1879 - BREWERY BURNED. Total Destruction of Horn & Schwain's Brewery.

Carlisle, Pennsylvania, USA

1845 - DESTRUCTIVE FIRE IN CARLISLE.
We learn by a slip from the office of the Carlisle Herald, that about one o'clock on Monday morning last, a fire was discovered in the council house of the borough of Carlisle, in the basement story of which, the fire apparatus of the town consisting of three engines with hose carriages was kept; so rapid were the flames that it was impossible to get out more than one of the engines and that in... Read MORE...

Republican Compiler -  Gettysburg, Pennsylvania -  March 31, 1845
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Independence, Missouri, USA

1860 - EXTENSIVE CONFLAGRATION AT INDEPENDENCE, MO. HOTELS, STORES, AND DWELLINGS CONSUMED.
Independence, Mo., Friday, March 30 - 2 A.M.
A fire broke out here at about 11 o'clock last night, which thus far has consumed nearly the whole south side of the City, and should the wind continue or increase, it is feared that the west side will also be destroyed. Among the buildings burned are the Independence Hotel, two drug stores, ten or twelve business houses, and several dwellings. The... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  March 31, 1860
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Cambridge, New York, USA

1873 - SERIOUS ACCIDENT Two Men Killed and Eleven Wounded Near Cambridge, N. Y.
Special Dispatch to the New-York Times.

CAMBRIDGE, N. Y., March 30. - The New York and Montreal express-train, on the Rensselaer and Saratoga Railroad, consisting of an engine, and express passenger and one of Wagner's sleeping cars ran off the track about two and a half miles north of this village, about 11 o'clock last evening. Two persons were killed and eleven wounded. The accident... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  March 31, 1873
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Worcester, Massachusetts, USA

1876 - THE MAD WATERS. Giving Way of the Dam at Worcester, Mass. A GRAPHIC SKETCH OF THE SCENE.
WORCESTER, March 30. - Later advices from the broken dam are of a more assuring character. Large tree trunks, bales of hay and loads of dirt are being thrown into the gap and the rush of water is lessened. Channels to connect the reservoir with a stream to the eastward are being dug with haste. Water in the reservoir is rapidly lowering, and though the gap in the dam is widening, it is thought... Read MORE...

Decatur Daily Republican -  Decatur, Illinois -  March 31, 1876
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Madison, Wisconsin, USA

1879 - A MADISON BLAZE. One of the Finest Blocks in the City Gutted
Soon after one o'clock this afternoon the third and upper story of the great stone building at the southwest corner of Main and Pinckney streets, and owned the Fairchild estate, was discovered to be a fire. This building is occupied on the street floor by M. S. Rowley & Co, hatters and gentlemen's furnishing goods; Bain [unable to read] and Klauber, furnishings goods and merchant tailoring;... Read MORE...

Oshkosh Daily Northwestern -  Oshkosh, Wisconsin -  March 31, 1879
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Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA

1879 - BREWERY BURNED. Total Destruction of Horn & Schwain's Brewery.
About five o'clock Sunday morning the brewery on Duty street just south of 16th street owned by A. Horn and Leonard Schwain estate was totally destroyed by fire. It seems that a fire broke out in the brewery about the boiling kettles early on Saturday evening but was put out entirely as it was thought with pails of water. Evidently, however, some smouldering embers remained unextinguished for... Read MORE...

Oshkosh Daily Northwestern -  Oshkosh, Wisconsin -  March 31, 1879
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Evansville, Indiana, USA

1890 - Tornado
IN INDIANA.
Later Reports Show the Loss of Life and Property Increasing.

EVANSVILLE, Ind., March 31. - Every hour brings additional news of the dreadful results of the tornado which passed over the Ohio valley on Thursday night, and it seems as if the calamity has neglected no community in its work of destruction to property and life. News from all directions is of the most sickening and... Read MORE...

Newark Daily Advocate -  Newark, Ohio -  March 31, 1890
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Evansville, Indiana, USA

1902 - Lightning Destroys a Fine Evansville Church. FINE CHURCH RUINED. Lightning Causes Fire That Destroyed Structure.
Evansville, Ind., March 31 - St. Boniface Catholic church, located in the western suburbs of this city, was struck by lightning at an early hour Sunday morning. The structure took fire, and the interior of the building was a mass of flames before an alarm was turned in. When the department arrived it was too late to do any good. The building is an entire loss. Rev. Father Burkhardt, when he heard ... Read MORE...

The Daily Review -  Decatur, Illinois -  March 31, 1902
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Lexington, Kentucky, USA

1902 - FIRE AT COLONEL GIBSON'S.
The residence of Colonel Hart Gibson on the Harrodsburg pike was saved from burning by quick work on the part of the fire department early yesterday morning.

The roof was on fire when the chemical engine started, and upon arrival a hole had burnt in the roof. The flames were extinguished before much damage had been done. It is believed that the fire started from a flue.

THANKS TO... Read MORE...

The Morning Herald -  Lexington, Kentucky -  March 31, 1902
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Middletown, Connecticut, USA

1913 - FLOOD FIRE BURNS DEPOT. Connecticut River Wets Lime, Setting Building Ablaze.
Special to The New York Times.

MIDDLETOWN, Conn., March 30--The rising waters of the Connecticut River reached the freight depot of the New York, New Haven, & Hartford Railroad Company in Water Street to-day and, slaking lime, which was in storage there, set the building on fire. The building was destroyed, firemen being powerless to check the flames, as the only means of getting in reach of... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  March 31, 1913
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1880  March 31 - Illuminated by Electricity
1880: Wabash, Indiana, became first incorporated community to be completely illuminated by electricity.
The Old Farmer's Almanac www.almanac.com

1888  In the Blanchard and Sandusky rivers at Findlay and Tiffin, O, high water had on the 27th driven many families from their homes.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1890  March 31 - Saint Louis, MO, received 20 inches of snow in 24 hours.

WeatherForYou.com

1899  Socialist Labor Party. E. W. Theinert of Providence Was the Orator of the Evening


Pawtucket Times
Pawtucket, Rhode Island

1943  March 31 – Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! opens on Broadway

www.wikipedia.org

Died March 31

Read MORE...

1882 - LONGFELLOW DEAD. The Much-Beloved Poet Passes Away Peacefully at His Home in Cambridge Friday Afternoon - A Brief Sketch of the Man and His Works.

Scituate, Rhode Island, USA

1834 - Attempted Bank Robbery
A daring attempt,as we learn from the Providence Journal, was made on the morning of the 21st inst before daylight, to rob the Citizens Union Bank of Scituate, in Rhode Island. The apartment of the dwelling-house in which the cashier and his wife lodging in the second story was entered at the window by means of a ladder, and the pocket book of the Cashier containing $266, was taken from his coat. ... Read MORE...

genealogybank.com
New-Bedford Mercury -  New Bedford, Massachusetts -  March 28, 1834
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Ansonia, Connecticut, USA

1882 - TWO MEN BURNED TO DEATH A DISASTROUS FIRE IN ANSONIA, CONN.
THREE HOUSES DESTROYED AND TWO LIVES LOST - NARROW ESCAPE OF SOME OF THE OTHER INMATES.

New-Haven, March 27. - Fire broke out at 8:45 o'clock this morning in George Hall's meat market, at Maple and High streets, West Ansonia. It was fully half an hour later before the firemen arrived and got to work. The three frame buildings just west of the Ansonia upper bridge were then in flames. The... Read MORE...

New York Times -  New York, New York -  March 28, 1882
Comments

1882 - LONGFELLOW DEAD. The Much-Beloved Poet Passes Away Peacefully at His Home in Cambridge Friday Afternoon - A Brief Sketch of the Man and His Works.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the poet, died at his residence in Cambridge, on Friday afternoon, at the age of 75 years and 25 days. His illness was short ant not very painful, and his life ended as it had passed, quietly and serenely. Within a half an hour the solemn tolling of the alarm bells let Cambridge know that her greatest and best citizen was no more. The seventy-five awe-inspiring peals... Read MORE...

The Boston Weekly Globe -  Boston, Massachusetts -  March 28, 1882
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Richford, Vermont, USA

1900 - FIRE AT RICHFORD.
David Grant's House Nearly Destroyed This Forenoon.
(Special to the Messenger.)

Richford, March 28 - David Grant's house north of the elevator caught fire at 9:40 o'clock this forenoon and was nearly destroyed. Will Wright and Frank Puffer gave the alarm and both hose companies responded. The nearest hydrant was over 50 rods away, but good work was done.

The main part of the house was... Read MORE...

St. Albans Daily Messenger -  St. Albans, Vermont -  March 28, 1900
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1920  March 28 - The worst tornado disaster of record occurred in Chicago IL as a tornado killed 28 persons and caused three million dollars damage.

WeatherForYou.com

1928  March 28 - In California, the St. Francis Dam north of Los Angeles fails, killing 600.

www.wikipedia.org

Died March 28

Read MORE...

1910 - Comet Halley is visible from Earth. It won't be seen again until 1986.

Claremont, New Hampshire, USA

1887 - FIRE IN A NEW-HAMPSHIRE TOWN.
CLAREMONT, N. H., March 26. - Early this morning fire was discovered in Brown's Block. The building was owned by Oscar J. Brown, and was very largely occupied by business firms, to a greater extent than any other in this State. The Post Office, telegraph office, Central Telephone Exchange, and express office were all in the building, while numerous rooms were occupied by Masonic and other lodges. ... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  March 27, 1887
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Louisville, Kentucky, USA

1890  March 27 - A tornado strikes Louisville, Kentucky

The Louisville, Ky Outbreak - March 27, 1890 - At least 125 people were killed in Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky, and 76 people were killed in the city of Louisville, Ky., alone - 44 of those in one building.

www.weather.com
March 27, 1890
Comments

Berlin, New Hampshire, USA (Maynesborough)

1898  Fire

BERLIN, N. H., March 26. - A fire which started in Cote's block on Main Street, about 1 o'clock this morning, partially destroyed the building, entailing a loss of $20,000; insurance, $17,000.

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  March 27, 1898
Comments

1910 - Comet Halley is visible from Earth. It won't be seen again until 1986.
WHEN THE EARTH BORES A HOLE THROUGH THE TAIL OF HALLEY'S COMET
May 18, 1910 Will Be the Biggest Day in Astronomical History, When for the First Time the Coming Celestial Stranger's Eccentric Orbit Will Cause Its Meteoric Appendage to Fan the Surface of the Globe. All Scientists Admit There Will Be a Collision, and Camille Fammarion Says There May Be Disaster, but the Astronomers at Yerkes... Read MORE...

Chicago Daily Tribune -  Chicago, Illinois -  March 27, 1910
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Sioux City, Iowa, USA

1912 - Fire Destroys Lindholm Store.
Sioux City, Iowa - Like so much tinder, the stock ad building occupied by the Lindholm Furniture company at the southwest corner of Fifth ad Douglas streets was totally destroyed by fire Tuesday evening. Only the heroic and efficient work of the fire department saved the other buildings in the quarter block - The Journal office and the building occupied by the W. C. Davenport company, cleaners... Read MORE...

The Iowa Recorder -  Greene, Iowa -  March 27, 1912
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Greeley, Colorado, USA

1937 - SECOND MAN DIES IN REFINERY BLAST. R. HOUSEWEART, 22, SUCCUMBS TO HIS BURNS. BODIES OF BOTH MEN ARE SENT TO KINDERHOOK, ILL., FOR BURIAL; GARD COLEMAN, 25, OTHER VICTIM OF SOUTH GREELEY EXPLOSION.
RAY (DOC) HOUSEWEART, 22, of Eaton and Kinderhook, Ill., died at 1:09 a.m. Saturday, slightly more than 24 hours after he had been burned in the explosion and fire which wrecked the Harry Osborn Oil Refinery on South Eighth Avenue, Greeley early Friday.

HOUSEWEART was the second victim of the flames. GARD COLEMAN, still-tender, had lived slightly more than five hours.

Though some hope was... Read MORE...

Greeley Daily Tribune -  Greeley, Colorado -  March 27, 1937
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1851  March 27 – The first white men reportedly see Yosemite Valley.

www.wikipedia.org

1883  Diptheria is prevalent at Nicolet, near Quebec.


New York Herald
New York, New York

Died March 27

Read MORE...

1907 - RUNAWAY AT NORTHAMPTON - Horses Dash Along Railroad Tracks for a Mile and Scatter People at Union Station.

Milford, Massachusetts, USA

1882 - VALUABLE MACHINERY LOST. BURNING OF THE CLINCHING-SCREW FACTORY AT MILFORD, MASS.
MILFORD, Mass., Feb. 23. - The manufactory of Estabrook & Co., was burned last evening. The fire, the cause of which is unknown, broke out in the first story of the building, occupied by the owners for making boot and shoe machinery, by the Clinching-screw Company, and by J. E. Kimball. The total loss is nearly $50,000. The insurance is placed in the Milford Company on the building and contents,... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  March 24, 1882
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Memphis, Tennessee, USA

1907 - $65,000 LOSS AT MEMPHIS. Freight House and Twenty-Five Car Loads of Merchandise Burned.
Memphis, Tenn., March 21. - A freight house of the Illinois Central Railroad, situated at the corner of Shelby and Calhoun streets in the southern part of this city, together with twenty-five car loads of merchandise and six empty freight cars were destroyed by fire tonight, entailing a loss estimated at $65,000. The fire originated in the freight-house, which is situated in the midst of a number ... Read MORE...

The Dallas Morning News -  Dallas, Texas -  March 24, 1907
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Northampton, Massachusetts, USA

1907 - RUNAWAY AT NORTHAMPTON - Horses Dash Along Railroad Tracks for a Mile and Scatter People at Union Station.
A sensational runaway, in which a span of horses scattered the people standing about the union station at Northampton and ran for a mile on the railroad tracks, took place yesterday noon. The horses started to run on Pleasant street and after going through Railroad avenue and dashing across the platform at the station, took to the tracks. They passed safely over two railroad bridges, and were... Read MORE...

Springfield Republican -  Springfield, Massachusetts -  March 24, 1907
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Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA

1907 - MANY FINGERS CUT OFF. Two Accidents at Holyoke in Which These Valuable Members Were Lost.
Yesterday was a bad day for Holyoke fingers. Nine were lopped off, as reported last evening, with outlying districts to be heard from. Fred Joyall, a lad of 15, who has been employed at the Norman division of the American writing paper company, got both hands caught in the calendar so that all eight fingers were drawn in and so badly crushed by the rolls that three had to be amputated close to... Read MORE...

Springfield Republican -  Springfield, Massachusetts -  March 24, 1907
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Stamford, Connecticut, USA

1908 - Saved From Fire
Stamford, Conn., March 24. - Curly is only a "husky" and until recently he trod the frozen Northwwest helping drag pack sleds. He came to Col. John I. Holly, a Stamford business man from Alaska, and a strong bond of friendship was established between the dog and his master. Now that bond is more firmly riveted and money cannot purchase Curly.

The Holly house is a landmark and was built when... Read MORE...

San Jose Mercury News -  San Jose, California -  March 24, 1908
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Chico, California, USA

1908  THEATER BURNS.

Chico, Cal., March 24. - The Star theater here was gutted by fire this morning. The blaze started by a moving picture machine. Several stores in the vicinity were badly damaged.

San Jose Mercury News -  San Jose, California -  March 24, 1908
Comments

Rockford, Illinois, USA

1908  FIRE AT ROCKFORD, ILL.

ROCKFORD, Ill., March 23. - Fire early today damaged the business block occupied by the Rockford & Interurban company and the W. Clark Printing company, to the extent of $75,000.

The Duluth News Tribune -  Duluth, Minnesota -  March 24, 1908
Comments

Omaha, Nebraska, USA

1911 - EXPLOSION WRECKS COURTHOUSE. New Million-Dollar Structure in Omaha Shattered by Blast of Unknown Origin Early This Morning.
[By Morning Journal Special Leased Wire]

Omaha, Neb., March 23. - Two explosions in the basement of the new million-dollar courthouse at Eighteenth and Farnum streets at 1 o'clock this morning created considerable excitement and brought out the police reserves.

Windows were shattered in buildings two blocks away and considerable damage was done.

The cement floors in the basement of the... Read MORE...

The Albuquerque Morning Journal -  Albuquerque, New Mexico -  March 24, 1911
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Penn Yan, New York, USA

1949 - Gas Explosion Injures Plumber
Methodist Church Slightly Damaged

Lew Blakeslee of 231 Lake street, Penn Yan, was seriously injured at 11 a. m. Friday, March 18, in a gas boiler explosion.

Burned badly about the face, hands and arms, he was given emergency treatment at the Foster-Hatch Medical group by Dr. John L. Shultz and was taken to the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial hospital, where his condition is reported as fair.... Read MORE...

Chronicle Express -  Penn Yan, New York -  March 24, 1949
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1898  March 24 – Robert Allison of Port Carbon, Pennsylvania, becomes the first person to buy an American-built automobile when he buys a Winton automobile that had been advertised in Scientific American.

www.wikipedia.org

1900  March 24 - New York City Mayor Robert Anderson Van Wyck breaks ground for a new underground "Rapid Transit Railroad" that would link Manhattan and Brooklyn.

historyorb.com

Died March 24

Read MORE...

1918 - March 19 – The United States Congress establishes time zones and approves daylight saving time (DST goes into effect on March 31).

1827 - Matches are invented (John Walker, England)
In 1827 the first friction match was invented in England by John Walker. Walker's matches were sticks tipped with a mixture of chemicals that burst into flame when scratched against a rough surface.

Walker found that when the mixture dried, he could ignite the stick by drawing the head through a piece of sandpaper. Other people began making such matches, but they presented many problems. They... Read MORE...

Alton Evening Telegraph -  Alton, Illinois -  March 20, 1972
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Montréal, Québec, Canada

1873 - THE MONTREAL HOTEL FIRE. Terrible Scenes Among the Boarders and Servants - A Woman Hangs to a Window-Frame for Half and Hour - Two Lives Lost.
The Montreal papers come filled with details of the terrible scenes connected with the partial destruction of the St. James Hotel, in that city, by fire, on Monday night. The hotel was a five story structure, and it was with extreme difficulty that the firemen were able to drag their hose up the stairs to the fourth story, where the flames first raged. Meanwhile the servants of the hotel on the... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  March 20, 1873
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Wallingford, Connecticut, USA

1880 - A WALLINGFORD FACTORY BURNED.
WALLINGFORD, Conn., March 19. - The shop of the Wallingford Wheel Company was found to be on fire at 8 o'clock last evening, and by 9 o'clock was burned to the ground. The fire broke out in an addition over the engine-room, but the engineer is confident that it did not catch from the furnace. The building had been unoccupied since 5:30 o'clock. It was a wooden shop, three stories in height, and... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  March 20, 1880
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Saint Petersburg, Russia

1886  Another Nihilistic plot having been discovered in the neighborhood of the royal palaces at St. Petersburg,

it stands the Czar in hand to have another bolt put on his door, if there is room for it, and have an additional boiler-iron counterpane spread on his bed. - Chicago News.

St Joseph Herald -  Saint Joseph, Michigan -  March 20, 1886
Comments

Burlington, Vermont, USA

1895  LOSSES BY FIRE.

Burlington, Vt., March 19. - Booth's planing mill and shops, the Baldwin Refrigerator Company's factory, the Vermont Shade Roller factory, and all their storage buildings, &c., burned; loss, $250,000; insurance, $125,000.

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  March 20, 1895
Comments

Newark, New Jersey, USA

1900 - TROLLEY CARS COLLIDE. TEN PERSONS INJURED AT NEWARK, N.J., IN ACCIDENT.
Newark, N.J., March 20. - Ten passengers were severely injured last night in a rear end trolley car collision, but at a late hour no fatalities had resulted. The accident happened on Belleville avenue at a point where there is a slight down grade. Car. No. 708, in charge of Motorman WILLIAM McLANE, crashed into car No. 278, in charge of Motorman BERNARD McDERMOTT. Car No. 278 had stopped to take... Read MORE...

Trenton Times -  Trenton, New Jersey -  March 20, 1900
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Milford, Connecticut, USA

1902 Tornado
Milford, March 20. - During the progress of the small cyclone which struck Milford yesterday afternoon, Mrs. John S. Mitchell was picked up by a guest[sic] of wind and thrown into the street between the wheels of a coal wagon. The driver of the vehicle just saw Mrs. Mitchell's body in time to prevent it from being crushed. As it was she badly bruised from head to foot, but it is not believed that ... Read MORE...

Naugatuck Daily News -  Naugatuck, Connecticut -  March 20, 1902
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New Milford, Connecticut, USA

1902 - WRECK AT NEW MILFORD.
Train Breaks and Causes Rear End Collision - One Man Killed.

NEW MILFORD, Conn., March 20. - The midnight freight from New Haven to Pittsfield, which goes through here at 1 o'clock was badly wrecked by a rear end collision, caused by the train breaking in two parts a short distance below the station here.

Joshlin Hogan Camp, the head brakeman, whose home is at 685 Chapel street, New Haven,... Read MORE...

Naugatuck Daily News -  Naugatuck, Connecticut -  March 20, 1902
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Adams, Massachusetts, USA

1902 - Wind Storm
Adams, Mass., March 20. - A high wind which had prevailed all Tuesday night suddenly assumed cyclone proportions yesterday and considerable damage resulted. Covered vehicles were overturned in the streets, chimneys were demolished, trees were uprooted and the spire and belfry on the First Congregational church was wrenched off. In falling the spite took with it two large cupolas and a portion of... Read MORE...

Naugatuck Daily News -  Naugatuck, Connecticut -  March 20, 1902
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1918 - March 19 – The United States Congress establishes time zones and approves daylight saving time (DST goes into effect on March 31).
Getting Used to the "Daylight Saving" Time.

"Daylight saving" is now a law, if not a fact, and as both the government and railroads are to adopt the new system, and most factories, the public will generally follow suit. This is not a mandatory law, but advisory, but a law of Congress was desired in this case for the same reason that it is desired in the case of prohibition. To avoid confusion... Read MORE...

The Topeka Daily Capital -  Topeka, Kansas -  March 20, 1918
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Milford, Connecticut, USA

1923 - WINDS FAN SPARKS, DAMAGING CHIMNEY OF MILFORD HOTEL
MILFORD, Mar. 19. Fanned by high winds, fire did considerable damage to a chimney on Smith's hotel at Milford Point early tonight, and would probably have resulted more seriously had not the firemen arrived in time to check it.

A still alarm was sent in to Chemical company, No. 3 of Myrtle Beach, which is two miles away, and when the firemen arrived on the scene, the chimney was a mass of... Read MORE...

The Bridgeport Telegram -  Bridgeport, Connecticut -  March 20, 1923
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1852  March 20 – Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe was published in book form in Boston.

www.wikipedia.org

1869  The farmers in Ireland are complaining of great losses of potatoes, by disease.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1880  A ship canal over seven miles long is to be constructed across the Isthmus at Cohasset Narrows, in Massachusetts, at a cost of about $2,500,000.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1899  March 20 – At Sing Sing prison in Ossining, New York, Martha M. Place becomes the first woman executed in an electric chair.

www.wikipedia.org

1944  March 20 - Bus falls off bridge into Passaic River NJ, killing 16

historyorb.com

Died March 20

Read MORE...

1899 - $2,000,000 for Southbridge People?

1800  Electric storage battery is invented (Alessandro Volta, Italy)

...Probably the most important developments in the science of electricity started with the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta. This battery gave the world its first continuous, reliable source of electric current and led to all the important discoveries of the use of electricity.

Tucson Daily Citizen -  Tucson, Arizona -  March 18, 1960
Comments

Springfield, Vermont, USA

1871  Healthy Place

Springfield, Vt., must be a healthy place in which to locate. There are, in that town, ninety persons between the age of seventy and eighty years, and forty-two between eighty and one hundred. Of the latter, the average age is over eighty-four. The oldest person is ninety-nine years and nine months of age.

St Joseph Herald -  Saint Joseph, Michigan -  March 18, 1871
Comments

Monroe, New York, USA

1895 - NEW BUILDING BURNS.
Monroe was again the scene of a disastrous fire, Sunday morning, the new building just erected by MR. GEORGE REED, having been totally destroyed. A despatch came to Goshen at 2 o'clock, yesterday morning, asking that the fire department come to the rescue. The alarm was immediately sounded and the boys gathered at the depot with their apparatus. When nearly ready to start, another despatch... Read MORE...

Middletown Daily Argus -  Middletown, New York -  March 18, 1895
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Southbridge, Massachusetts, USA

1899  $2,000,000 for Southbridge People?

SOUTHBRIDGE, MASS., March 17. - It is believed here that the family of Mrs Lucier, mother of Michael Lucier, of Southbridge, has fallen heir to $2,000,000. Word was received here to-day of the death of Rev. F. R. L. Belthosor at San Jose, Cal., who, it is said, left this fortune. Mrs. Lucier is his sister. There are other Southbridge relatives.

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  March 18, 1899
Comments

Queens, New York, USA

1910 - TRAGIC DEATH OF ASHFIELD MAN. Fred R. Church Killed on the Long Island Railroad Yesterday.
Word was received at Shelburne Falls yesterday morning of the accidental death at the Queens station of the Long Island railroad of Fred R. Church, so of George B. Church in the Baptist Corner district of Ashfield. The body will be taken to Shelburne Falls and from there to Ashfield. He was 31 years of age, a graduate of Sanderson academy, Ashfield, and the state college at Amherst. After leaving ... Read MORE...

The Springfield Republican -  Springfield, Massachusetts -  March 18, 1910
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1937  March 18 – New London School explosion:

In the worst school disaster in American history in terms of lives lost, the New London School in New London, Texas, suffers a catastrophic natural gas explosion, killing in excess of 295 students and teachers. Mother Frances Hospital opens in Tyler, Texas, a day ahead of schedule in response to the explosion.

www.wikipedia.org
March 18, 1937
Comments

1866  Large Fire in Minneapolis.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Friday, March 17. A fire here last night destroyed twenty buildings from First to Davis street. Loss $100,000.

The New York Times
New York, New York

1871  Runs in the family
Royal Briggs, who committed suicide at Sherman, Conn., the other day, was the last of six brothers who have made way with themselves.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1871  An attempt was made to shoot King Christian, of Denmark, the other day, and the shooter was arrested and brought before the King.
Christian told him he could not praise his skill as a marksman, and advised him to practice before he repeated the shot, and then released him.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

Died March 18

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1893 - Temperance Reform Experiment

1849 - March 3 - The United States Congress passes the Gold Coinage Act allowing the minting of gold coins.
GOLD COINS
The following is the bill which passed the House of Representatives, authorizing the coinage of two important new gold pieces, of one and twenty dollars in value.

SEC. 1. Be it enacted, That it shall be lawful henceforward to make at the mint and its branches twenty dollar gold coins of the weight of five hundred and sixteen grains and gold collar coins of the weight of twenty five ... Read MORE...

The Old North State -  Elizabeth City, North Carolina -  March 17, 1849
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Wallingford, Connecticut, USA

1886 - CHARGED WITH ARSON. FIRES IN WALLINGFORD WHICH GOT A YOUNG MAN INTO TROUBLE.
WALLINGFORD, Conn., March 16. - Early this morning Constable Roger S. Austin, tired and dusty after a long trip, reached this town, bringing with him as a prisoner Frank H. Morse, one of the best known young men in this neighborhood. An hour later young Morse was taken before Justice Bartholomew to answer to the charge of arson. There were two counts against him, and the case was continued to... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  March 17, 1886
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1888  Extensive floods in Austro-Hungary were reported on the 13th.

Bridges had been swept away and large areas converted into lakes. Several villages were submerged and a large number of person had been drowned. A fire destroyed the market place at Cabin, Hungary, on the 13th, and many persons perished in the flames.

St Joseph Herald -  Saint Joseph, Michigan -  March 17, 1888
Comments

Springport, New York, USA (Union Springs)

1893 - Temperance Reform Experiment
The village of Union Springs, N. Y., is about to try a novel experiment in the way of temperance reform. A number of prominent citizens, including the village president and several clergymen, propose to take under control the sale of intoxicating liquors. Their object, they declare, is to "supply the reasonable wants of temperate persons" for alcoholic stimulants. No treating is to be allowed,... Read MORE...

The Coffeyville Weekly Journal -  Coffeyville, Kansas -  March 17, 1893
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1897 - Sentenced to Electrocution
Auburn, N.Y., March 16. - Frank Sheldon, a well known cattle dealer of Cayuga county, was yesterday convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to be electrocuted during the week beginning April 25. The verdict was a surprise to all who have followed the case. The jury was out 84 1/ 2 hours. Sheldon received the sentence with scarcely visible emotion. George Sheldon, a brother, was bowed in... Read MORE...

Mount Camel Item -  Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania -  March 17, 1897
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Pueblo, Colorado, USA

1906  HUGE ROOF COLLAPSED. ONE MAN KILLED AND THREE INJURED AT PUEBLO, COLO.

Pueblo, Colo. - By the collapse of the concrete roof over a section of the huge new round house of the Denver & Rio Grande railroad, which is in course of construction here, Tuesday, one man was instantly killed and three others were badly injured. Dead: HARRY ROBBIE. Injured: W. H. McFADDEN, perhaps fatally. OSCAR KEEL and BERT WALTON were both badly cut and bruised by falling debris.

Garland Globe -  Garland, Utah -  March 17, 1906
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Marietta, Ohio, USA

1907 - Marietta Flood
At Marietta two-thirds of the city is flooded and there is considerable suffering among the inhabitants. The people are in dire distress as nearly all the groceries in the town have been flooded. Flour is delivered to the people on the hill who are baking bread for those who have been driven from their homes.

William McCracken, his wife and two children were drowned. They were forced to the ... Read MORE...

Plain Dealer -  Cleveland, Ohio -  March 17, 1907
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Skowhegan, Maine, USA

1930  KILLED BY BLAST OF DYNAMITE

Skowegan, Me., March 17. - Leroy McPhierson, 22, of Mapleton, Arlistook conty[sic], died at midnight Saturday at the Kennebec Valley Hospital, Skowhegan, as the result of injuries received from a blast of dynamite while employed at Wyman Dam, Bingham. He was brought to the hospital at 8:30 Saturday night. One leg was amputated.

Portsmouth Herald -  Portsmouth, New Hampshire -  March 17, 1930
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Jamestown, Rhode Island, USA

1931 - INVESTIGATE 5 DEATHS IN HOSPITAL FIRE. PATIENTS AND ORDERLY ARE TRAPPED IN FLAMING COTTAGE.
JAMESTOWN, R. I., March 17 (AP) - An inquest probably will be begun today into the deaths last night of four patients and an orderly trapped by fire in the No. 3 cottage at the private sanitarium of Dr. W. L. Bates here.

A fifth patient, MATTHEW COX, 50, of Providence was pulled from a second story window by an employe and dropped into the arms of waiting nurses. He was seriously... Read MORE...

Syracuse Herald -  Syracuse, New York -  March 17, 1931
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Little Rock, Arkansas, USA

1944 - NINE SOLDIERS DIE IN WAR MANEUVERS. DROWNED IN A LARGE LAKE NEAR LITTLE ROCK, ARK., LAST NIGHT.
Little Rock, Ark., March 17 - (AP) - Nine soldiers drowned and two others are missing in a large lake five miles north of here after an accident in amphibious maneuvers last night in a second major tragedy to overtake the 66th Division within the last week.

The drownings occurred in Lake No. 2, largest of a chain of seven artificial bodies of water in Lakewood, a sparsely settled residential... Read MORE...

Chillicothe Constitution Tribune -  Chillicothe, Missouri -  March 17, 1944
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1886  March 17 – Carrollton Massacre: 20 African Americans are killed in Mississippi.

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1887  NORWICH, Conn., March 16. - St. Patrick's Catholic Church was damaged to the extent of $10,000 by fire to-day.
The building cost $250,000, and is insured for $52,000. The fire was caused by a careless altar boy dropping a coal from the censer.

Dallas Morning News
Dallas, Texas

1888  An order was issued by the Government of Denmark on the 10th forbidding the importation of American bacon and steam lard and other undressed pork products.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1888  The silver wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales was celebrated in London on the 10th.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1888  At Marietta, O, an incendiary fire on the 13th burned the office of the Marietta Register,
besides a book-store and several buildings, the loss being over $50,000.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1888  The factory of the Buckeye Buggy Company at Columbus, O., was burned on the 13th, causing a loss of $150,000.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1888  In St Louis on the 13th a case of leprosy was discovered, the patient being Choo Fay, a Chinese laundryman. Fay has been in this country several years.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1906  March 17 - The temperature at Snake River, WY, dipped to 50 degrees below zero, a record for the U.S. for the month of March.

WeatherForYou.com

1931  March 17 – Nevada legalizes gambling.

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Died March 17

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1872 - Returned Interest

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

1846 - TERRIBLE EXPLOSION AT HARRISBURG.
The boiler of the steam-engine by which the presses in the "Democratic Union" office at Harrisburg, are worked, burst on Monday last, with an awful explosion. The engine was situated in the basement of a four story building, and so powerful was the explosion as to force the head of the boiler through the first, second and third stories, carrying every thing before it, to the fourth, where it... Read MORE...

Republican Compiler -  Gettysburg, Pennsylvania -  March 16, 1846
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Buffalo, New York, USA

1850 - TREMENDOUS FIRE ! - OVER $100,000 OF PROPERTY DESTROYED !
From the Buffalo Daily Courier.

It becomes out painful duty to record the most disastrous conflagration, which has ever visited our city. The American Hotel, the Park Church, and numerous stores and dwellings contiguous to both are now in ruins. The blow has been a heavy one, and will awaken our citizens to the necessity of some measures being taken for their better protection from fire. Had... Read MORE...

The Erie Observer -  Pennsylvania -  March 16, 1850
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Schaghticoke, New York, USA

1867  Fire

A fire at Schaghticoke, New York, on Thursday morning destroyed the cordage works of Spicer & Meeley and the twine factory of Tibbitts Briggs. The building was owned by L. B. Baker. Loss, $12,000 to $14,000, mostly insured.

genealogybank.com
Daily National Intelligencer -  Washington, D.C. -  March 16, 1867
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Wilmington, North Carolina, USA

1872  Dead?

A Wilmington (N.C.) dispatch of the 7th says it was not known there whether the reports of the death of Henry Berry Lowery, the notorious swamp outlaw, were unfounded. Additional reports were current that he was either murdered by his brother, or drowned.

St Joseph Herald -  Saint Joseph, Michigan -  March 16, 1872
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1872  Saloon Licenses in Sweden

In Sweden only a limited number of saloon licenses are granted, and these are sold at auction. The saloons must close at a fixed hour, no liquor may be sold to a child or a drunkard, and no money can be recovered for liquor sold on credit.

St Joseph Herald -  Saint Joseph, Michigan -  March 16, 1872
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Bangor, Maine, USA

1872  90 Years in the Penobscot

A cannon recovered from the bed of the Penobscot, after being submerged for ninety years, was used to fire a salute at Bangor on Washington's birthday.

St Joseph Herald -  Saint Joseph, Michigan -  March 16, 1872
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Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA

1872  Bad Game

Mr. S. Levi, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, recently held a pistol in his hands, and in a playful manner, pointed it towards his body, saying, "Here goes my life!" It proved to be loaded, and the ball entered his side just below the heart, inflicting a probably mortal wound.

St Joseph Herald -  Saint Joseph, Michigan -  March 16, 1872
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Racine, Wisconsin, USA

1872  Returned Interest

Seven years ago, a man living near Racine, Wis., lost a pocket-book, containing $70 in cash. The other day he received by mail the interest on the $70 for seven years, a piece of the pocket-book, and a promise that the principal should be returned so soon as the borrower could afford to do so.

St Joseph Herald -  Saint Joseph, Michigan -  March 16, 1872
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Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA (Coltsville)

1872  Buried in Pittsfield

The Pittsfield (Mass.) Eagle says that a South Berkshire father, whose child recently died of small pox, being anxious to bury it in a Pittsfield cemetery, and knowing the authorities would not allow it, packed the body in a trunk, and checked it to the town as baggage by the midnight train, and had the funeral the next day.

St Joseph Herald -  Saint Joseph, Michigan -  March 16, 1872
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1872  Found Gold

J. A. Sutter, the California pioneer who made the first discovery of gold, is now living in Litiz, Lancaster County, Pa., poor, and crippled with inflammatory rheumatism. He is sixty-nine years of age, and without means of support. His friends and all the country will be glad to hear that the California Legislature has just given him a pension of $250 a month for five years.

St Joseph Herald -  Saint Joseph, Michigan -  March 16, 1872
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Glens Falls, New York, USA

1890 - THE BRIDGE GAVE WAY. TWO LIVES LOST, TWO PERSONS INJURED, AND TWO MEN MISSING.
Troy, N.Y., March 15. - At about 10:30 o'clock this morning the Queensbury span of the old Queensbury-Moreau Bridge at Glens Falls fell into the Hudson River, carrying down the workmen who were upon it. The bridge was being demolished for the purpose of constructing an iron bridge, and only the flooring, under which supports had been placed, remained to be taken down.

Workmen were taking away... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  March 16, 1890
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Denver, Colorado, USA

1902  CHILDREN IN A FIRE. TWO HUNDRED ORPHANS RESCUED FROM FLAMES IN AN ASYLUM.

Denver, Colo., March 15. - St. Vincent's Orphan asylum, situated in the northern part of the city, was badly damaged by fire this afternoon. There were 200 orphan children in the institution. All were rescued unharmed. The asylum is conducted by the Catholic Sisters of Charity.

The Salt Lake Tribune -  Salt Lake City, Utah -  March 16, 1902
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Chicago, Illinois, USA

1904 - EXPLOSION OF TOY PISTOL CAPS IS DEADLY. TWO BOYS AND A MAN KILLED AND PERHAPS THREE OTHER VICTIMS.
Chicago, March 15. -- Three persons were killed and eight other employes were injured today by the explosion of toy pistol caps in the two-story brick manufacturing plant of the Chicago Toy Novelty company, at Western Avenue and West Eighteenth Street. The building was wrecked and the ruins caught fire immediately.

It is believed some others may have been killed, but until the debris can be... Read MORE...

St. Paul Globe -  St. Paul, Minnesota -  March 16, 1904
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Valley Falls, New York, USA

1928 - 4 EMPLOYEES KILLED IN POWDER MILLS EXPLOSION. HOMES IN TOWNS NEARBY DAMAGED IN MORNING BLAST. SEVERAL WORKMEN ARE INJURED WHEN POWDER LETS GO IN PLANT NEAR VALLEY FALLS AND TIMBERS FALL UPON THEM.
Valley Falls, N.Y., Mar 16 - (INS) - Four men were instantly killed, several were injured, and homes in nearby towns were damaged when three mills of the Hercules Powder Company, located on the state highway between this village and Schaghticoke, exploded shortly before nine o'clock this morning.

The dead:
JOSEPH MITCHELL, 63, Millwright.
VICTOR SHELLEY, 26, glazier.
JOHN HAYNER, 56,... Read MORE...

Olean Times -  Olean, New York -  March 16, 1928
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Charleston, South Carolina, USA

1954 - Tax Payments - And Humor Gone March 15
By Jack Leland
News and Courier Staff Writer

Memorandum to the Editor:
You said to write a funny story about Income Tax day having come and gone.

Well, it's gone and with it has gone most of my money and apparently that of most Charlestonians. Also gone - as far as I can find out - is everyone's sense of humor.

There just isn't anything funny about taxes this year.

Not funny,... Read MORE...

The News and Courier -  Charleston, South Carolina -  March 16, 1954
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1872  Admitted to Public School
The Newark (N.J.) Board of Education has decided to admit colored children into public schools by a vote of 21 to 1.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1872  Boston pays its female teachers an average of $67.92 per month, and Newton $65.54.
These are the highest in the State. The lowest is the town of New Ashford, which pays only $16.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1905  $100,000 FIRE IN PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND
Providence, R. I., March 16 - Fire and water today damaged Music Hall block in the center of the city to an amount estimated at $100,000.

The Piqua Daily Call
Piqua, Ohio

Died March 16

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1907 - Civil War Veteran Struck by Train

Augusta, Maine, USA

1867  A Cotton Mill Destroyed at Augusta, Me.

AUGUSTA, Me., Thursday, March 14. The cotton-batting mill in this city was destroyed by fire at noon to-day. The machinery and a large quantity of cotton were destroyed. Loss $20,000.

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  March 15, 1867
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Elmira, New York, USA

1888 - Fire
Another One.
Elmira, N. Y., March 10. – The explosion of a lamp in the press room of the Elmira Gazette at 8 o’clock yesterday evening, followed by the ignition and explosion of a can of benzine, which stood near, caused flames to spread quickly throughout the room, which was in the basement of the building. The pressman and his assistants escaped to the street and gave the alarm. When the... Read MORE...

The Ohio Democrat -  New Philadelphia, Ohio -  March 15, 1888
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Lewiston, Maine, USA

1892  Justice?

James Reiker, who hasn't got a red, has been in jail nearly four years in Lewiston, Maine, for a debt of $117.15, which he couldn't pay. But he has the satisfaction of knowing that under the law of that State it has cost the fellow who sent him there $400. $100 a year, to pay his board.

The Wilmington Morning Star -  Wilmington, North Carolina -  March 15, 1892
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Exeter, New Hampshire, USA

1893 - EXETER MILLS BURNED. Loss $250,000-Two Hundred and Forty Hands Made Idle.
Exeter, N. H., March 15. - Fire broke out in the Exeter cotton mills about 4 a.m. It started in the basement, and burned up through the building, destroying the engine room and the older part of the mill, which was destroyed once before.

The new part of the mill was saved. The fire was under control at 9:30.

Loss estimated at $250,000.

Two hundred and forty hands are thrown out of... Read MORE...

Middletown Daily Press -  Middletown, New York -  March 15, 1893
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1900  March 15 – The Gold Standard Act is ratified, placing the United States currency on the gold standard.

The Gold Standard Act a Law. Washington, March 15. - The gold standard act passed by congress, defining and fixing the standard of value, maintaining the parity of all forms of money issued or coined by the United States, and refunding the public debt, became a law yesterday through the signature of President McKinley.

Lebanon Daily News -  Lebanon, Pennsylvania -  March 15, 1900
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Deposit, New York, USA

1903 - FIRE DID $50,000 DAMAGE. HOTEL, OPERA HOUSE, AND OTHER STRUCTURES BURNED IN DEPOSIT, N. Y.
Special to The New York Times.
Deposit, N. Y., March 14. - A disastrous fire started in the Oquaga House here at 4:20 o'clock this morning and destroyed property to the value of $50,000. The first to go was the hotel itself. Then the flames communicated to the Stone Opera House, which adjoins it, and to the buildings occupied by BECK'S cigar factory and the Central House, another big... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  March 15, 1903
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Biddeford, Maine, USA (Biddeford Pool)

1906 - OPERATE DESPITE FIRE. Umbrellas Held Over Patient In a Maine Burning Hospital.
BIDDEFORD, Me., March 14 - Seventeen patients at the Trull Hospital in May Street, this city, were removed from their beds today during a fire which destroyed a portion of the building, and the surgeons at the hospital completed an operation upon a female patient while the firemen were at work and while umbrellas were held over the operating table to ward off the water which was leaking into the... Read MORE...

The New York Times -  New York, New York -  March 15, 1906
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Butler, Pennsylvania, USA

1907  Civil War Veteran Struck by Train

Butler, Pa., March 15. - Oliver Conklin deaf and 80 years of age, a veteran of the civil war, who had one eye destroyed at Spottsylvania Court House, was run down and killed by a Baltimore & Ohio switching engine at the Center avenue crossing. Conklin's home was in Clearfield, Pa., but he was visiting his son, James Conklin here. His body was rolled to a shapeless pulp under the fender.

Indiana Evening Gazette -  Indiana, Pennsylvania -  March 15, 1907
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Winooski, Vermont, USA

1910 - Fire In Winooski.
Fire broke out in the Barnes building at the corner of Main and Centre sts., Winooski, March 12. The flames had gained considerable headway when the firemen arrived and great volumes of smoke were pouring from the windows. The hallway separates three families occupying the second floor, and they were compelled to seek safety with neighbors, making their escapes in their night clothing. The... Read MORE...

St. Albans Daily Messenger -  St. Albans, Vermont -  March 15, 1910
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Springfield, Massachusetts, USA (Indian Orchard)

1910 - EXPRESS OFF RAILS
Two Mail Clerks and an Engineer Badly Injured.
ACCIDENT AT SPRINGFIELD, MASS.

Springfield, Mass., March 15 - Two mail clerks and an engineer were seriously injured today when the New York express, bound for Springfield from New York on the New York, New Haven & Hartford railroad, jumped the rails in the southern end of the city.

The engine rolled down the bank to the edge of the... Read MORE...

St. Albans Daily Messenger -  St. Albans, Vermont -  March 15, 1910
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Nashville, Tennessee, USA

1933 - Nashville Counts Ten Dead, Pruden Eight. Several Other Communities Lashed. LIST GROWS.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Mar. 15 (AP) - The mad caprice of a tornado which lashed the Tennessee-Kentucky border last night left a toll of 35 known dead and more than 200 injured in the wreckage of homes which marked its path from the Mississippi to the Cumberland Mountains.
Launching its career on the Arkansas and Missouri side of the Mississippi early in the night, the twister swept down on Nashville... Read MORE...

The Kingsport Times -  Tennessee -  March 15, 1933
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1879  At Georgetown, Mass., the son of a widow married a girl whose brother married the widow, and a child born to the first couple has an uncle and a grandfather and a grandmother and an aunt in the same persons.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1879  Denmark prohibits importation of cattle from the United States into that kingdom.


St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan

1933  March 15 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average rises from 53.84 to 62.10. The day's gain of 15.34%, achieved during the depths of the Great Depression, remains to date as the largest 1-day percentage gain for the index.

www.wikipedia.org

Died March 15

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