In New York City, a fire destroys a large commercial building and kills a teenage employee
A massive fire completely destroyed a five-story brick building on Pearl Street in New York City, wiping out several concerns doing business there. The early afternoon fire began on the top floor in a chair manufacturers when a young workman was trying to light a lamp. He was injured fatally in an explosion and the fire spread rapidly to a bookbinders on the next floor and then to a book printers on the lower floors. No other serious injuries were reported. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
"A Large Fire in Pearl-Street," New York Times, May 24, 1863, p. 6.