People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 April 1896 — TWO FIERCE FIRES. [ARTICLE]

TWO FIERCE FIRES.

NEW YORK CITY AND FAlft. BURY, U&, BUFFS*. ■A ■••• ot Aaffmardt A C*., la the Kaat * r * Metropolla, Ittrrij Destroyed •"L"* *® Illlnola City Will Reach 1250,000 —Two Mon Hart. New York, April 15.—One of the fiercest fires which has occurred in this city within a year started in the five-story building at the northwest corner of Grand and Greene streets Tuesday night. The loss may reach $1,000,000. The building is occupied by C. A. Auffmordt & Co., one of the largest importers of silks, plushes, dress goods and kid gloves in this country. The first floor is occupied by Franz Merz, dealer in and importer of dress goods. The second floor is used by Hugo Bondy, importer of'kid gloves, who carried a stock valued at nearly $500,000. The third and fourth floors are occupied by Dexter, Lambert & Co., manufacturers of silk goods. Franz Merz also occupies fifth floor. During the course of the fire two firemen were partially overcome by smoke and one of them was burned about the face and was also cut by falling glass. The firemen said the fire, although not the biggest, was one of the fiercest they ever had to fight. There were times when it seemed as if the entire block was bound to go. The fire burned three hours, it having ample food in the expensive stocks of the different floors.