The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-03-25
A DISASTROUS BLAZE IN NEW YORK.
"Cohnheld's Folly and Several Other Big
Business Blocks Des roTed.

"CohnneId's Folly" and Several Other Big
Business Blocks Des roTed.
New YORK, March ia FIRE thai
started, no one knows how, In the sub
basement of the nine-story mansard rooted
brick and iron building on the southeast
corner Of Blocker and Green-Ets. about
$40 tonight, utterly ruined IL, and,
spreading to two buildings east Of it, de-
stroyed them as well and another in the
rear that ran from Green TO Mercer-st II
will be classed among the largest fires
ever known in this city. Over 100000
worth of property rolled skyward In smoke.
and flame in less than five hours.
The building in which the fire started
was owned by Mendsl Bros, real estate
men OF Chicago, aud was occupied BY
Alfred Benjamin & CO., probably tha
largest manufacturers of fine mems cloth.
ing in the country. II was stock com.
pany composed OF Isaiah Josefa, A. I
HochstaGer, Eugene Benjamin, David
Hochstader and, as specials, Jesse and
Samuel Rosenthal.
The first alarm was turned In at 500, O
second at 3 :55 and three others followed
in rapid succession until the greater pors
ton of fire apparatus in the lower part Of
the city was at the spot. The streets
speedily became choked with people and
when the police reserves came to form the
fire line they found they had 10
handle perhaps as big a mob as ever
massed in the same amount OF space ID
New York At FIRST IL seemed as IL the
firemen would have an easy victory over
the flames. There was no appearance OF
fire, but n thick black smoke poured out
OF the basement and rose in volumes
about rs high as the house top, then blew
down in the streets again, making IL an
heroic task for the firemen to work at all
Suddenly, with hardly moments
notice, the flames tore 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 at
tackled by the devouring element until,
from sub-basement TO roof, the building
was fiery furnace. The firemen in the
streets below were like pigmies battling
with a giant. Itlooked like the beginning
of confagration that would only end
when il had no more TO feed upon.
A fix story building adjoining the giant
on the east and occupied by NJ. III. Rosen-
stein, ostrich feathers, was the next TO
succumb to the flames, which then moved
on to the double brick building owned
and occupied in part by Hammerslough,
Saks d Co, clothiers, on the third fourth,
fifth, sixth and seventh floors, and by F.
G. Council d Co., hatters, on the lower
floors
Meantime the fire had extended on the
Greens-st side to the siK-story twenty-five
L.,.1 i'll
Rosenstein and partly by Sylvester Lev
acher & Co., manufactures OF hats,
CAPS and furs. The building extended
through to Mercer-st., and the fire speed
lily forced its way on that street OF the
structure. 1t looked as If the whole block
was doomed.
About o'clock the roof of the building
in which the fire started fell in with crash,
carrying floor after floor with it. A few
minutes later the front wall toppled
and fell into Bleecker-st. One fire.
man was struck by a falling brick and
seriously hurt Finally only the eastern
wall OF the building was left standing.
Then the roof OF the Hammerslough
intact. By 10 o'clock, however, the fire.
men had the flames we'll in hand and
there seemed to be no danger of its spread
ing further. The losses, roughly estimated,
are as follows:
Benjamin & Co., building, 100000;
stock. $4,000. They had nearly 100000
in orders for spring suits making up, and
in addition carried large stock of over
coats and smoking jackets. The building
was built eight years ago by Isador Cohn-
field, the feather manufacturer, and was
known as Cohnfeld's folly. Later he
failed, and about four years ago Alfred
Benjamin moved into it.
Hammerslough, Saks & Co. lose $780,
600 on the building and S250,0O0 on their
stock; NJ. H. Rosenstein, building $685..
600, stock $4,000; L. V. Cornell & Co.
the halter, $4,000. The rear building,
owned by Mr.. Macksy, was valued al
S150000. Sylvester Levacher & Co. lose
Sl50000; NJ. V. Schwarts and other
tenants in the rear building lose $l55, 200.
This evening one hundred thousand dol
lars damage resulted from fire in the
storehouses OF II. B. Clafflin & Co., 28 to
80 Leonard-st Fully insured.