Wednesday, February 28, 2018

1906 - BY FLAMES AND EXPLOSIONS, FIVE HUNDRED SHIRT FACTORY GIRLS IN PERIL.

1827 - February 28 – The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad is incorporated, becoming the first railroad in America offering commercial transportation of both people and freight.
On February 28, 1827, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad became the first U.S. railway chartered for commercial transport of passengers and freight. There were skeptics who doubted that a steam engine could work along steep, winding grades, but the Tom Thumb, designed by Peter Cooper, put an end to their doubts. Investors hoped a railroad would allow Baltimore, the second largest U.S. city at the... Read MORE...

www.americaslibrary.gov
February 28, 1827
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1849  February 28 – Regular steamboat service from the west to the east coast of the United States begins with the arrival of the SS California in San Francisco Bay.

The California leaves New York Harbor on October 6, 1848, rounds Cape Horn at the tip of South America, and arrives at San Francisco, California after the 4 month 21 day journey.

www.wikipedia.org
February 28, 1849
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1853 - Potato chips are invented (George Crum, United States)
This year is the seventy-fifth anniversary or the potato chip and a resident of Saratoga Springs advises The New Yorker that many of the older neighbors are all excited. It seems that the chip was invented there in 1853, and that is why it is known more elegantly, as the Saratoga Chip. The discoverer's name was George Crum, and there are still alive people who remember talking to him... We say... Read MORE...

Alton Evening Telegraph -  Alton, Illinois -  February 28, 1928
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Madison, Wisconsin, USA

1904 - FIRE RUINED THE CAPITOL WISCONSIN'S MAGNIFICENT CAPITOL BUILDING TOTALLY DESTROYED BY FIRE ONE MILLION DOLLAR LOSS
LOSS IS FIXED AT $1,000,000 EXCLUSIVE OF VALUABLE RELICS BURNED
THERE WAS LITTLE OR NO INSURANCE ON THE BUILDING, THE STATE HAVING CHANGED FROM INSURANCE IN COMPANIES TO A SYSTEM OF STATE INSURANCE - CAPITOL FIGHT EXPECTED.
Madison, Wis., Feb. 27. - Wisconsin's picturesque capitol, the pride of the state for decades, is in ruins. All that remains intact from the devastating flames which started ... Read MORE...

The Grand Forks Daily Herald -  Grand Forks, North Dakota  -  February 28, 1904
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Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA

1906 - BY FLAMES AND EXPLOSIONS, FIVE HUNDRED SHIRT FACTORY GIRLS IN PERIL.
Unsuccessful Attempt to Burn the Boy's Hall of the Louisana Industrial School.

Bridgeport, Conn., Feb. 28. - Five minutes after some 500 factory girls had marched out of the big factory of the Star Shirt Co., Tuesday, the building was a roaring furnace, and within an hour it was in ruins. The fire was most spectacular, but was confined to one building of the group owned by Hutchinson, Peirce & ... Read MORE...

Belleville News-Democrat -  Belleville, Illinois -  February 28, 1906
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Marietta, Ohio, USA

1906 - KILLED BY EXPLOSION OF NITRO-GLYCERINE
(By Associated Press.)

MARIETTA, O., Feb. 27. - In a terrific explosion of nitro-glycerin[sic], H. B. Kerr, an employe of the Marietta Torpedo Company, was killed, little Yondar Cross seriously injured and a dozen persons injured. Kerr had gone to the glycerine magazine two miles beyond Williamstown, W. Va., for a load of glycerine and had just started from the magazine when the explosion... Read MORE...

The Lexington Herald -  Lexington, Kentucky -  February 28, 1906
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Annapolis, Maryland, USA

1917  MIDSHIPMEN FIGHT FIRE. Dangerous Blaze at Annapolis Prevented by Them from Spreading.

ANNAPOLIS, Md., Feb. 27. - A battalion of midshipmen from the Naval Academy tonight fought a fire which started in the business section of this city. When the fire got beyond control of citizens, the cadets were dispatched by Superintendent Edward W. Eberle with bluejackets and two fireboats, and kept the fire from spreading. Captains Eberle and Louis M. Nulton directed the work of the middies.

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  February 28, 1917
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Hackensack, New Jersey, USA

1917 - 3 TROLLEY CARS CRASH. FOG CAUSES ACCIDENT ON HACKENSACK TRESTLE - MOTORMEN MAY DIE.
Hackensack, N. J., Feb. 27. - Three trolley cars met in a crash on a trestle over the Erie Railroad this morning. As a result, the three motormen are in the hospital in a serious condition.

There is a single track on the trestle, and as a car enters it a signal is flashed. A heavy fog hid the signal lights today. A car bound from Newark to Edgewater entered the stretch of track and about half... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  February 28, 1917
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1854  February 28 – The Republican Party (United States) is founded in Ripon, Wisconsin.

www.wikipedia.org

1900 February 28, 1900 - A massive storm spreads record snows from Kansas to New York State. Snowfall totals ranged up to 43 inches at Rochester NY.

WeatherForYou.com

Died February 28

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Monday, February 26, 2018

1884 - FIRE AT ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

Stockton, California, USA

1879 - HAVOC IN A CROWD. TERRIBLE LOSS OF LIFE CAUSED BY A CALIFORNIAN ENGINEER'S STUPIDITY.
San Francisco, February 22. - A terrific explosion took place today of El Dorado Street, Stockton. A crowd of more than two hundred people had assembled to witness the trial of a new propeller pump set in Stockton Slough and run by a threshing engine. Those who stood near were prostrated. The body of the engineer was blown a distance of 150 feet through the crowd. Ten or twelve dead bodies lay in ... Read MORE...

The World -  New York, New York -  February 26, 1879
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St Paul, Minnesota, USA

1884 - FIRE AT ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.
St. Paul, Minn., Feb. 26. - A most disastrous fire has occurred here. The building destroyed was a large four-story warehouse at the corner of Pine and Prince streets, west end. The building was occupied by MAST, BURFORD, BURWELL & Co., dealery in agricultural implements, the rest of the structure being occupied by the offices of the St. Paul Harvesting works, the stove concern of BRAND & Co.,... Read MORE...

The Evening Gazette -  Cedar Rapids, Iowa -  February 26, 1884
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Jackson, Michigan, USA

1884 - THE WORK OF DEATH. FOUR LIVES LOST AT A FIRE IN JACKSON, MICHIGAN. SURROUNDED BY FLAMES THE VICTIMS JUMP FOR THEIR LIVES.
Jackson, Mich., Feb. 26. - A conflagration swept away the Union Hall block, a four-story building, costing $125,000 in 1864, and containing four stores, a bank, a hotel and a theatre, and also burned to the ground three frame buildings and half destroyed two more, which joined the Union block on the east. Four lives are reported lost, but the body of only one has been found. It proved to be that... Read MORE...

The Evening Gazette -  Cedar Rapids, Iowa -  February 26, 1884
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Pueblo, Colorado, USA

1892  Newsboy Run Over and Killed

Last Friday evening as two Lake cars were passing at D street in Pueblo, a newsboy dodged behind one and in coming in front of the other was struck by it and instantly killed. He was taken to McMahon & Colliers undertaking rooms were he was identified as Snell Johnson, son of a railroad employee living near the corner of Sixth and Greenwood streets. The boy was about 11 years old.

Akron Pioneer Press -  Akron, Ohio -  February 26, 1892
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Louisville, Kentucky, USA

1898 - A COSTLY SMOKE. NATIONAL TOBACCO WAREHOUSE AT LOUISVILLE, KY., BURNED.
THREE MEN WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED, TWO OF WHOM MAY DIE.
HUNDREDS OF OTHERS WERE ENDANGERED -- THE LOSS WILL BE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF ONE MILLION DOLLARS, FULLY INSURED -- MANY PERSONS OUT OF WORK.

Louisville, Ky., Feb. 26 - Picking, drying and steaming warehouses of the National Tobacco Co., situated at Twenty-fourth and Main Streets, were totally destroyed by fire Friday morning. The loss... Read MORE...

Daily Public Ledger -  Maysville, Kentucky -  February 26, 1898
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Vergennes, Vermont, USA

1900 - Heavy Fire Loss of Vergennes Firm
The Vergennes Manufacturing Company's plant caught fire Wednesday, February 21, and was burned to the ground. The loss is seven or eight thousand dollars and the plant was insured for $4,500. The firm were manufacturers of furniture, sash, doors and blinds and house furnishings and also ran a sawmill in connection with their other business. They employed 15 men. About $2,000 of finished work... Read MORE...

St. Albans Daily Messenger -  St. Albans, Vermont -  February 26, 1900
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Barre, Vermont, USA

1900 - BARRE BARBER SHOP BLOWS UP. Explosion of a Hot Water Heater Wrecks a Building and Knocks Man Senseless.
(Special to the Messenger.)
BARRE, Feb. 26. - A hot water heater exploded this morning in the barber shop of William Miers on Main street, blowing out the front of the shop and sending several pieces of the heater through the walls into the adjoining stores.

Fred Beckman, one of the three barbers in the shop at the time, was knocked senseless and at noon had not recovered consciousness. He... Read MORE...

St. Albans Daily Messenger -  St. Albans, Vermont -  February 26, 1900
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Hanover, New Hampshire, USA

1934 - COLLEGE STUDENTS GAS VICTIMS WHEN FURNACE EXPLODED. NINE MEN PERISH TOGETHER WITH DOG IN FRATERNITY HOUSE AT HANOVER - ALL WERE POPULAR.
Hanover, N. H., Feb. 26. - (UP) - Nine Dartmouth college students who had gone to bed in their fraternity house early Sunday after an evening of gaiety, were dead today, suffocated in their sleep by carbon monoxide gas from a faulty furnace.

The tragedy was discovered by Merton D. Little, janitor, when he visited the Theta Chi house late Sunday afternoon. Dr. Ernest Martin Hopkins, president... Read MORE...

Piqua Daily Call -  Ohio -  February 26, 1934
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1972 February 26, 1972 - The Buffalo Creek disaster occurred in the Buffalo Creek Hollow of Logan County in West Virginia.

A coal slag dam on the Middle Fork of Buffalo Creek burst sending a fifty foot wall of water down a narrow valley killing 125 persons and causing 51 million dollars damage. Three days of rain atop a six inches snow cover prompted the dam break.

WeatherForYou.com
February 26, 1972
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1732  February 26 - 1st mass celebrated in 1st American Catholic church, St Joseph's, Philadelphia

historyorb.com

1870  At a recent celebration of the Lord's Supper, in Bradford, Mass., the silver goblets used by the church in 1730, 140 years ago, were made use of.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1870  There are 226,000 children in Maine between the ages of four and twenty-one, and only fifty per cent of these attend school.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1870  The Congregational church at Townsend Centre, Mass., have discontinued the use of fermented wines at their communion services, using instead the expressed juice of raisins.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1870  John Goold was recently released from the State Prison at Thomaston, Maine,
on account of a dying confession of a man who, years before, had committed a murder for which Goold suffered imprisonment.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1870  An Amsterdam (N. Y.) man has invented a patent glass coffin, which can be hermetically sealed after the air is exhausted, thus preserving bodies perfectly without embalming.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1929  February 26 – The Grand Teton National Park is established by the United States Congress.

www.wikipedia.org

1930  February 26 - 1st red & green traffic lights installed (Manhattan NYC)

historyorb.com

Died February 26

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Saturday, February 24, 2018

1930 - BEAN FACTORY BLAST CRITICALLY BURNS MAN

East Windsor, Connecticut, USA

1871 - The Poisoning Case in East Windsor, Conn. - The Suspected Woman Bound Over for Trial.
HARTFORD, Feb, 23 - Mrs. ANN STILES, who was arrested on suspicion of being the person who sent the boxes of candy containing arsenic by mail to two families in East Windsor, was examined before EDMUND WATSON, Justice of the Peace, in that town, yesterday. The testimony of LESTER DEWEY, the husband of Mrs. SARAH M. DEWEY, who was most dangerously poisoned, the Postmasters who received and... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  February 24, 1871
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Thompson, Connecticut, USA

1874  A Curious Clock

A Thompson, Connecticut, clock company has shipped a curious clock to San Francisco, to be placed in the tower of the greatest hotel on the continent, where it will furnish the time for 500 dials, which are to be operated by compressed air carried in pipes all over the building. The building has 500 rooms and there is to be a dial in every room.

The Galveston Daily News -  Galveston, Texas -  February 24, 1874
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Gardner, Massachusetts, USA

1893 - Train Wreck
GARDNER, Mass., Feb. 23. - A train on the Central Massachusetts Railroad, eastbound, left the track a mile east of Jeffersonville this morning. Two milk cars went down a ten-foot embankment, and were capsized. One passenger coach left the track. There were only a few passengers aboard, and no one was seriously injured, though all received slight bruises and considerable of a shaking up. The... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  February 24, 1893
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Chester, Vermont, USA

1893  ACCIDENTS TO RAILROAD TRAINS. ONE PERSON WAS KILLED AND TWO WERE FATALLY INJURED.

CHESTER, Vt., Feb. 23. - A big snowplow on the Central Vermont Railroad, pushed by two engines, left the rails and tumbled down an embankment two miles above Ludlow this morning. The snowplow was smashed and one engine. The snowplow was smashed and one engine was shattered. Section Boss Brown of Bellows Falls was fatally injured and Roadmaster Sheehan of Rutland had both legs broken.

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  February 24, 1893
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1896 - February 24 - MILLBURY. Albert Baker's Condition. Wounded Boy Suffering Much Pain, and Case Still Serious
The condition of Albert Baker, the boy shot by C. T. Aldrich, Jr., Saturday, is still serious. He had a bad night Saturday night, as reported by Dr. Cronin. The wound is very painful and his nervous system is completely shattered. Edward Fallon, who was one of the mill hands that held Aldrich for a few moments when Baker was trying to get away, will be a very important witness at the trial,... Read MORE...

Worcester Daily Spy -  Worcester, Massachusetts -  February 24, 1896
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Birmingham, Alabama, USA

1900 - BIG LOSS. Fire in Alabama Does Damage to the Extent of Many Thousands.
Birmingham, Ala., Feb. 23. - An explosion of a gasoline stove in the basement of the Metropolitan hotel this afternoon was followed by a fire which burned that building and the Hewett block adjoining, causing a loss of about $160,000. The insurance amounts to about three-fourths of the loss. After two hours' hard work by the firemen the flames were beyond control and fearing the entire block,... Read MORE...

Grand Forks Daily Herald -  Grand Forks, North Dakota -  February 24, 1900
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Melrose, Massachusetts, USA

1930 - BEAN FACTORY BLAST CRITICALLY BURNS MAN
Melrose, Feb. 23. - (AP) - Armand Thiberg, an employe[sic] of Friend Brothers, bakers, was critically burned about the face and hands tonight when a large gas oven in the company's bean factory exploded. At Melrose hospital it was believed he would lose the sight of one eye.

Thiberg had come to the factory to light the ovens. It was believed that the heater did not light and that gas... Read MORE...

Springfield Republican -  Springfield, Massachusetts -  February 24, 1930
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Roswell, Chaves, New Mexico, USA

1930  INJURED IN PLANE CRASH

Roswell, N. M., Feb. 23. - (AP) - Onis Reynolds of Roswell, was injured, perhaps fatally, here today in an airplane crash, when his plane fell from an altitude of 200 feet as he attempted to make a turn. William Kennedy, a passenger, escaped with minor injuries. The plane was demolished.

The Springfield Republican -  Springfield, Massachusetts -  February 24, 1930
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Anaheim, California, USA

1957 - THREE BOYS KILLED WHEN CAVE COLLAPSES.
Anaheim, Calif., Feb. 23 (AP) - Three boys were killed yesterday when a cave they were digging in an embankment collapsed.

Buried under tons of earth were LARRY JOSEPH SCHARER, 12; STEPHEN WAYNE JONES, 10, and WILLIAM DAVID BARRON, 7.

BILLY HUSHMAN, 10, who was digging with the others in a bank of dirt at a freeway project, went home about 1 p.m. to get a shovel.

When he returned, he... Read MORE...

The News and Tribune -  Jefferson City, Missouri -  February 24, 1957
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1868  February 24 - 1st US parade with floats (Mardi Gras-Mobile Alabama)

historyorb.com

1872  Three young sons of Mr. Miller, of Sharon, Mass., were drowned in that town the other day, by breaking through the ice.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1880 ire
At East Lyme, Conn. The woolen mill of the Atlantic Mills Co., at East Lyme, Ct., was burned Monday afternoon. Loss $50,000.
genealogybank.com
St. Albans Daily Messenger
St. Albans, Vermont

1885  February 24 - The Congregational church at Conway, Mass., was totally destroyed by fire last night. Loss, $12,000.


The Times
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Died February 24

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Friday, February 23, 2018

1896 - February 23 - SHOT BY EMPLOYER. Sensational Affair at Office of Sutton Woolen Mills.

Smithfield, Rhode Island, USA (Esmond) (Georgiaville)

1802 - Fatal Accident
As Mr. William Burlingham, of Smithfield, State of Rhodeisland, was attempting to pass from one hay mow to another, across a temporary loft in the barn, formed with loose rails, by a fatal incident he fell through upon the threshing floor, and fractured his skull in so shocking a manner it put an immediate period to his existence. He was a very promising young man, and a highly useful member of... Read MORE...

genealogybank.com
Vermont Journal -  Vermont -  February 23, 1802
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Fall River, Massachusetts, USA

1835  Fall River vs. Tiverton

A new survey of the line between the town of Fall River, in this State, and Tiverton, in Rhode Island, places the boundary line much further south than it has heretofore been supposed to be; so far, at least, as to include the whole of the village at Fall River in this State.

genealogybank.com
New Bedford Gazette -  New Bedford, Massachusetts -  February 23, 1835
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Pownal, Vermont, USA

1835 - FRIGHTFUL DISASTER.
A shocking catastrophe occurred lately on the banks of the Hoosic River, in the town of Pownal, Vermont. A party of six persons, consisting of a gentleman and his wife and two children, a young lady about 18, sister of the married lady, and a young gentleman, a lawyer, from Enfield, Conn., while travelling in a two horse pleasure wagon, were precipitated from a precipice 50 feet high into the... Read MORE...

Adams Sentinel -  Gettysburg, Pennsylvania -  February 23, 1835
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Kamouraska, Québec, Canada (Saint-Louis) (Saint-Alexandre) (Sainte-Hélène)

1839 - Murder in Canada
The body of a Mr. Tasche, the seigneur of Kamouraska, was found a little below Quebec, with a bullet hole through the head, on the 3d inst. It seems that he received his death wound at the hands of a Dr. Holmes, of Sorel, with whom his wife had been engaged in maintaining a guilty connexion [sic]. Dr. Holmes fled to Burlington, Vt., where he stated that he had killed Tasche in a duel, which he... Read MORE...

Sun -  Maryland -  February 23, 1839
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Middlebury, Vermont, USA

1852  Fire at Middlebury, Vt.

MIDDLEBURY, Saturday, Feb. 21. - This morning, a fire broke out in the building occupied by James M. Slade & Co., dry goods dealers, and in the upper stories by Barber & Bushnell and Lindsay & Beckwith, lawyers, and also by the Register of Deeds and Probate. The stock of Messrs. Slade, and the books and papers of the other tenants, were all destroyed. Loss not known. Building insured for $3,500.

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  February 23, 1852
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Sutton, Massachusetts, USA

1879  100 Pet Cats

Miss Mary Jane Wadleigh, of Sutton, Massachusetts, has one hundred pet cats, and when one of them dies she has it buried in its grave marked by a neat monument.

The Atlanta Constitution -  Atlanta, Georgia -  February 23, 1879
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Louisville, Kentucky, USA

1881 - Killed By A Boiler Explosion. Disaster In A Louisville Soap Factory-One Man Fatally Hurt And One Seriously.
Louisville, Ky., Feb. 22.-A terrific boiler explosion-the third fatal one here this year-occurred to-day. Henry Myer, an old German, has been conducting a soap factory in the eastern part of Louisville for many years. Mr. Myer’s only assistants were his four sons. This morning about 7 o’clock Mr. Myer and his sons went to work as usual, intending to boil up some soap. William, the second son, who ... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  February 23, 1881
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Topeka, Kansas, USA

1889 - BIG BLAZE AT TOPEKA. Property Worth About $275,000 Destroyed - Small Firms at Other Points.
TOPEKA, Kan., Feb. 22. - Special Telegram - This city was this morning, visited by the most destructive fire in its history. The George W. Crane Publishing House, the largest printing establishment west of St. Louis, was totally destroyed, the aggregate loss exceeding a quarter of a million. the fire was discovered by the engineer at 5:30 o'clock, and before the fire department arrived the... Read MORE...

The Daily Inter Ocean -  Chicago, Illinois -  February 23, 1889
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Ithaca, New York, USA

1889  Walking Race

Joe Snyder, aged eighty years, and Henry Baker, aged seventy-six years, walked a four-mile race at Ithaca, N.Y., on the 19th. Snyder won, making the distance in 43 1/2 minutes.

St Joseph Herald -  Saint Joseph, Michigan -  February 23, 1889
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Mount Vernon, New York, USA

1896 - A Midnight Fire at Mount Vernon.
Mount Vernon, N.Y., Feb. 22.-A fire occurred this morning before daylight in the row of one-story wooden buildings fronting on Depot Place, which caused damage amounting to $3,000. It is supposed the fire was of incendiary origin. Max Jacobs of 80 Chrystie Street, New-York City, was arrested and held for a hearing Monday. Jacobs was arrested soon after the fire was discovered, while on his way to ... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  February 23, 1896
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1896 - February 23 - SHOT BY EMPLOYER. Sensational Affair at Office of Sutton Woolen Mills. ALBERT BAKER THE VICTIM.
Revolver Used by Charles T. Aldrich, Jr., the Mill Manager.

Interviews With All Parties to the Fracas - Mr. Aldrich Surrenders to Police and Placed Under Bonds.

Albert Baker, an employee at the Sutton woolen mills, in Woodbury Village, was shot, Saturday afternoon, by Charles T. Aldrich, Jr., the manager of the mill. Five shots were fired from the revolver, of which only one took effect.... Read MORE...

Worcester Daily Spy -  Worcester, Massachusetts -  February 23, 1896
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Bronx, New York, USA

1907 - ELECTRIC TRAIN WRECK. Twenty Killed and Over Fifty Injured in New York City.
New York. - Sixteen passengers were killed outright, four others had died of their injuries in the wreck of the White Plains & Brewster express on the Harlem division of the New York Central & Hudson River railroad near Woodlawn road in the Bronx borough of Greater New York Saturday night.

A sheet of electric flame that signaled the disaster enveloped the rear car and for a moment threatened... Read MORE...

Summit County Journal -  Colorado -  February 23, 1907
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Milford, Connecticut, USA

1916 - PROBE BEGUN IN MILFORD WRECK NINE DEAD, OVER FIFTY PERSONS INJURED. LOCAL RUNS INTO EXPRESS.
Flagman Meets Death While Waving Signal to Stop Oncoming Train - Ill Fated Engineer, Rounding Curve at Fast Clip, Fails to See Sign.

New Haven, Conn., Feb. 23 - An investigation to ascertain the cause of the train wreck near Milford, in which nine persons were killed and scores injured, was begun by the Connecticut public utilities commission.

MR. ELWELL said that he was confident of... Read MORE...

Potsdam Herald Recorder -  Potsdam, New York -  February 23, 1916
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Shelton, Connecticut, USA (Huntington)

1921 - EIGHT DEAD; 25 HURT IN CAR CRASH. TROLLEYS MEET HEAD ON NEAR HIGHBRIDGE, CONN.
EXPLOSION AND FIRE FROM GASOLINE ADDS TO CASUALTY LIST -- 5-GALLON CAN CARRIED IN FRONT VESTIBULE OF CAR -- FOUR OF VICTIMS CHILDREN.

Shelton, Conn., Feb. 22. - Eight persons were burned to death and 25 injured this afternoon when two trolley cars collided head-on on the Bridgeport - Shelton line near High Bridge, in the southern part of this town.

The Dead:
MILTON CHERITREE of Shelton,... Read MORE...

Daily Kennebec Journal -  Maine -  February 23, 1921
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1861  February 23 – President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives secretly in Washington, D.C. after an assassination attempt in Baltimore, Maryland.

www.wikipedia.org

1878  The latest innovation in deep-sea dredging is submarine plowing, which is now being carried on successfully in Belfast Harbor, Me.
A large Michigan plow is used, and is drawn by steam power on shore, the direction being given by a man in diver's armor.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1884  Some genius is manufacturing a new gun, at Norwalk, Conn., which is 28 feet long. It is loaded with compressed air, and is expected to throw a ball three miles.
If a fellow within a half mile of it should happen to get in front of one of the balls, he'd feel awfully bored.
genealogybank.com
Texas Siftings
Texas

1889  A fire on the 19th destroyed the Greenwich Hotel, which had for some eighty years been one of the landmarks of the village of Greenwich, Mass.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1936 February 23, 1936 - A severe blizzard in the Sierra Nevada Range closed Donner Pass. It stranded 750 motorists and claimed seven lives.

WeatherForYou.com

1945  February 23 - Battle of Iwo Jima: A group of United States Marines reach the top of Mount Suribachi on the island and are photographed raising the American flag.

www.wikipedia.org

Died February 23

Read MORE...

Thursday, February 22, 2018

1917 - March 2 – The enactment of the Jones Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.

Nashua, New Hampshire, USA (Dunstable)

1854 - GAS EXPLOSION AT NASHUA
House Blown Up - Five Persons Injured.
From the Manchester (N. H.) Mirror

A very singular and wonderful accident occurred at Nashua, at 11 o'clock Tuesday evening. MRS. MARY BALL, a widow, occupied tenement No. 1, on Canal street, owned by the JACKSON corporation. Three of her boarders came home from Dodge's concert a few minutes past 11 o'clock, and as soon as they entered the house smelt... Read MORE...

The Quincy Daily Whig -  Illinois -  February 22, 1854
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Brooklyn, New York, USA (Flatlands) (Flatbush)

1882  KINGS COUNTY ASYLUM FIRE. TWO INMATES PERISH.

Flatbush, N. Y., Feb. 21. - The east wing of the Kings County Insane Asylum, at Flatbush, New York, was burned yesterday morning, and two of the inmates perished. The Dead: THOMAS HASSETT, 27, died either of fright or of suffocation. ANDREW SCHOFIELD, 48, a paralytic, was burned to an unrecognizable mass on his bed. The loss on the building is about $30,000. Uninsured.

Chester Times -  Pennsylvania -  February 22, 1882
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Fort Worth, Texas, USA

1901 - Big Fire Yesterday. The Department Had Hard Work To Do Before Breakfast. Beautiful Depot Burned.
Santa Fe-Central Station Badly Damaged.
Business Is Going On As Usual.
Roof Burned Off of Main Building, But Walls and Side Rooms are intact-Fire Started in Boiler Room and Climbed Wall to Roof. Details of the Catastrophe-Uninjured Portion Rearranged.

The beautiful union station of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe and the Houston and Texas Central railroads on Jones Street, between Fourteenth ... Read MORE...

Fort Worth Morning Register -  Fort Worth, Texas -  February 22, 1901
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Trenton, New Jersey, USA

1902 - WILL DIE FROM FALL
Helen McCray Fractured Her Skull Yesterday at the Cook Pottery Co. Plant.

Helen McCray, 22 years old, an employe of the Cook Pottery Company fell down a flight of stairs while at work yesterday and sustained a fractured skull from which she will die.

Miss McCray was about to come downstairs when her foot caught on her skirt. She was precipitated headlong down the steps striking her head... Read MORE...

The Trenton Times -  Trenton, New Jersey -  February 22, 1902
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Barre, Vermont, USA

1903 - BIG FIRE IN BARRE, VT.
Two Business Blocks Destroyed and the Loss Is Nearly $100,000.

BARRE, VT., Feb. 21. - A fire in the business section of this city on the Main Street early to-day destroyed nearly $100,000 worth of property. It started in the basement of the new Currier Block, and the tenants on the third floor of the building barely escaped. With the thermometer standing at 16 degrees below zero and the water... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  February 22, 1903
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St Johnsbury, Vermont, USA

1905 - EX-SENATOR ROSS HURT. Train Hit Sleigh and Vermont's Jurist's Wife Was Killed.
ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt., Feb. 21. - While Jonathan Ross, formerly United States Senator and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Vermont, was driving with his wife this afternoon their sleigh was struck by a train on the St. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain Branch of the Boston and Maine Railroad, and Mrs. Ross was killed, Judge Ross was severely injured.
The accident occurred at Gould's Crossing, about ... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  February 22, 1905
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Houston, Texas, USA

1912 - HOUSTON, TEX., SWEPT BY DISASTROUS FIRE. DESTROYS MANUFACTURING AND RESIDENCE SECTION. STRONG GALE SWEEPS FIRE OVER CITY WIPING OUT FIFTEEN FACTORIES AND NEARLY THREE HUNDRED HOMES.
(By Associated Press.)
Houston, Tex., Feb. 21. - A fire which broke out here at an early hour today, swept by a 35 mile an hour wind, burned a mile across the city and and an area seven blocks wide. By 7 o'clock the fire is believed to be under control, although still burning. The loss is estimated at five to ten million dollars.

Among the mills, factories and plants totally destroyed or... Read MORE...

Weekly Democrat -  Greenville, Mississippi -  February 22, 1912
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Hartford, Connecticut, USA

1914 - FLAMES WRECK NEW HAVEN DEPOT AT HARTFORD, CONN.
Hartford, Conn., Feb. 21. - The Union Station of the New Haven Railroad here was wrecked by fire this afternoon and all train service interrupted. A large amount of baggage and express matter was destroyed.

Fire apparatus was delayed in reaching the scene owing to the deep snow in the streets. During a succession of small explosions, probably from gas, fireman WILLIAM KANE was injured. The... Read MORE...

The Indianapolis Star -  Indianapolis, Indiana -  February 22, 1914
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Richland, New York, USA (Pulaski)

1917 - TERRIFIC EXPLOSION OF GAS.
FOUR BUILDINGS IN HEART OF PULASKI BUSINESS SECTION WIPED OUT BY FLAMES
WALLS OF CELLAR BLOWN OUT BY FORCE OF EXPLOSION.
Last Thursday evening fire caused by explosion of natural gas under the sidewalk at the department store of George M. Box, in Pulaski, destroyed four buildings and for a time threatened the entire business district. The loss is estimated at about $75,000. The stores burned... Read MORE...

The Journal And Republican -  Lowville, New York -  February 22, 1917
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1917 - March 2 – The enactment of the Jones Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.
Citizenship for Porto Ricans.
From the New York Herald.

With the passage of the new government bill by the Senate yesterday all doubts of the future status of Puerto Ricans are removed. American citizenship is conferred upon them and with it there is provided a much greater amount of self-government than they ever have enjoyed. The enactment of this legislation represents another fore-ward... Read MORE...

The Scranton Republican -  Scranton, Pennsylvania -  February 22, 1917
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Mobile, Alabama, USA

1919 - MOBILE POWER PLANT BADLY WRECKED. BOILER EXPLOSION KILLS ONE, HURTS 13, DOES $500,000 DAMAGE.
(By United Press.)
Mobile, Ala., Feb. 22. - Workmen were busy early today clearing away the debris from the explosion in Mobile's power house last night, in an effort to put the plant in condition to furnish the city with light and power by tonight.

The city was plunged into darkness at 8:20 o'clock last night when the main boiler of the plant exploded, killing one and injuring 13 men. Four... Read MORE...

Star -  Anniston, Alabama -  February 22, 1919
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1860  February 22 – Shoe-making workers of Lynn, Massachusetts, strike successfully for higher wages. The strike spreads throughout New England and eventually involves 20,000 workers.

www.wikipedia.org

1888 February 22 - John Reid of Scotland demonstrates golf to Americans (Yonkers NY)
1888-11-14 - St Andrews Golf Club, Yonkers NY, opens with just 6 holes 1889-03-30 - John T Reid opens 1st US golf course (Yonkers, NY)
historyorb.com

1935  February 22 – Airplanes are banned from flying over the White House.

www.wikipedia.org

1949  February 22 - Grady the Cow, a 1,200-pound cow, gets stuck inside a silo on a farm in Yukon, Oklahoma and garners national media attention in the United States.

www.wikipedia.org

Died February 22

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Tuesday, February 20, 2018

1886 - An Eagle Rang the Bell

Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA (Ayers Village)

1882 - DESTRUCTION BY FIRE.
Boston, Feb. 18. - Eighty-two shoe and leather firms, representing at least $2,500,000, are wiped out by the fire in Haverhill this morning. More than 2,000 people are thrown out of work, and the indirect loss amounts to at least $500,000 more. Haverhill is thirty-two miles north of Boston, and has an annual shoe business of over $10,000,000, and there are also woolen goods and hat... Read MORE...

Decatur Daily Republican -  Decatur, Illinois -  February 20, 1882
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Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA (Ayers Village)

1882  Fire

The loss by the great fire at Haverhill, Massachusetts, is estimated at $2,000,000. The burned territory embraces the largest part of the business section and most of the boot and shoe factories. Two thousand people are thrown out of employment. Four men, two of them firemen, are known to have perished, and three others are missing.

Delaware County Daily Times -  Chester, Pennsylvania -  February 20, 1882
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Wallingford, Connecticut, USA

1885 - A MAN BURNED TO DEATH.
NEW-HAVEN, Conn., Feb. 19. - A fire which broke out at 2 o'clock this morning in Wallingford destroyed Temperance Hall, belonging to Jared Q. Kimberly, Perkins & Maynes, Philip Finnegan, and Patrick McKenna. The loss reaches over $10,000. John S. Jackson, a man over 60 years of age, who was sleeping in an upper story of one of the buildings, was burned to death. His charred remains were found... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  February 20, 1885
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Old Lyme, Connecticut, USA (South Lyme)

1886  An Eagle Rang the Bell.

[New London Telegram.] A large eagle was captured in Old Lyme on Saturday. It was of the bald-headed species, and upon its neck was securely fastened a large, old-fashioned sleigh-bell. This explains the mysterious bell-ringing which has been heard on several occasions in Niantic and Lyme by fishermen and sailors within the past few years, and for which no cause could be given.

St Joseph Herald -  Saint Joseph, Michigan -  February 20, 1886
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Providence, Rhode Island, USA

1888 - MORE FIRES IN PROVIDENCE. THE THIRD LARGE BLAZE WITHIN FIVE DAYS.
PROVIDENCE, R. I., Feb. 19. - The third large fire during the last five days occurred this afternoon on the scene of the disastrous conflagration of September, 1877. At 4:10 o'clock a man in a broker's office on the second floor of the Daniels Building in Custom House-street, a structure which rose on the ashes of the iron-front building which melted away in the great heat of 11 years ago,... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  February 20, 1888
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L'Islet, Québec, Canada (L'Islet-sur-Mer) (Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours)

1890 - Free land for large families
The Quebec legislature a few days ago passed a bill offering 100 acres of land to every man who is the father of twelve children. The persons entitled to this novel bonus appear to be numerous. At Trois Pistoles there are two families, named Roulette and Belzil, who each have fifteen living children. Another named Gingras, in Bellechasse, has no fewer than thirty-four children born to him. Still... Read MORE...

genealogybank.com
Salt Lake Tribune -  Salt Lake City, Utah -  February 20, 1890
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Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA

1903 - BURN TO DEATH IN HOTEL FIRE. MANY KILLED AND INJURED IN CEDAR RAPIDS HOLOCAUST. CLIFTON HOUSE BURNS. STRUCTURE TOTALLY WRECKED - MANY JUMP FROM UPPER WINDOWS.
PITIFUL AND SICKENING SIGHTS FOLLOW JUMPS FOR LIFE - INJURED REMOVED TO IMPROMPTU HOSPITALS - DELEGATES TO CONVENTION WERE GUESTS.

(By Associated Press)
Cedar Rapids, Feb. 20. - Between fifteen and twenty persons were burned to death and twice that number were seriously injured in the fire that destroyed the Clifton hotel at 2 o'clock this morning. There were 120 guests in the hotel when the... Read MORE...

Ottumwa Daily Courier -  Iowa -  February 20, 1903
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Racine, Wisconsin, USA

1904 - FIRE IMPERILS INSANE. ASYLUM AT RACINE DESTROYED, AND INMATES DRIVEN OUT IN ZERO WEATHER.
Special to The New York Times.
Racine, Wis., Feb. 19. - One hundred and twenty insane men and women from the county hospital are being brought into the city from the hospital tonight on a special train as a result of a fire tonight which destroyed the structure valued at $100,000, and drove the inmates into the open air with the temperature below zero.

The attendants, as soon as the fire... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  February 20, 1904
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1869  Mr. Caleb Bates, of Kingston, Mass., has recently presented the New England Farmer with some sweet potatoes.
He has raised them successfully for several years, and keeps them in good condition during eight months of the year.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1869  An Israelite in Roxbury, Mass., was recently fined for keeping open his store on Sunday.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1869  O'Baldwin, the Irish giant, has been found guilty, in the Essex (Mass.) Superior Court, of prize fighting.
His counsel appealed and the case will go to the Supreme Court of Massachusetts.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1869  Newbury, Mass., mourns the death of Betsy Rogers, a remarkable berry woman, whom a broken leg killed at the age of 96.
She leaves the memory of 3,000 bushels of gathered berries, a snug sum of money, and five generations of descendants, embracing fifty persons.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1895  February 20 - Congress authorizes a US mint at Denver, Colorodo

historyorb.com

1915  February 20 – In San Francisco the Panama-Pacific International Exposition is opened.

www.wikipedia.org

Died February 20

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Sunday, February 18, 2018

1930 - February 18 - Pluto is discovered

Troy, New York, USA

1896 - SEWING GIRLS CREMATED. BETWEEN TWENTY AND THIRTY BURNED TO DEATH IN TROY. ONE EXIT FOR 300 PEOPLE.
FIVE GIRLS JUMPED FROM WINDOWS AND THREE MET INSTANT DEATH - LARGE LIST OF INJURED AND MISSING - BOY'S CARLESS MATCH STARTED A BLAZE AND A PANIC FOLLOWED.

Troy, N.Y., Feb. 17. - There is mourning in the homes of Troy collar girls tonight. An untimely and fearful death overcome many of them late this afternoon. Working girls, whose day's labor was almost over, were cut down almost without... Read MORE...

The Morning Times -  Washington, D.C. -  February 18, 1896
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1930 - February 18 - Pluto is discovered
Pluto was discovered at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, by astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh.

The existence of an unknown ninth planet was first proposed by Percival Lowell, who theorized that wobbles in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune were caused by the gravitational pull of an unknown planetary body. Lowell calculated the approximate location of the hypothesized ninth planet and... Read MORE...

www.history.com
February 18, 1930
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1871  A Newburyport, Mass., dispatch states that Leonard Choate, known as the Newburyport "Fire-bug" has been sentenced to state prison for life, for committing numerous incendiary acts in that city and vicinity.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1888  On the 14th two men were killed and three others fatally injured by the fall of a trestle on the railroad at Point Pleasant, W. Va.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1896  February 18 - Cave of Winds at Niagara Falls goes almost dry for first time in 50 yrs

historyorb.com

1908  February 18 – Japanese emigration to the United States is forbidden under terms of the Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907.

www.wikipedia.org

Died February 18

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Saturday, February 17, 2018

1899 - Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections.

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

1864  February 17 – American Civil War: The tiny Confederate hand-propelled submarine H. L. Hunley sinks the USS Housatonic (1861)

using a spar torpedo in Charleston Harbor, becoming the first submarine to sink an enemy ship, although the submarine and her crew of eight are also lost.

www.wikipedia.org
February 17, 1864
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Little Rock, Arkansas, USA

1890 - AN INSANE ASYLUM ON FIRE. THE INMATES ALL SAVED BY PROMPT ACTION BY THE KEEPERS.
Little Rock, Ark., Feb. 16. - At 3 o'clock this morning fire broke out in the boiler room of the insane asylum near this place and spread rapidly, communicating with the drying room of the laundry, whence it communicated with the hot-air passages, which run all over the building. There were 75,000 gallons of water in the attic tanks, but owing to the destruction of the boiler room the pumps could ... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  February 17, 1890
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1899 - Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections.
VOTING MACHINES
They May Be Used in National Elections Hereafter.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15. - Both branches of congress have passed a bill to amend the law so that voting machines may be used at national elections. The president will sign the bill. Voting machines have already been legalized in several states, and their successful use at the recent election in New York and elsewhere has proved their ... Read MORE...

The Leader-Democrat -  Springfield, Missouri -  February 17, 1899
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Jackson, Mississippi, USA

1902 - FIRE IN AN ASYLUM. THE DEED OF A LUNATIC IMPERILS OVER SIX HUNDRED LIVES.
Jackson, Miss., Feb. 16. - The four-story main building of the State Asylum for the Insane was set on fire about 5 o'clock this morning by J. D. BROWN, an inmate of the institution. BROWN had recently escaped and was only returned yesterday. He stated to his attendants that it would be all the worse for him and them if he was again confined. His threat was soon put into execution, and he himself, ... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  February 17, 1902
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1950  February 17 - 31 die in a train crash in Rockville Center NY



Died February 17

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Friday, February 16, 2018

1903 - SLEIGH NO MATCH FOR RAILROAD TRAIN - IS KNOCKED OFF THE TRACK AND ONE OF THE PARTY KILLED AND OTHERS HURT

Donaldsonville, Louisiana, USA

1848 - TERRIBLE STEAMBOAT DISASTER
The steamboat Yalabusha, CAPT. SCOTT, loaded with cotton, on her trip from Red River to New Orleans, on Tuesday the 25th alt., was burned to the water's edge, by which terrible disaster at least twenty-five lives were lost. To a gentleman, one of the surviving passengers, we are mainly indebted for the following particulars of the heart-rending scene.

About a quarter past 9 o'clock, on Tuesday ... Read MORE...

Weekly Wisconsin -  Milwaukee, Wisconsin -  February 16, 1848
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Portland, Oregon, USA

1893 - ELECTRIC CAR RUNS AWAY. THREE MEN KILLED AND MANY INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT AT PORTLAND, ORE.
Portland, Ore., Feb. 16. - A frightful accident occurred on the City & Suburban Electric Railway Wednesday afternoon in which three persons were instantly killed and a dozen severely injured. A car was going down hill, when its motorman lost control of it and it plunged down two blocks at terrific speed. When the car reached a curve at the bottom of the hill it left the track and was overturned.... Read MORE...

Logansport Reporter -  Logansport, Indiana -  February 16, 1893
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Oneonta, New York, USA

1894 - A STATE NORMAL AND TRAINING SCHOOL BURNED.
Cooperstown, N.Y., Feb. 16. - The state normal and training school at Oneonta was burned yesterday morning.

The Oneonta state normal school was opened in the fall of 1889. The building was erected at an original cost of $114,000, which has since been increased by additional appropriations for improvements and apparatus to about $180,000. It was a handsome brick edifice. There were about 350... Read MORE...

Decatur Daily Republican -  Decatur, Illinois -  February 16, 1894
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White Plains, New York, USA

1895 - CHILDRENS' HOME DESTROYED. The 200 Inmates Get Out Safely Although Asleep When the Fire Breaks Out.
WHITE PLAINS, N. Y., Feb. 16. - The West Chester temporary home, about a mile from the county courthouse, was totally destroyed by fire last night. The building contained 200 children, ranging from 1 to 15 years of age, besides there were a dozen teachers and nurses. The home is in charge of James Pierce, who is the superintendent and Miss McDonald, assistant superintendent. Mr. Pierce had been... Read MORE...

The Fort Wayne News -  Fort Wayne, Indiana -  February 16, 1895
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Columbia, South Carolina, USA

1900 - TRESTLES AND BRIDGES GONE - Flood Retarding Work of the Seaboard Air-Line
Columbia, S.C., February 15. - (Special.)
The connections of the Seaboard between Camden and Casey s, just across the Congaree river from Columbia, have been delayed by the freshet in the Wateree river at Camden and the Congaree at Columbia. Pending the slow building of the steel bridge over the former, a wooden trestle had been constructed, over which trains had already been run, all the iron... Read MORE...

The Atlanta Constitution -  Atlanta, Georgia -  February 16, 1900
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Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

1903 - SLEIGH NO MATCH FOR RAILROAD TRAIN - IS KNOCKED OFF THE TRACK AND ONE OF THE PARTY KILLED AND OTHERS HURT
(By Associated Press)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 16. - A large double sleigh containing a party of ten young people was struck by a Rio Grande Western passenger train here early today. The sled was hurled through the air for a hundred feet and demolished. One of the party, MISS PEARL QUALLES, was instantly killed and none escaped injury. Miss Qualles was sitting on the driver's seat and the... Read MORE...

Fort Worth Telegram -  Fort Worth, Texas -  February 16, 1903
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Carbondale, Illinois, USA

1909 - 3 KILLED, 30 OR MORE INJURED. ILLINOIS CENTRAL TRAIN NO. 205 IN A BAD WRECK NEAR OAKLAND CEMETERY SHORTLY BEFORE NOON TODAY. CAUSE OF WRECK UNKNOWN.
MISS GRACE PERRY, OF CARBONDALE, ONE OF THOSE KILLED - AMONG THOSE SERIOUSLY INJURED ARE J. T. BENTLEY AND ED E. PATTERSON, OF THIS CITY - WORST DISASTER IN I. C. HISTORY IN THIS LOCALITY.

Carbondale, Illinois, (AP) -
The dead:
WALTER B. LONG, Joliet, Ill.
MRS. CERENA WALTON, Anna.
MISS GRACE PERRY, Carbondale.
Partial list of the injured:
MRS. JOHN DOUGLAS, Carbondale.
J. T. BENTLEY,... Read MORE...

Daily Free Press -  Carbondale, Illinois -  February 16, 1909
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Fall River, Massachusetts, USA

1916 - $2,000,000 FIRE AT FALL RIVER
Apartment Hotel and Retail Stores Razed in Massachusetts Town

FALL RIVER, Mass., Feb. 16. - Estimates by owners of property and proprietors of stores in the business district, swept by fire early today indicate that the total loss would be approximately $2,000,000. A score of buildings including and apartment hotel and several of the largest retail stores in the city were destroyed and many... Read MORE...

The Bakersfield Californian -  Bakersfield, California -  February 16, 1916
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1889  Hanging
On the 8th James Ross (colored) was hanged at Brandenburg, Ky., for the murder of Benedict Rhodes, an old farmer, on April 6 last.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1903 February 16, 1903 - The temperature at Pokegama Dam MN plunged to 59 degrees below zero to establish a state record.

WeatherForYou.com

1943 February 16, 1943 - Record cold prevailed in the northeastern U.S. The mercury plunged to 43 degrees below zero at Concord NH.

The Weather Channel

1946  February 16 - 1st commercially designed helicopter tested, Bridgeport Ct

historyorb.com

Died February 16

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