Boiler Explosion On Ferry 1871

July 30, 1871 A boiler explodes on the Westfield II ferry on a Sunday afternoon as hundreds of beach-bound Manhattanites board. Sixty-six people are killed immediately in the blast and resulting inferno and stampede, or drown in the roiling water. More than 200 passengers are burned, scalded by steam, maimed by flying debris; more than 60 die later from their injuries. The accident stands as the Staten Island Ferry's worst disaster.
Excerpt: http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyrichmo/history.shtml

Standard Oil Plant-Brooklyn Fire 1919

Sep. 13, 1919 A conflagration at the Standard Oil Plant covering over 20 acres in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn (at Queens boarder along East River). First Alarm at 14:02; 5th Alarm (77-55-516) at 14:38. First boro call to Manhattan for a 3rd Alarm (77-516-66-33-389) at 15:23; 2nd boro call for 3 more alarms (77-516-66-33-577) at 21:55; plus many special calls bringing over 40 engines (some horse drawn) to the scene. Recall of off duty Firefighters at 22:27. Fireboat "McCellan" rescued by Fireboat "Strong" after being surrounded by sea of fire in Newtown Creek.
Excerpt: http://home.attbi.com/~cfd323/WEB22_fdny_firehistory.html

Coney Island Boardwalk Fire July 13,. 1932

A Fire swept four blocks of the Boardwalk and three square blocks of nearby property between 21st & 24th Streets on July 13th. It started in a pile of rubbish under the boardwalk and could have been extinguished easily if those who first saw it had turned in an alarm. Instead 35 engine companies had to fight the blaze for six hours in 40 MPH winds before gaining control. Damages were $2,000,000 as numerous bathhouses and apartment buildings burned. 1000 people were homeless. An estimated 2000 people, who had stored their clothes and valuables, lost them when the bath houses burned. 250 men were employed to guard the ruins to prevent looting. The 1000 feet of burned Boardwalk was restored by mid-August.
Excerpt: http://naid.sppsr.ucla.edu/coneyisland/articles/1920.htm

Coney Island Luna Park Fire 1944

Fire guts nearly half of Luna Park on August 12th. The fire started at 3:30 P.M. in Dragon Gorge Scenic Railway on west side of midway and raced towards the rear of the park. Nearly a dozen attractions including the 125 foot high Coca Cola Tower were destroyed. The Mile Sky Chaser (coaster) and Shoot the Chutes rides were damaged but repairable. Unfortunately it was during World War II when building material was strictly rationed. However, the park did reopen and charged ten cents to see the ruins.
Excerpt: http://naid.sppsr.ucla.edu/coneyisland/articles/1940.htm

Luna Park , Coney Island (photos) before fire.
http://pdxhistory.com.tripod.com/nyampark/dreamland/luna/luna.html_________

Chemical Truck Fire Holland Tunnel May 13, 1949

On May 13, a chemical truck loaded with 80 drums of carbon disulfide burns on the New Jersey side of the south tube. The wall surfaces and ceiling slabs are demolished for a distance of 600 feet. Amazingly, no one dies in the explosion and fire, although there are 66 injuries. The fire causes an estimated $600,000 in damage to the structure-and as a result of this accident, strict standards are established for the transporting of explosives.
Excerpt: http://www.panynj.gov/tbt/hthist.HTM

June 25, 1958, Freighter Collision

As always, there was the potential for catastrophe. In June 25, 1958, the freighter Nebraska and the tanker Empress Bay - carrying 280,000 gallons of gasoline - collided shortly after midnight and caught fire directly under the Manhattan Bridge, spilling oil and igniting the entire East River between Piers 29 and 31. Regular use of the river could not resume until noon on the 27th.
Excerpt: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/heroes/history4.html

Mid-Air Plane collision and Crash 1960

Dec. 16, 1960 The worst U.S. air accident to date occurs over Staten Island when TWA Flight 266 from Dayton, Ohio, bound for La Guardia, collides in a heavy snowstorm with United Flight 825 from Chicago bound for Idlewild (now Kennedy) Airport. The TWA Constellation, with 40 passengers and a crew of five, breaks up and falls in three sections on the landing strip of Miller Field, narrowly missing houses and two schools. The United jet, with 76 passengers and a crew of seven, flies a few miles before falling into the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. All 128 people aboard the two aircraft died.
Excerpt: http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyrichmo/history.shtml