St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-18
MILLIONS ARE lost.
New York Suffers From One
Of the Largest Fires in
Her History.
The Biggest Stock OF Mems
Clothing in the Country
Consumed.
Firemen Fight Fierce Flames
and a Vast Mob Sinful
taneously.
Three Lives Lost in an Ava
lanehe on Treasury
Mountain.

NEW DIX. Mafcn IA flrP tnaC
started no one knows how, in the sub
basement of the nine-storv mansard-
rooted brick and iron building on the
southeast corner of Blocker and Green
street about 500 tonight utterly ruined
1t. and spreading to two buildings east
of 1t. DESTROYED them as we'll 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 s2.000.0n0 worth of value rolled up
ward in smoke and flame in less than
five hours. The building in winch the
fire originally started was owned by the
Mendel Brothers, real estate men OF
Chicago, and was occupied by AL
fred Benjamin e 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
500; second at 5:25 and then three
others followed in rapid succession. I'M
til the greater portion of the apparatus
in the lower part Of the city was at the
sn0t The streets, from which n view
OF the fire could be had, speedily be-
came
Cholked 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. AT first it seemed as if the
tremen 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 IN heroic task for the
firPmen to work at all. Suddenly. with
hardly a 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 pgmies
battling with giant. 1t looked like
the burning of a confederation that
would only end when it had no more
to feed upon. A six story building
adjoining the giant on the east,
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., cl0thiers, on the third,
fourth. fifth, sixth and seventh floors;
and by +. q. Cornell Il Co., hatters. on
the lower floors. Meantime the fire had
extended to the sixth story of a brick
building occupied partly bv 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
crash, carrying floor after floor with it
Ill its descent. a few minutes later the
front wall toppled and fell into Blocker
street. One fireman was struck by
falling brick and seriously hurt. Finally
OVly the eastern wall of the building
was left standing. Then the roof of
Hammerslough' building fell in, but
the other walls remained intact. BY 10
O'Clock, however, the firemen had the
flames well in hand, and there seemed
to be no danger of its spreading further.
Inc losses roughly estimated are as fol-
lows: Benjamin & Co., building, $780,
coo; stock, S45O,00O; they had nearly
100000 orders for spring suits
making up and in addition carried a
large stock of overcoats and smoking
jackets. The building was built eight
, ars ago by Isad0r .Cohnfeld. the
1%Ather manufacturer. and was known
| as ''Cohnfeld'S Folly" Later he failed,
and about four years ago Alfred Benja-
min moved into it. Hammerslough,
Saks e Co. lose 100000 on the building
and $3.50. 900 on their stock; H. NJ. Ro-
Senstein, building $685. stock SO. 900:
e. V. Cornell u Co., $4,000 In the
rear building, owned by DR.. Macy, val
ued at s150,000, Sylvester Levacher Il
Co., matters. lose Sl5O.OOO; NJ. V.
Schwartz and other tenants in the rear
buildings, losses estimated at S155,OOO