Description: Reverse reads: "Dangerous gases threaten, water steams in the cistern, vegetables roast in the garden, huge craters suddenly appear, smoke billows over their head --- but life goes on for the Rush family living on top the New Straitville Mine Fire in the Plummer Hill area. Mrs. Kenneth Rush is shown here about her daily task of feeding the chickens. The smoke can be seen in the background. Her husband and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. David Rush also live there. They have had to flee from home several times when the "black damp" gas became unusually bad but they've always come back. Mr. and Mrs. David Rush have lived there for 22 years. Up to a few years ago, they had a flourishing garden and a few acres of corn, but they have been destroyed by the fire." The New Straitsville mine fires are believed to have started November 13, 1884, when striking miners pushed burning cars into a mine during a strike over wages between the New Straitsville Mining Company management and mine workers. A small group of union members decided to sabotage the mines. Cars filled with oil-soaked timber were set on fire and pushed into a mine owned by the New Straitsville Mining Company. The fire quickly spread to the coal seam underground. Reportedly, the coal seam was fourteen feet across and extended an undetermined distance into the Earth. It took several days for the fire to be discovered, and by that point, it was too late to stop the fire's spread. As a result of the fire, the mine closed. The New Straitsville mine fire has raged ever since 1884. In 1936, the WPA began work to stop the spread of the fire by building barriers across burning veins of coal. In 1938, nearly 350 men were employed on the project, which then was estimated to cost less than $1,000,000. Under the direction of James R. Cavanaugh, a veteran mine fire fighter, tunnels were driven through veins in the path of the fire, and were filled with a clay-water mixture or similar non-burning material. The mines fires affected coal deposits in Hocking and Perry Counties in southeastern Ohio. It was estimated that by 1938, the coal destroyed (more than two hundred square miles) was worth fifty million dollars. In 2003, smoke began to emerge from the soil of the Wayne National Forest, 119 years after the fire began. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B10F07_018_001
Subjects: Mine fires--Ohio; New Straitsville (Ohio)--Photographs; Coal mines and mining; United States. Works Progress Administration
Places: Ohio
 

Description: Illustration titled "A Fire in Cincinnati," which originally appeared in the October 30, 1858, issue of Harper's Weekly. It accompanied an article about the Fire Department of Cincinnati and its use of a steam-powered fire engine. In 1853, the city of Cincinnati became the first to employ a professional fire department, made up of 100% full-time, paid employees. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL04119
Subjects: Cincinnati (Ohio); Cultural Ohio--Popular Culture; Fires; Harper's Weekly; Fire fighters; Fire engines & equipment
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "These three homes on Plummer Hill are being undermined by the 54-year-old New Straitsville Mine Fire. The barrier built by the WPA wokers runs under the road in the foreground. The house at the left is occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Willard Andrews and their son, Clyde. The middle house was recently vacated by Mrs. Elizabeth Green when poisonous gases from the fire threatened her life. The house at the right is occupied by Mr. and Mrs. David Rush and their son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Rush. This scene is about one mile southwest of New Straitsville." The mine fires are said to have started November 13, 1884, when striking miners pushed burning cars into a mine, during a strike over wages between the New Straitsville Mining Company's management and mine workers. A small group of union members decided to sabotage the mines. Cars filled with oil-soaked timber were set on fire and were pushed into a mine owned by the New Straitsville Mining Company. The fire quickly spread to the coal seam underground. Reportedly, the coal seam was fourteen feet across and extended an undetermined distance into the Earth. It took several days for the fire to be discovered. By that point, it was too late to stop the fire's spread. As a result of the fire, the mine closed. The New Straitsville mine fire has raged ever since 1884. In 1936, the WPA began work to stop the spread of the fire by building barriers across burning veins of coal. In 1938, nearly 350 men were employed on the project, which then was estimated to cost less than $1, 000, 000. Under the direction of James R. Cavanaugh, a veteran mine fire fighter, tunnels were driven through veins in the path of the fire, and were filled with a clay-water mixture or similar non-burning material. The mine fire effected coal deposits in Hocking and Perry Counties in southeastern Ohio. It was estimated that by 1938 the coal destroyed, more than two hundred square miles, was worth fifty million dollars. In 2003, smoke began to emerge from the soil of the Wayne National Forest, 119 years after the fire began. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B07F12_029_1
Subjects: New Straitsville (Ohio)--Photographs; Mine fires--Ohio; Coal mines and mining--Ohio; United States. Works Progress Administration
Places: New Straitsville (Ohio); Perry County (Ohio)
 

Description: Five 8.5" by 11" (21.6 by 27.9 cm) images were taken during the 1916 strike in East Youngstown, later renamed Campbell, Ohio. National Guard troops are visible in the first three images, as is the damage caused the fires set during the strike, which are seen in the last two images. On December 28, 1915, five hundred workers at the Republic Iron and Steel Company's tube mill in Youngstown walked off their jobs. Urged on by members of the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.) and other labor organizers the steelworkers demanded higher wages from their company which had increased production due to the war in Europe. The strike quickly spread to other Republic Iron and Steel departments, as well as to other steel companies, and soon 16,000 area steelworkers were on strike. In response to the strike the steel companies hired armed guards to protect the mills and the employees who remained on the job. Confrontations soon erupted between the company guards and the striking steelworkers, culminating on January 7, 1916 when company guards at Youngstown Sheet & Tube's East Youngstown mill opened fire on a crowd of picketers. The crowd responded by rioting and burned much of East Youngstown's business district. The next day 2,100 National Guard troops arrived and restored order but not before three people had died and 125 were injured. The arrival of the National Guard as well as offers of increased wages by the steel companies convinced most of the striking workers to return to their jobs. Within a week of the riots the mills were once again operating near full capacity. The 1916 strike not only led to increased wages but also persuaded the steel companies to take more interest in their employees' welfare. Believing that the foreign-born employees had been controlled by the I.W.W. during the strike, the steel companies organized Americanization classes. The companies also noticed the poor housing and living conditions that many steelworkers faced and so undertook construction projects. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1628_1919884_003
Subjects: Military Ohio; Business and Labor; Steel industry; Soldiers; Strikes; Fires
Places: East Youngstown (Ohio); Campbell (Ohio); Mahoning County (Ohio)
 

Description: This 5"" by 12"" (12.7 by 30.48 cm) photograph was taken during the 1913 flood in Warren, Ohio. The photograph depicts men battling a fire on the bridge within inches of the overflowing Mahoning River. Onlookers are carrying umbrellas, indicating that the fire, flood, and rain are all happening simultaneously. Warren, Ohio is the county seat of Trumbull County. It is approximately 20 miles upstream from Youngstown on the Mahoning River. In late March 1913, an unusually heavy rainstorm moved into Ohio. It rained steadily for five days and the streams all over Ohio rose rapidly. By the third day of the downpour, levees were overtopped and many towns suffered disastrous flooding. Great fires that raged unchecked added to the destruction and the loss of life. When the flood waters receded, tons of mud and debris covered the streets, homes, businesses and factories. The death toll stood at 361. Property damages were well over $100,000,000 and 65,000 were forced to temporarily leave their homes. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om1626_1867274_001
Subjects: Transportation; Climate and Weather; Floods; Bridges; Fires; Fire fighters; Umbrellas; Rain
Places: Warren (Ohio); Trumbull County (Ohio)
 

Description: The photograph shows the Hotel Fetter during the fire in downtown Upper Sandusky, Ohio, in November 1918. The smoke is thick over the street and a crowd gathers to watch. The building, once three stories, is almost entirely collapsed. All guests at the Hotel Fetter were safely evacuated and the staff had time to save the contents before the building caught fire. The fires caused two fatalities and $250,000 in damages overall. The notes on the photograph read "Made backwards - No good!" Photograph by Harry Evan Kinley (1882-1969), a native of Upper Sandusky. Kinley was active in local events and organizations, and spent his professional career as a clerk at his father's department store, and later as a traveling salesman for the Marion Paper & Supply Company (1934-1962). He was also an avid lifelong photographer, and the bulk of the Harry Kinley Collection is comprised of glass plate negatives documenting the Kinley family, the city of Upper Sandusky and Wyandot County and surrounding areas. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV30_B05F05_31
Subjects: Fires; Upper Sandusky (Ohio); Hotels; Cities and towns--Ohio
Places: Upper Sandusky (Ohio); Wyandot County (Ohio);
 

Description: The photograph shows the remains of the Hotel Fetter after the fire in downtown Upper Sandusky, Ohio, in November 1918. The roof and portions of the third floor are collapsed into the building. A figure crouches in the rubble on the sidewalk. The partially-damaged sign on the side of the building reads "Hotel Fetter European Restaurant Quick Lunch." A horse and buggy stands on the brick street. All guests at the Hotel Fetter were safely evacuated and the staff had time to save the contents of the building before it caught fire. The fires caused two fatalities and $250,000 in damages overall. Photograph by Harry Evan Kinley (1882-1969), a native of Upper Sandusky. Kinley was active in local events and organizations, and spent his professional career as a clerk at his father's department store, and later as a traveling salesman for the Marion Paper & Supply Company (1934-1962). He was also an avid lifelong photographer, and the bulk of the Harry Kinley Collection is comprised of glass plate negatives documenting the Kinley family, the city of Upper Sandusky and Wyandot County and surrounding areas. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV30_B05F05_33
Subjects: Fires; Upper Sandusky (Ohio); Hotels; Cities and towns--Ohio
Places: Upper Sandusky (Ohio); Wyandot County (Ohio);
 

Description: An unidentified woman being sworn in to testify at the Ohio Pen Investigation, January 1935. The investigation of the Ohio Penitentiary Fire that broke out the evening of April 21, 1930, killed 322 inmates and is regarded as the worst disaster in American prison history. Official investigation into the penitentiary tragedy was started the following morning by the attorney general's office. Governor Myers Y. Cooper and E.C. Snively, assistant attorney general, headed the board of inquiry. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05671
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Fires; Ohio Penitentiary (Columbus, Ohio); Prisons--Ohio
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: An unidentified woman sitting in a chair apparently giving testimony at the Ohio Pen Investigation, January 1935. The investigation of the Ohio Penitentiary Fire that broke out the evening of April 21, 1930, killed 322 inmates and is regarded as the worst disaster in American prison history. Official investigation into the penitentiary tragedy was started the following morning by the attorney general's office. Governor Myers Y. Cooper and E.C. Snively, assistant attorney general, headed the board of inquiry. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05672
Subjects: Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Fires; Ohio Penitentiary (Columbus, Ohio); Prisons--Ohio
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: These six photographs are views of the Collinwood Memorial Garden. This garden was created as a memorial to the children who lost their lives during the Lakeview Elementary School fire in Collinwood Village (near Cleveland) in 1908. The Collinwood School Fire occurred on March 4, 1908, killing 172 children and 2 teachers. The fire began shortly after 9 am when an overheated steam pipe came in contact with wooden joists under the front stairs. Only 194 of the 366 students enrolled escaped the blaze. The others were trapped inside the rear first-floor exit, and by the time volunteer firemen arrived, nothing could be done to save them. Nineteen bodies could not be identified and were buried in a common grave in Lake View Cemetery, along with 150 students whose identity was known. The photographs were taken by Ihna Thayer Frary. The Ihna Thayer Frary Audiovisual Collection was given to the Ohio Historical Society by Mr. Frary in two sections. One was in March of 1963 and the remainder in May of 1965 by his sons, Dr. Spencer G. and Allen T. Frary following their father's death. I.T. Frary (1873-1965) was the publicity and membership secretary for the Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio. He taught for many years at the Cleveland Institute of Art and Western Reserve University's School of Architecture. He did much research of Ohio and American architecture and was the author of seven major works and numerous scholarly articles on architectural and art history. One of his major works was Early Homes of Ohio published in 1936. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3346_4834620_001
Subjects: Education; Plants and Animals; Schools; Fires; Cleveland Public Schools; Disasters
Places: Collinwood (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)
 

Description: A fireman descends the ladder of a fire truck responding to a fire above Molly McGuire's, a bar and restaurant located at 1596 North High Street in the University District of Columbus, Ohio. The University District includes the small neighborhoods to the east and south of The Ohio State University campus on either side of the High Street corridor. The High Street Photograph Collection is comprised of over 400 photographs of High Street in Columbus, Ohio, taken in the early 1970s. These photographs were taken primarily at street level and document people and the built environment from the Pontifical College Josephinum on North High Street in Worthington through Clintonville, the University District and Short North, Downtown and South Columbus. The photographs were used in a television photo documentary that aired on WOSU called "High Street." Photographers that were involved in this project were Alfred Clarke, Carol Hibbs Kight, Darrell Muething, Clayton K. Lowe, and Julius Foris, Jr. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV254_B12F317_01
Subjects: Columbus (Ohio)--History--20th century; Street photography; University District (Columbus, Ohio); Fire engines & equipment; Fires; Bars (Drinking establishments);
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of a makeshift morgue at the Ohio State Fairgrounds filled with victims of the Ohio Penitentiary fire, April 21, 1930. The fire killed 322 inmates, some of whom were stuck in their cells, and injured another 130. It was the worst disaster in American prison history. The prison, which was built in 1834, was notorious for having horrible conditions. At the time of the fire, the prison was at over twice its capacity. The origins of the fire have been debated, with some citing prisoners and others claiming an accident. Regardless of the origin, the fire prompted officials to address the overcrowding and establish the Ohio Parole Board in 1931. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL03813
Subjects: Fires; Ohio Penitentiary (Columbus, Ohio); Prisons--Ohio
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)