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Since I have always liked to do historical research on NYC mostly, I'm always finding interesting items, somehow or other I wound up spending time reading about a fire at 120 Broadway near Wall St, NYC in January 1912, complete with some very good photos showing the ice encrusted everything. A lot of compelling material in the various articles describing heroism and rescues.
It was a big story at the time for several reasons, one that had faded into history almost forgotten.
The day of the fire there was a storm, with winds of 40 mph and gusts to 68 and the water from the hoses froze to ice before even hitting the building.
The building when it was built in 1870 was considered the first skyscraper @ 130 feet high and had the first elevators.
Several billion dollars in securities, stocks, bonds and cash were stored in its huge basement vaults.
A large law library in the building featured 40,000 volumes aside from a separate insurance library.
Turned out the fire was started by a carelessly tossed match into a waste paper can in the watchman's tiny office.
At one point early on, 22 engines, two water towers and 10 trucks were working the fire. Water was freezing in the air as streams were directed toward the raging flames. Ice was forming on everything in and around the burning building. At one point the floors began collapsing and they put in the first borough call ever and shut down the Brooklyn Bridge to allow nine engines, four hook and ladder trucks, a water tower, a searchlight engine and all the associated hose tenders to cross quickly from Brooklyn.
World financial markets were in a near panic as word spread that billions of dollars in stocks, bonds and securities could have been lost. In London, stocks took sharp losses as exaggerated accounts of the fire caused sell-offs of many stocks. New York bankers tried to calm fears and prevent a worldwide financial meltdown. On Jan. 11, under a guard of 150 policemen and 50 Burns detectives covering every possible approach, officers and clerks of the Equitable Trust Co. and Mercantile Trust Co. removed $375 million in securities and $10 million in cash from the ice-coated vaults.
Reading the newspaper accounts of the whole story, it's interesting to see how news was reported of such events just 100 years ago, so unlike the media today, the newspapers actually printed all of the details of the dead and injured, including their injuries and more, I'm not sure how I feel about todays media with their obvious censorship v/s putting all the gory details out.
Some samples from another article about a collapse of Madison Square Garden in 1880:
It was a big story at the time for several reasons, one that had faded into history almost forgotten.
The day of the fire there was a storm, with winds of 40 mph and gusts to 68 and the water from the hoses froze to ice before even hitting the building.
The building when it was built in 1870 was considered the first skyscraper @ 130 feet high and had the first elevators.
Several billion dollars in securities, stocks, bonds and cash were stored in its huge basement vaults.
A large law library in the building featured 40,000 volumes aside from a separate insurance library.
Turned out the fire was started by a carelessly tossed match into a waste paper can in the watchman's tiny office.
At one point early on, 22 engines, two water towers and 10 trucks were working the fire. Water was freezing in the air as streams were directed toward the raging flames. Ice was forming on everything in and around the burning building. At one point the floors began collapsing and they put in the first borough call ever and shut down the Brooklyn Bridge to allow nine engines, four hook and ladder trucks, a water tower, a searchlight engine and all the associated hose tenders to cross quickly from Brooklyn.
World financial markets were in a near panic as word spread that billions of dollars in stocks, bonds and securities could have been lost. In London, stocks took sharp losses as exaggerated accounts of the fire caused sell-offs of many stocks. New York bankers tried to calm fears and prevent a worldwide financial meltdown. On Jan. 11, under a guard of 150 policemen and 50 Burns detectives covering every possible approach, officers and clerks of the Equitable Trust Co. and Mercantile Trust Co. removed $375 million in securities and $10 million in cash from the ice-coated vaults.
Reading the newspaper accounts of the whole story, it's interesting to see how news was reported of such events just 100 years ago, so unlike the media today, the newspapers actually printed all of the details of the dead and injured, including their injuries and more, I'm not sure how I feel about todays media with their obvious censorship v/s putting all the gory details out.
Some samples from another article about a collapse of Madison Square Garden in 1880:
New York, April 21. -- An accident of a fatal character and which caused intense excitement, occurred at the Madison Square Garden tonight. The Hahnemann Hospital fair, which opened a week ago, was in progress, and there were about 800 people in the building. At half-past nine half the front of the building facing on Madison Avenue gave way, the wall falling outwards. Part of the roof also fell in with a crash.
The dead:
WILLIAM M. TILESTON, died at St. Luke's Hospital at 4 p.m. His injuries were very painful, consisting of compound fractures of both legs, a fracture of the left arm and lacerated wounds upon the head.
MARIA ANN CONNOLLY. Recognized yesterday by her brother. Although the body was mutilated, Connelly recognized the lower portion of his sister's face, the color of her hair, and a portion of her dress. Her face was crushed and her feet were mangled.
MRS. WILLETS, was struck by a heavy beam and killed instantly. Her body was crushed and mangled beyond recognition. A coroner's report states, "nearly every bone in her body was crushed."
MRS. ANNA L. WILLETS was crushed to death by the falling wall. Her body was crushed and terribly mangled.
The dead:
WILLIAM M. TILESTON, died at St. Luke's Hospital at 4 p.m. His injuries were very painful, consisting of compound fractures of both legs, a fracture of the left arm and lacerated wounds upon the head.
MARIA ANN CONNOLLY. Recognized yesterday by her brother. Although the body was mutilated, Connelly recognized the lower portion of his sister's face, the color of her hair, and a portion of her dress. Her face was crushed and her feet were mangled.
MRS. WILLETS, was struck by a heavy beam and killed instantly. Her body was crushed and mangled beyond recognition. A coroner's report states, "nearly every bone in her body was crushed."
MRS. ANNA L. WILLETS was crushed to death by the falling wall. Her body was crushed and terribly mangled.
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