Fire destroyed a cotton warehouse on New York's State Street and a young New York fireman named Thomas Irwin was killed fighting it. The blaze began in the morning and went on till mid-afternoon when a collapse killed Irwin and injured other firemen and police. More than a thousand bales were burned and losses were estimated at up to $700,000. This was not the first fire of its kind in recent weeks and calls were made to declare cotton a dangerous material. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
"Disastrous Fire in State Street," New York Times, December 3, 1865, p. 3.