April 3, 1901: NEWARK, NJ - As flames tore through the house at 51 Stone St., the family pet, a fox terrier, frantically barked and pulled on the bed sheets until his owners awoke. They dashed from the blazing home and sent in the alarm. Firemen arrived quickly, but the home was nearly a total loss.
April 5, 1901: DETROIT - A fire broke out in the American Radiator plant. Two hours after the blaze started, it had spread to three other buildings, a warehouse, a pattern shop and a machine shop. Half of the entire plant burned, jeopardizing 600 jobs.
April 7, 1901: ST. LOUIS - Sparks from a switch engine set fire to a huge storage elevator. Nearly the entire St. Louis Fire Department responded to the scene. More than 10,000 people watched as 800,000 bushels of wheat and corn fueled the dramatic blaze. The loss totaled $600,000.
April 11, 1901: OCEAN CITY, MD - Flames tore through a large beachfront bathhouse complex. Firemen were hard pressed as flames leaped across a narrow alley and ignited the Belvedere Hotel next door. Within 15 minutes, the entire street front from Worcester to South Division streets was ablaze.
April 13, 1901: GREAT BARRINGTON, MA - The only remaining wooden block of buildings left in town was soon burning after an arsonist touched off a devastating blaze at 10:30 P.M. Several tenants made narrow escapes as the fire closed in. The local deputy sheriff later arrested the suspected arsonist.
Time Capsule
APRIL 18, 1901: EAST ROCHESTER'S $150,000 FIRE
A fire believed to be incendiary in origin resulted in the destruction of the East Rochester, NY, car shops of the New York Central Rail Road. A watchman discovered the fire shortly after midnight after investigating an opened window. The fire started in an office and soon spread to a nearby paint and oil room.
Firemen fought the growing fire, which soon involved more than 50 freight cars, until the early-morning hours. Railroad officials believed that striking workers were responsible for the blaze, which caused $150,000 in damage.
