Tag: New York City
NYC Subway Worker Buried Alive in Sand
In 1926, Clark was working on the new Eighth Avenue Subway in New York when he climbed into a sand bin to clear a clogged…
Cat, Dog, and Lobster Throw New York Restaurant Into Uproar
There are restaurant disturbances, and then there are restaurant disturbances involving a cat, a Boston Terrier, a fainting woman, a fallen waiter, and one extremely…
Telephone Girls Risked Their Hair for the Switchboard
Before headsets became lightweight tools of modern communication, early telephone operators wore heavy metal bands across their heads as they worked long hours connecting calls…
Sing Sing Guard Dog Suspended for Bullying
Even prison guards could get themselves suspended at Sing Sing, especially when the guard in question had four legs, a shaggy coat, and a habit…
New York Police Face a Strange Gas Death Puzzle
A fashionable New York apartment house became the scene of a grim mystery in September 1924 when two people were found dead and a third…
Two Women Found Strangled Hours Apart in New York City
In the summer of 1907, New York City police were confronted with a chilling double murder mystery. Two women had been found dead in different…
How Two Swindlers Sold Candy as a Cure for Seasickness
At the turn of the 20th century, transatlantic travel promised adventure, discomfort, and plenty of opportunities for sharp-eyed swindlers. Passengers trapped together on a steamship…
The Working Lives of America’s Gravediggers
The Battle of Calvary Cemetery November, 1883. 8:00 PM. Calvary Cemetery, Long Island. The air is thick with the smell of turned soil and the…
Switchback Tragedies: Deadly Roller-Coaster Mishaps, 1893–1920
Before looping steel giants, “switchbacks” delivered thrills and danger. Inspired by Pennsylvania’s famed Mauch Chunk Switchback Railway, early gravity rides sent bench cars racing down…
Brooklyn Woman Arrested After Found in Field Using Bank Notes as a Blanket
Strange things happen in New York, such as in 1924 when a woman was found in a Brooklyn field using bank notes and Liberty Bonds…
