[J. Thomas Scharf (1886)] Willett McCord, on Croton Avenue, in 18;>6, as a pri-vate mansion, was occupied about ten years by Miss Sarah Van Vleck, who had established there the ad-mirable school for young ladies known as the "Os-sining Institute." Two weeks after the removal of the institute to the present situation the "California House " was reduced to ashes. This event occurred Sunday morning, June •'!(•, 1877. The loss was about. twenty thousand dollars. This spot seems to have been doomed by the fire demon, as two buildings, erected at different times afterwards, were also de-stroyed by fire. In all the cases it was believed to have been the work of an incendiary. August 13, 187!>, the machine-shop of Abram Kipp & Co., and the cotton-gin and saw-factory of Mr. J. T. Turner, and a dwelling near by were destroyed by fire, the loss amounting to ten thousand dollars. The State's Prison in Sing Sing has produced many fierce iires, with the destruction of a vast amount of property. It would be tedious to give the details of all of them. The latest one was on Thursday, July II, 1879, when the south stove-foundry of Perry & Co., which covered a space two hundred by two hundred and fifty feet, was entirely destroyed, causing a loss of thirty thousand dollars to the contractors and eight thousand dollars to the State El.oops [N THE K I LL-BKOOK. — Our innocent-look-ing little Kill-brook occasionally develops into a furi-ous torrent, sweeping everything in its course. A flood