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 Stimuli
taneously.
Three Lives Lost in an Ava
lanche on Treasury
Mountain.

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
street about 800 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 S2.000000 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
MPndel Brothers, real estate men of
Chicago. and was occupied by AL
fred Benjamin q Co., probably the
largest manufactures of fine, ready
made mems clothing i'm the
country. 1t was a stock company com
posed or Isaiah JOsefa, A. Hochstader.
Eugene Benjamin, David HOrhstader,
and Specials Jesse and Samuel Rosen-
thai. The first alarm was turned in at
$50; second at 5:25 and then three
Others followed in rapid succession, nm
til the greater portiOrOf the apparatus
in the lower part of the CITY was at the
snOt. The streets, from which 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 mob as ever
maSSed in the same amount of space in
New York. At first it seemed as if the
hremen would have an easy victory over
the flames. There was no appearance
of fire but thick black smoke
poured out 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
firPmen to work at all. Suddenly. with
hardly a moments notice. the flames
shot their way no through the building.
and burst through the roof IN blaze
that could he 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 firemen
in the streets below were like pigmies
battling with a giant. 1t looked like
the burning of confederation that
would only end when it had no more
to feed upon. A six story building
adjoining the giant on the east,
and occupied 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 u 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
crash, carrying floor after floor with it
III 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'S 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 10 danger of its spreading further.
The losses roughly estimated are as fol-
lows: Benjamin 4 Co., building, $780,
600; stock, s45O,OOO; 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
kYrs ago by Isador Cohnfeld, the
u ther manufacturer and was known
as "CObnfeld'S Folly" Later he failed,
and about four years ago Alfred Benia-
min moved into it. Hammersough,
Saks & Co. lose 100000 on the building
and S250,OOO OH their stock; II. NJ. Ro-
senstein, building $4,000. stock $50. 600:
Z. V. COnnell IL Co.. $4,000. In the
rear building, owned by DR.. Macy, val
ued at Sl5O,0OO, Sylvester Levacher &
Co., hatters. lose Sl5000O; NJ. V.
Schwartz and other tenants in the rear
buildings, losses estimated at S155, 200.