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Title: Awful accident on the North Pennsylvania Rail Road on Thursday July 17th 1856
Description: Disaster scene showing the "Picnic Train Tragedy", the worst rail disaster at that time. Shows the burning wreck near Ambler, Pa. from the collision of North Pennsylvania excursion trains "Shakamoxon," departed from the Cohocksink depot, and "Aramingo" departed from the Wissahickon station. Burning tangled engines and train cars pile up on the single track line in the middle of farmland. Rear cars remain unscathed and a horse pulling a buggy rears up as it approaches the wreck site. Bodies lay near an overturned car in the foreground. One train carried hundreds of children from St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church Sunday School in Philadelphia. The crash occurred due to an attempt by the "Shakamoxon" engineer to make up time for its late departure. It collided with the regularly scheduled Aramingo, before arriving at a siding pass. The boilers of the trains collided and caused an explosion that decimated the front cars, but left the rear cars intact. Around 60 persons died and 100 were injured from the crash., Not in Wainwright., Philadelphia on Stone, POSP 12, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bb 674 N 811, Gift of David Doret.
Creator: Rease, W. H., artist
Date: c1856
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *BW - Disasters [P.2007.21.13]

Title: Conflagration of the steam boat New Jersey on the Delaware River opposite Philada. March 15 1856 in which 50 persons lost their lives
Description: Shows, under the winter night sky, in the distance, clouds of smoke rising from the Philadelphia and Camden Ferry Co. steamboat as rowboats race to the wreck. In the right of the image, a partial view of the ferry "Dido" traveling to the rescue is visible. Captained by Ebenezer Corson, the "New Jersey," on mid-voyage to Camden from Philadelphia via an alternate elongated route due to heavy ice, caught fire as the result of defective boilers. With the fire spreading rapidly, Corson retreated to Arch Street Wharf in Philadelphia, and came within thirty feet of the pier when the pilot house collapsed leaving the boat unmanned and out of control. Corson survived by leaping ashore before the uncontrolled ship drifted back out on the river., Reduced variant of print issued by the same artist and publisher [Wainwright 81]. Title altered from "60 persons" to "50 persons.", POS 155, Philadelphia on Stone, Wainwright retrospective conversion project, edited.
Creator: Heiss, George G.
Date: [1856]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department W82 [P.2026]

Title: Terrible conflagration and destruction of the steamboat "New Jersey," on the Delaware River, above Smith's Island, on the night of March 15th, between 8 and 9 o'clock, in which dreadful calamity over 50 lives are supposed to have been lost
Description: Dramatic view of the steamboat, its nameplate visible, engulfed in flames and smoke, as the passengers escape into the icy river. Panicked passengers huddle, jump and dive into the water already teeming with disaster victims. The river-bound men and women bob; swim; and lie on, attempt to stay upon, and assist others onto cakes of ice and debris. In the lower right of the image, a rowboat containing a rower and a man holding a baby as well as a victim hanging on to the rear of the vessel arrives at the nearby wharf. The rescuer hands the limp baby to its mother, next to whom a man stands with a look of concern. In the left background, signage for "Baths" adorns the riverbank. Captained by Ebenezer Corson, the "New Jersey," on mid-voyage to Camden from Philadelphia via an alternate elongated route due to heavy ice, caught fire as a result of defective boilers, a fireplace, and brick work. With the fire spreading rapidly, Corson retreated to Arch Street Wharf in Philadelphia, and came within thirty feet of the pier when the pilot house collapsed leaving the boat unmanned and out of control. Corson survived by leaping ashore before the uncontrolled ship drifted back out on the river., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 745, Wainwright retrospective conversion project, edited., Free Library of Philadelphia: Castner 19:33
Date: 1856
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *W366 [P.2202]

Title: The dreadful accident on the North Pennsylvania Rail-road About 14 miles above Philadelphia, on Thursday, July 17, 1856 at about 6 A.M. which resulted in the death of over sixty, and terribly wounding about one hundred persons, excursionists of St. Michael's R.C. Church, Kensington. The collision took place at Camp Hill Station, destroying both locomotives and burning up several cars, in which a number of people were consumed
Description: Chaotic disaster scene showing the "Picnic Train Tragedy", the worst rail disaster at that time. Shows the burning wreck near Ambler, Pa. from the collision of North Pennsylvania excursion trains "Shakamoxon," departed from the Cohocksink depot, and "Aramingo" departed from the Wissahickon station. Burning tangled engines and train cars pile up on the single track line in the middle of farmland. People are propelled and jump from the burning railcars. In the foreground, bodies lay within the wreckage as rescuers rush in buckets of water. Others attempt to catch individuals jumping from a burning train car in the rear, carry children's bodies on a gurney, and comfort the grieving. In the lower left, a man wipes his face with a handkerchief as he stands over a legless body on a mattress. Nearby another man holds a body in his arms. Also contains the names of "The Killed" and "The Wounded" printed below the image as well as notice that "Many of the wounded are in a very precarious condition, and the death of several is hourly looked for." One train carried hundreds of children from St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church Sunday School in Philadelphia. The crash occurred due to an attempt by the "Shakamoxon" engineer to make up time for its late departure. It collided with the regularly scheduled Aramingo, before arriving at a siding pass. The boilers of the trains collided and caused an explosion that decimated the front cars, but left the rear cars intact. Around 60 persons died and 100 were injured from the crash., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 191, Duplicate of 7663.Fa., Retrospective conversion record: original entry, edited.
Creator: Magee, John L.
Date: c1856
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *BW - Disasters [P.8970.8]

Title: Accident on the Camden and Amboy Railroad, near Burlington, N.J. Aug. 29th 1855. 21 persons killed_ 75 wounded
Description: Disaster scene showing the carnage and melee following the collision between a Camden and Amboy mail and passenger train on route from Philadelphia to New York and a horse-drawn wagon of an elderly physician. In the background, rescue workers attend to the tangled wrecks of the derailed passenger cars. Some are smashed and lay in a ditch. The mail car remains upright and on the tracks. The horse pulling the wagon lays dead, his guts seeping out, in the left of the image. Onlookers gather on a debris-strewn hill near the overturned wagon and crash site. In the foreground, dozens of evacuated passengers and crash victims lie on the ground and assist the injured among debris and passengers' valises and personal effects. The crash occurred when the train reversed its direction to accommodate a south-bound train on the one-track system. Physician John T. Hannegan witnessed the initial passing of the railcars and assumed he had safe crossing. He and his accompanying family survived the crash., Not in Wainwright., Name of artist supplied by Peters., Philadelphia on Stone, POSP 4, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bb 674 C 14, Inscribed on verso: From Horace W. Smith, Oct. 18, 1866.
Creator: Collins, John, 1814-1902, artist
Date: [1855]
Location: Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bb 674 C 14

Title: Conflagration of the steam boat New Jersey on the Delaware River opposite Philada March 15th 1856 in which 60 persons lost their lives
Description: Shows, in the distance, clouds of smoke rising from the Philadelphia and Camden Ferry Co. steamboat under the winter night sky as rowboats race to and from the wreck. In the foreground, two survivors sit and cling to cakes of ice near floating debris. In the right of the image, her sister ferry "Dido" travels to the rescue, the ship's reflection visible in the water. Captained by Ebenezer Corson, the "New Jersey," on mid-voyage to Camden from Philadelphia via an alternate elongated route due to heavy ice, caught fire as the result of defective boilers. With the fire spreading rapidly, Corson retreated to Arch Street Wharf in Philadelphia, and came within thirty feet of the pier when the pilot house collapsed leaving the boat unmanned and out of control. Corson survived by leaping ashore before the uncontrolled ship drifted back out on the river., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 154, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bc 83 N 548, See reduced variant "Conflagration of the steam boat New Jersey on the Delaware River opposite Philada. March 15th 1856 in which 50 persons lost their lives" [LCP Wainwirght 82, P.2026]
Creator: Heiss, George G.
Date: [1856]
Location: Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bc 83 N 548

Title: Harrison & Newhall, corner of Race and Crown streets, Philadelphia. Commission merchants and importers Rio coffee, sugars, hides &c. Philadelphia
Description: Advertisement with heavy street activity showing the Harrison & Newhall Refinery, formerly the Penington Sugar Refinery. Refinery reestablished and expanded as the Harrison & Newhall Refinery circa 1855 at 409 Race Street. In front of the refinery, laborers load horse-drawn drays with barrels as another man in an apron leads another dray past the fenced northwest corner of Race and Crown streets (former residence of Edward Penington). At that corner, a man leans on a street lamp across from a man on horseback in the street and two street urchins on the sidewalk eyeing a well-dressed couple. At the other end of the street, a traffic jam occurs as the barrels on the dray of a rambunctious horse roll off the vehicle in front of a horse-drawn cart and omnibus. A horse-handler and displaced carriage driver discuss the accident in the street as a peddler, the possible cause of the commotion, nonchalantly carries a tray of wares on his head past the scene. Also shows barrels being hoisted outside of the refinery building. The refinery extends around the rear of a row of buildings in front of which the traffic incident occurs., Published in Colton’s atlas of America, illustrating the physical and political geography of North and South America... Commercial edition with business cards of prominent houses in Philadelphia. (New York: J.H. Colton and Company, 1856), page 80. (HSP O 458)., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 342, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bc 35 H 324, Historical Society of Pennsylvania: Bc 3, Free Library of Philadelphia: Oversize Philadelphiana - Factories and Foundries (A-M), Accompanied by scrap inscribed: River Bank. Great Flood in Susquehanna, June 5th 1889.
Creator: Rease, W. H., artist
Date: [1856]
Location: Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bc 35 H 324, Historical Society of Pennsylvania HSP Bc 3

Title: Terrible conflagration and destruction of the steam-boat "New Jersey," On the River Delaware, opposite Philadelphia, on the night of Saturday, March 15th, 1856, between 8 and 9 o'clock, by which dreadful calamity sixty-one lives were lost. Names of all on board
Description: Dramatic view of the steamboat engulfed in flames and smoke, the captain still at the helm as the passengers escape into the icy river. Panicked-looking passengers jump into the water already teeming with disaster victims, including an African American man, who thrash, swim, and attempt to stay upon and assist others onto cakes of ice, debris, and a single rowboat. Rescuers from the nearby wharf, including firemen, work in a frantic manner and desperately throw a rope to a white woman standing on an ice floe. Also shows a horse on the fire engulfed deck and a white woman propelled by a flame off of the rear of the boat. A sign for "Baths" is visible on the riverbank in the background. Contains the names of the 107 white and "colored" dead, missing, and saved passengers in three columns below the image. Captained by Ebenezer Corson, the "New Jersey," on mid-voyage to Camden from Philadelphia via an alternate elongated route due to heavy ice, caught fire as a result of defective boilers, a fireplace, and brick work. With the fire spreading rapidly, Corson retreated to Arch Street Wharf in Philadelphia, and came within thirty feet of the pier when the pilot house collapsed leaving the boat unmanned and out of control. Corson survived by leaping ashore before the uncontrolled ship drifted back out on the river., Title from item., Date supplied by Wainwright., Copyrighted by A. Pharazin., Philadelphia on Stone, POS 744, Accessioned 1982., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
Date: [1856]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *W478 [P.2252]

Title: Terrible conflagration and destruction of the steam-boat "New Jersey," On the River Delaware, opposite Philadelphia, on the night of Saturday, March 15th, 1856, between 8 and 9 o'clock, by which dreadful calamity sixty-one lives were lost. Names of all on board
Description: Dramatic view of the steamboat engulfed in flames and smoke, the captain still at the helm as the passengers escape into the icy river. Panicked-looking passengers jump into the water already teeming with disaster victims, including an African American man, who thrash, swim, and attempt to stay upon and assist others onto cakes of ice, debris, and a single rowboat. Rescuers from the nearby wharf, including firemen, work in a frantic manner and desperately throw a rope to a white woman standing on an ice floe. Also shows a horse on the fire engulfed deck and a white woman propelled by a flame off of the rear of the boat. A sign for "Baths" is visible on the riverbank in the background. Contains the names of the 107 white and "colored" dead, missing, and saved passengers in three columns below the image. Captained by Ebenezer Corson, the "New Jersey," on mid-voyage to Camden from Philadelphia via an alternate elongated route due to heavy ice, caught fire as a result of defective boilers, a fireplace, and brick work. With the fire spreading rapidly, Corson retreated to Arch Street Wharf in Philadelphia, and came within thirty feet of the pier when the pilot house collapsed leaving the boat unmanned and out of control. Corson survived by leaping ashore before the uncontrolled ship drifted back out on the river., Title from item., Date supplied by Wainwright., Copyrighted by A. Pharazin., Philadelphia on Stone, Purchase 1965., Description revised 2021., Access points revised 2021.
Date: [1856]
Location: Library Company of Philadelphia | Print Department *W478 [7541.F]

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