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Mob Tried to Burn Down New Jersey Pesthouse as Firefighters Fought Back
Orange, New Jersey, had barely finished building its new pesthouse when an angry crowd tried to burn it down. The small hospital, meant to isolate…
Lightning Tore the Shoe Off a 10-Year-Old Boy’s Foot
A single bolt of lightning tore through a Massachusetts neighborhood, injuring a young boy and knocking people and animals off their feet as it passed….
Three Young Women Trampled to Death During New York Factory Fire Panic
Smoke pouring into a crowded New York factory triggered a desperate rush for the exits that turned deadly within moments. On a January morning in…
Smallpox Patients Refused the Pesthouse as New Cases Spread
Another smallpox case had appeared, and with it came the difficult question of where the sick should be kept. Miss Mamie Halligan, a domestic in…
Man Fell From Excursion Steamer and Nearly Drowned as Tugboats Rushed In
An excursion trip nearly turned deadly when a man climbed onto the guard rail of a passing steamer and fell into the water. The steamer…
Baltimore Mother Held Baby From Third-Floor Window as Firemen Raised Ladder
Mrs. Bessie Levin stood at a third-floor window of her burning Baltimore home with her two-month-old baby in her arms, waiting for the firemen to…
Lightning Bolt Knocked House From Its Foundation in Kreischerville
A lightning strike in Kreischerville did more than knock bricks from a chimney. It tore through a house and left the building shifted from its…
Eight Factory Workers Were Accidentally Locked Inside Building For Hours
Eight New York factory workers found themselves unexpectedly imprisoned after the workday ended in March 1901. The men, employees of the Manhattan Bagging Company on…
Montana Town Accused of Shipping Its Sick and Poor to Billings
Billings officials were growing tired of being treated as Montana’s dumping ground for the poor, sick, and unwanted. In March 1901, the complaint was aimed…
Omaha Mob Burned the Pesthouse, and Officials Wanted Arrests
Omaha officials had a rather serious problem in January 1901. The city needed a pesthouse, but someone had burned it down. The smallpox isolation building…
