The old-fashioned Fourth of July celebration which has
kept Harlem in ferment for several days was supplemented
last evening by an event which greatly intensified the
excitement. It was a fire, the largest that has occurred in
Harlem for years, and it resulted in the destruction of four
buildings and serious damage to several others, involving a
loss of over $200,000. The fire was attended by many
exciting incidents, and several firemen were injured. The
building in which it originated was a. four-story brick
structure, No. 2,293 Third-avenue, with a frontage of 25 feet
and a depth of 110 feet, connected with an L-shaped
extension, 30 by 50 feet, running through to No. 208 East
One Hundred and Twenty-fifth-street. To the north of this
building, on the avenue, were two three story frame
buildings, extending to the corner or One Hundred and
Twenty-fifth-street, and on the south side of One Hundred
and Twenty-fifth street, adjoining the extension mentioned,
were the storage warehouses and auction rooms of Justus
Cooke. All these buildings were» either destroyed or badly
damaged.

   On the first floor of No. 2,293 Third-avenue was the
fancy goods store of Morris Strausky, who also occupied the
entire extension fronting on One Hundred and Twenty-fifth-
street. Taking advantage of the interest evinced in the
Harlem celebration, Strausky laid in an extensive stock of
fireworks. The entire show window and front of the store
were filled with the dangerous goods, and for days the
sidewalk before the store has been incumbered with tables,
loaded down with works, so that it has been almost
impossible for pedestrians to pass. All day yesterday the
store was open, and the sidewalk stands did a large
business. Shortly after 6 o’clock four half-drunken men came
up the avenue and stopped in front of Strausky’s store. They
were all smoking, and one of them, Strausky says, either
dropped or threw a burning cigar into a basket filled with
fireworks and ran away. In a, moment the fireworks in the
basket were ablaze, and were fizzing and sputtering in every
direction. Strausky tried to overturn the basket into the
street, but he was too late. The fireworks in the front of the
store and the show window were also ablaze and roman
candles, skyrockets, and firecrackers were shooting and
crackling about him. There were in the store at the time,
besides the proprietor, the following members of his family:
Matthias Jacob, Josephine, and Bertha; also L. Baum, the
superintendent of the store, and his wife; Joseph Blum,
Solomon Adler, William Tubberty,  Annie Mamie Lennon,
Alice Walton, Rosie Anaspach, Sarah McDonald, Gussie
Knop. Sadie Phillips, Annie Elias, Ludwig Spiero, an Mrs.
Hamilton,  all employes. They realized their danger and fled
from the store through the rear building into One Hundred
and Twenty-fifth-street.

   They were none so soon, for the fire spread through the
store like a, whirlwind. The store was formerly a, carriage
factory, and in the rear was a hoistway which, although
unused, was left open, and the flames rushed up this
hoistway and soon broke through the roof. When the
firemen arrived the building was ablaze from end to end, and
the stock of works made it dangerous to approach There
were loud explosions every instant, and skyrockets came
flying out of the windows and spot across the avenue,
striking the on the opposite side. The frame building
adjoining the burning store was occupied as a restaurant by
J. J. Cohr. He lived on the second floor and as he was lying
in bed helpless from sickness his danger was imminent. A
number of ! friends carried  him down stairs through the fire
and  smoke. The blazing rockets fell all about the sick man
and and the rescuing party, but they escaped uninjured.

   Meanwhile second and third alarms had been sounded
and engines and hook and latter came rattling up from all
directions. The fire was beyond control. After gutting; the
Third-avenue store and the extension it extended to the
storage warehouses Nos. 210 and 212 East One Hundred
and Twenty-fifth-street,  and to the  frame building on the
avenue to the north. A large stable on East One Hundred
and Twenty-fifth-street was in great danger, and special calls
were sent out for more engines. Despite the work of the
firemen the flames still spread, and then the signal known to
the department as "three sixes,” was sent out to call to the
scene all the engines north of Thirty-fourth-street. When
Chief Shay arrived the companies from a distance  were
coming up, and he at once headed them off and sent them
back to their quarters. He was angry that the three-sixes"
had been sent out, as the force previously on the ground
was in his judgment sufficient to cope with the flames.

   The force finally succeeded in stopping the spreading of
the fire, and by 9 o'clock in was practically out, although
several engines were keen pumping water into the ruins all
night.

   The building No. 2,293 Third-avenus and its extension on
“East One Hundred and Twenty fifth-street, were burned
out, and their contents destroyed. The loss of' Strausky is
estimated at $30,000, and he is insured for $40,000. The
upper  were occupied for storage purposes by Justus
Cooke, who also occupied Nos. 210 and 212 East One
Hundred and Twenty-fifth-street. In the latter building there
were 300 compartments filled with miscellaneous household
goods, paintings, trunks of clothing, furs &c. Three were also
25 pianos in the buildings. Mr. Cooke said that his own
personal loss was $25,000, on which he has an insurance of
$16,000. The loss of goods stored in the building will in the
aggregate $100,000. These losses are covered by insurance
held by the individual owners. J. J. Cohrs, the owner of the
restaurant No. 2,295 Third-avenue, sustains a, loss of
$1,000. Nauss Brothers, who occupied the building No.
2,297 as a market lose $500. No. 206 East One Hundred
and Twenty-fifth-street, a three-story building, was occupied
as a chop house by Kelley & loss will reach $10,000. George
Ruppell, who keeps a. delica-tegssen a_t Third.m'enue,
loses $500. The btlildjngs belong to Lewis Ranger, and the
loss will reach $50,000. The Glenwuod. a-pa-rtmellt house in
One Hundred and Twenty-£0111-th-street was damaged. by
water to the extent of $1,000.

   Fireman Renshaw, of Engine No. 36, was struck in the
face by a rocket and knocked from a ladder. One of his ribs
was broken and he was suffering severely from shock when
taken home. Fireman McGuinnis, of the same company was
injured about the head body by a portion of a skylight falling
upon him. Firemen Canlon and Firemen Peter Sloan and J
McCarrick, of Hook and Ladder Company No. 17, were
injured by a portion of the wall of No. 2.293 Third-avenue
falling upon them. Roundsman Walter L. Thompson, of the
East One Hundred and Twenty-sixth-street station, entered
the building No. 210 East; One Hundred  and Twenty-fifth
street to save the jewel casket of Mrs. Justus Cooke. He
was struck by a, line of hose and thrown down stairs. He
picked himself up, not much injured, and saved the casket
and contents of considerable value. Patrolman John Foley,
of the same precinct, while keeping the fire line on One
Hundred and Twenty-fifth-street, was struck on the hip by
half  brick thrown by some unknown person from the roof of
No. 251 East One Hundred and Twenty-fifth-street.