Sale 2455 - Printed & Manuscript Americana, September 28, 2017

197 198 c   (NEW YORK CITY.) Manuscript map of the Great Fire of 1835. Hand- colored manuscript, 7 3 / 4 x 8 1 / 2 inches plus integral blank; moderate wear including loss of part of caption. New York, circa 1830s [500/750] The Great Fire of 1835 destroyed much of the valuable real estate in downtown Manhattan, a wedge bounded approximately by Wall Street, Broad Street and the East River. Among other long-term consequences, it wiped out most of the city’s insurance companies and established Hartford as the regional insurance capital. This map of the blocks affected by the fire indicates street names and other key features; the waterfront is colored in pale blue. The caption explains that the fire destroyed 674 buildings; an x at the corner of Exchange and Merchant Streets indicates where the fire began. The hand-coloring may indicate building type, insurance coverage, or militia unit deployment—or it may by simply decorative. Any ideas would be welcome. 197 c   (NEW YORK CITY.) Man- hattan Extension Co. The Next Step Towards Making NewYork the Great- est City in the World. 4 pages, 12 x 8 1 / 2 inches, on one folding sheet; minor wear. [New York, circa 1921-22] [300/400] A promotional pamphlet for a grand scheme which was taken seriously in its time: filling in much of New York’s Upper Bay to add 6 square miles of new land to the southern tip of Man- hattan, encompassing Governor’s Island and reaching down nearly to Staten Island. Includes a two-color map, “A Word to the Thoughtful” by company president Walter Russell, a list of 24 advantages, and the text of the favorable coverage in the New York Times. One copy in OCLC, none known at auction. 198