[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] castle garden

[marlo]

The latest issue of Ancestry Daily News listed an item form the New York Herold of 24 March 1870.
It stated there was a fire at Castle Garden started
by a spark and fanned by winds.  The building was
saved however with damage of $4000 to the building and $1500 damage to books belonging
to Commissioner of Immigration and valuable 
records were destroyed.
I have never heard this mentioned, were they the
passenger records?  Possibly why I can't find 
some of the records of persons arriving in this
country around that time?
Does anyone know of this?
Margaret