Newspaper sketch of the Bussey Bridge disaster, 3/14/1887.
Photo of the scene of the gas-line explosion at Tremont & Bolyston Sts., Downtown, 3/4/1897.
Diagram shows how the streetcar plunged through an open bridge section, 11/7/1916.
The Molasses Tank Collapse knocked the firehouse of Fireboat Engine 31 off its foundation, 1/15/1919.
Rescuers remove an injured patron of the Pickwick Club Collapse, 7/5/1925.
A 4-car Boston Elevated Railway train crashed into the Beach Street Station, 7/22/1928.
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Date
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Disaster
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March 14, 1887
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The Bussey Bridge over South Street in Roslindale collapsed during the morning hours of March 14, 1887, killing 38 persons
and injuring as many as 40 others. A Boston & Providence Railroad train, consisting of 9 passenger cars, a baggage car, locomotive and tender,
left Dedham at 0700 hours. Between the Roslindale and Forest Hills stations, the track passes over South Street. The bridge, built
for two tracks but containing only one, collapsed after the locomotive, tender and three cars had passed. The engineer drove the locomotive
down the track to Forest Hills station to give the alarm.
The Boston Fire Department was notified at 0724 hours when Box 528 was pulled, apparently by the train engineer. Chemical Engine Company 4 was
the first company on the scene, later assisted by Engines 28 & 30, Ladder 10, and Chemicals 1 and 5. Rescue efforts were under the
command of Assistant Engineer J. F. Hewins of District 10.
Story on Crash
Cast Iron Hangers
Report on Cause
New Bridge
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March 4, 1897
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A gas-line explosion at the corner of Tremont and Boylston Streets, Downtown, killed seven persons and injured 60 others. The
leak was in a 6-inch gas line located beneath the street and above the Tremont Street Subway tracks. A spark from a trolley car apparently
caused the explosion, occuring at one of the busiest intersections in Boston and caused thousands of panes of window glass to break in
the vicinity.
There were three gas mains at the location, an old 6-inch and two new 8-inch mains. Controversy arose over whether a contractor for the
Subway moved or damaged the mains. Six weeks earlier, a major gas leak had caused the service to the nearby Pelham Hotel to be shut off.
The Boston Fire Department responded to Box 53 to provide aid to the victims of the explosion.
Set of Photos
Newspaper Story
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November 7, 1916
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An inbound electric street-car on Summer Street crashed through a barricade and plunged through and open draw-bridge into the Fort Point
Channel, killing 52 riders.
The Boston Fire Department
responded with land units and the Fireboat Engine 44 from its berth at the Northern Avenue Bridge. Divers from the fireboat attempted to
rescue riders from the submerged street-car, but were largely unsuccessful.
Only 7 riders and the motorman and conductor survived.
Newspaper Story
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January 15, 1919
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At 12:40 PM on a cold winter day, a 50-foot high tank holding over 2 millions gallons of molasses, located near
521 Commercial St., North End, ruptured and collapsed. The resulting flood caused twenty deaths and
significant damage to buildings and structures in the area. The elevated railway line above Commercial St. was
destroyed. Several trains on the elevated tracks stopped before plunging to the street below. The firehouse of
Fireboat Engine 31 was knocked off its foundation and the resulting collapse caused the death of one fireman. Workers and
pedestrians in the area were killed immediately and many others were injured.
The Fire Dept. transmitted a 2nd Alarm on Box 1234 (Commercial & Foster Sts.) to send a large contingent
of rescuers to the scene. The thick, sticky molasses made working at the scene very difficult.
The molasses tank was located on the waterfront to aid in transferring the product from ships to railway tank cars. The tank cars
were then moved on surface railroad tracks to East Cambridge. The molasses
was used in the production of both liquor and munitions. With World War I having just concluded and the Eighteenth Amendment
(Prohibition) set to take effect in January, 1920, the owners of the molasses tank were trying to maximize their resources. Thus
the leak-prone tank was filled to near capacity, setting the stage for disaster.
Set of Photos
Newspaper Story
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July 4, 1925
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Just after 3AM, the Pickwick Club, occupying the 2nd floor of the 5-story brick building at 6 Beach Street, Downtown,
the former Hotel Dreyfus, collapsed. It is estimated that 200 persons were dancing in the club at the time of the
collapse. Many persons were trapped in the rubble. The cause of the collapse, in the apparently unlicensed club,
was widely thought to be due to the jumping/dancing of the patrons causing the floor to give way, followed by the
entire building giving way.
The Boston Fire Department responded to Box 1471, which had been pulled by a Boston Police patrolman. A second alarm
was transmitted to bring more firemen to the scene to aid in
rescue and recovery efforts.
In the aftermath of the collapse, 43 persons lost their lives, despite the
efforts of the Fire and Police Departments, Boston Elevated Railway workers and construction company crews. At the time,
it became the largest loss-of-life disaster in Boston's history.
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July 22, 1928
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Two men were killed and 21 others injured when a Boston Elevated Railway train left the overhead tracks at Beach Street and
Harrison Avenue. The train crashed into the abandoned Beach Street Station as it rounded a curve from Harrison Avenue onto
Beach Street. Each car of the 4-car train left the tracks, although none crashed down to the street below.
The Boston Fire Department responded to the scene to lend aid, evacuate the victims from the train and then lower them to
the street below. Ladder Company 17 was first on the scene and gained access to the railway trestle via ground ladders.
Officials who responded to the scene agreed that had the train not struck the abandoned station, all the cars of the train
would certainly have crashed to the street below, resulting in more deaths and injuries.
The scene is about 50 yards away from the location of the Pickwick Club collapse in 1925.
Series of Photos
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