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On This Day in 1900: Hoboken Dock Fire
June 29, 2021 at 01:38 PM EDT
By WeatherBug's Ali Husain
The Hoboken Dock Fires of 1900 were some of the most devastating fires in New Jersey history.
On June 30th, 1900, fire took hold on piers run by the North German Lloyd Shipping Company. It is believed that the fire began in some cotton bales on the wharf before rapidly spreading.
The fire spread towards flammable liquids on the dock, causing explosions along the pier. Warehouses along the pier were destroyed, but the major loss of life occurred on the ocean liners docked at the pier.
Both crew and visitors were trapped on the ships by the fire, and although rescue attempts were made, there was still a great loss of life, with more than 300 casualties.
There were reports that tugboat operators were slow to respond, going so far as to refuse to rescue people struggling in the Hudson unless they could pay.
The three ocean liners that caught fire continued to smolder over the next few days, with hundreds of thousands of eyes watching the disaster unfold from the shores of New York City. An investigation could not determine the exact cause of the fire, although it was found to be most likely a result of carelessness. It was also determined that the tugboat operators could have done much more to help and could have prevented many of the casualties.
As a result of the fire, Hoboken upgraded their docks to fireproof steel structures. There were also reports of people below-deck attempting to escape in vain through small portholes; as a result, portholes were required to be large enough for a reasonably sized person to fit through.
Story Image: Hoboken via Pixabay
On June 30th, 1900, fire took hold on piers run by the North German Lloyd Shipping Company. It is believed that the fire began in some cotton bales on the wharf before rapidly spreading.
The fire spread towards flammable liquids on the dock, causing explosions along the pier. Warehouses along the pier were destroyed, but the major loss of life occurred on the ocean liners docked at the pier.
Both crew and visitors were trapped on the ships by the fire, and although rescue attempts were made, there was still a great loss of life, with more than 300 casualties.
There were reports that tugboat operators were slow to respond, going so far as to refuse to rescue people struggling in the Hudson unless they could pay.
The three ocean liners that caught fire continued to smolder over the next few days, with hundreds of thousands of eyes watching the disaster unfold from the shores of New York City. An investigation could not determine the exact cause of the fire, although it was found to be most likely a result of carelessness. It was also determined that the tugboat operators could have done much more to help and could have prevented many of the casualties.
As a result of the fire, Hoboken upgraded their docks to fireproof steel structures. There were also reports of people below-deck attempting to escape in vain through small portholes; as a result, portholes were required to be large enough for a reasonably sized person to fit through.
Story Image: Hoboken via Pixabay