Great Fire of 1835

The 1835 Great Fire of New York was one of three fires that rendered extensive damage to New York City in the 18th and 19th centuries. Flames broke out inside a warehouse on Pearl Street, the center of New York’s dry-goods district.The bitterly cold temperatures that froze the water in their firemen’s hoses, killing two people, the destruction of the nearly 23 blocks and 700 buildings in the city’s prosperous mercantile district. The cold made it tough to get under control. “Whiskey was poured into boots to prevent [firefighters’] toes from icing up,” states Paul Hashagen in Fire Department, City of New York. The estimates of damage that ranged from $18 to $20 million ($529 to $588 million today).The fire department's growth in the 1820s and 1830s had not kept pace with the growth of the city. The fire bankrupted several insurance companies, slowing the processing of claims It forced the city, which rebuilt within a year, to organize a professional fire department and shore up building codes. And it showed the need for a modern water-supply system, resulting in the opening of the Croton Aqueduct and reservoir on 42nd Street seven years later.