fierce Flames
and a Vast Mob SimuI-
taneously.
Three Lives Lost in an Ava.
lanehe on Treasury
Mountain.

started no one knows how, in the sub
basement of the nine-storv mansard-
rooted brick and iron building on the
southeast corner of Blepcker and Green
street about 500 tonight utterly ruined
1t. and spreading to two buildings east
of it. DESTROYED them as well as another
in the rear that ran from Green to Mer-
Ger street. 1t will he classed among the
largest fires ever known in this city.
Over 81 000.000 worth of value rolled up
ward in smoke and fame in less than
five hours. The building in which the
fire originally started was owned by the
Mendel Brothers. real estate men of
Chicago, and was occupied by AL
fred Benjamin & Co.. probably the
largest manufactures of fine, ready
made mems clothing in the
country. 1t was stock company COM
posed of Isaiah Josefa, A. Hochstader.
Eugene Benjamin. David Hochstader,
and Specials Jesse and Samuel Rosen-
thai. The first alarm was turned in at
5:20; a second at 5:25 and then three
others followed in rapid succession. I'M
til the greater portion of the apparatus
spot. The streets, from which a view
of the fire could be had, speedily be-
came
ChOked with People.
and when the police reserves came to
form the fire line they found they had
to handle perhaps as big a mob as ever
masSed in the same amount of space in
New York. Al first it seemed as if the
firemen would have an easy victory over
the flames. There was no appearance
of fire but thick black smoke
poured ont of the basement, and
rose in volumes about as high as the
hOuseton, then blew down in the streets
again, making it an heroic task for the
firemen to work at all. Suddenly. with
hardly moments notice. the flames
shot their way up through the building,
and burst through the roof In a blaze
that could be seen for miles about.
Then every floor was attacked by the
devouring element, until from sub
basement to roof the magnificent build
ing was fiery furnace. The fremen'
in the streets below were like pigmieS
battling With giant. 1t looked like
the burning of q confederation that
would only end when it had 10 more
to feed upon. six story building
adjoining the giant on the east,
and oeupied by NJ. II. Rosenstein, os-
trich feathers. was the next to sue
cumb to the flames, which then moved
on 10 the double brick building owned
and occupied in part by Hammerslough,
Saks IL Co., clothiers, on the third,
fourth. fifth, sixth and seventh floors:
and by E. q. Connell IL Co., hatters. on
the lower floors. Meantime the fire had
extended to the sixth story of brick
building occupied partly by Rosenstein
and partly by Sylvester, Levacher &
Co., manufacturers of hats. caps and
furs. The building extended through
to Mercer street. and thence the fire
speedily forced itself out on that side of
the structure. 1t looked as if the
Whole Block Was Doomed.
About o'clock the roof of the build
ing in which the fire started fell in with
a crash, carrying floor after floor with it
Ill its descent. A few minutes later the
front wall tOppled and fell into Bleecker
street. One fireman was struck by a
falling brick and seriously hurt. Finally
ovly the eastern wall of the building
was left standing. Then the roof of
Hammerslough's building fell in, but
the other walls remained intact. BY 10
O'Clock, however, the firemen had the
flames we'll in hand, and there seemed
to be no danger of it's spreading further.
The losses rOugly estimated are as fol-
lows: Benjamin q Co., building, S400,-
600; stock, S45O,0O0; they had nearly
100000 orders for spring suits
making up and in addition carried
large stock of overcoats and smoking
jackets. The building was built eight
'sars ago by IsadOr Cohnfeld. the
SAther manufacturer. and was known
as "Cohnfeld'S Folly" Later he failed,
and about four wears ago Alfred Penia-
min moved into it. Hammerslough,
Saks & Co. lose 100000 on the building
and $250,0OO on their stock; II. NJ. Ro-
senstein, building $4,000. stock SO. 200:
E. Y. Connell q Co., $4,000. In the
rear building. owned by DIR. Macy, val
ued at sl50,0OO, Sylvester Levacher q
Co., hatters. lose Sl50.000; NJ. V.
Schwartz and other tenants in the rear
buildings, losses estimated at S155, ZOO.