Blow up the photo, and look at the khaki-clad man standing on the right. Now look left of him, and study the figure face down, scorched skull, with the left arm with sleeve partially burned off, and its left hand clutcing downward. I believe the fireman is holding an arm.
I can identify with Harry's comments about Ringling's goon squads. In my time and visits there, the strict warning was that no one talks about the fire.
My father, William Warner, worked at New Haven Casket company in 1944 as an upholsterer, fabricating the inside of the boxes. He told stories when I was growing up of the whole shop working overtime the week after the fire making children sized caskets. Thus the first time I saw a circus in a tent, I was in it.
An interesting sidebar to the Hartford fire. The actor/director Charles Nelson Reilly, a Hartford native, is a survivor of the fire. As a boy then, he was taken to the circus on that tragic day. He is quoted as saying that since then, he has never again sat in an audience anywhere.
Hi Roger, It is a real shame after a fire like that Reily would not set in an audience due to the Hartford fire. All us fans if we were there would ahve gotten out down the seats or ove rthe top and under the side wall and then outside. People paniced and ran for the exits and the animal tunnels blocked there way. then they piled up on each other and died. You know i am always on the circuses side and why with war restrictions the circus could not get the flame retardent chemicals from the government. They then had to use parrifin and gasoline to waterproof the tent that made it very flammible. If they had got the fire proofing chemicals in the first placew there would have been no Hartford fire. When i go to show i always check where the way out is if you need it quick. Use your head for something besides a hat rack and yuo live longer. Harry Kingston
6 comments:
Sure looks like bodies?
Probably not. Fireman is moving whatever it is (a prop?) with his bare hand.
Blow up the photo, and look at the khaki-clad man standing on the right. Now look left of him, and study the figure face down, scorched skull, with the left arm with sleeve partially burned off, and its left hand clutcing downward. I believe the fireman is holding an arm.
I can identify with Harry's comments about Ringling's goon squads. In my time and visits there, the strict warning was that no one talks about the fire.
My father, William Warner, worked at New Haven Casket company in 1944 as an upholsterer, fabricating the inside of the boxes. He told stories when I was growing up of the whole shop working overtime the week after the fire making children sized caskets. Thus the first time I saw a circus in a tent, I was in it.
An interesting sidebar to the Hartford fire. The actor/director Charles Nelson Reilly, a Hartford native, is a survivor of the fire. As a boy then, he was taken to the circus on that tragic day. He is quoted as saying that since then, he has never again sat in an audience anywhere.
Hi Roger,
It is a real shame after a fire like that Reily would not set in an audience due to the Hartford fire.
All us fans if we were there would ahve gotten out down the seats or ove rthe top and under the side wall and then outside.
People paniced and ran for the exits and the animal tunnels blocked there way. then they piled up on each other and died.
You know i am always on the circuses side and why with war restrictions the circus could not get the flame retardent chemicals from the government. They then had to use parrifin and gasoline to waterproof the tent that made it very flammible. If they had got the fire proofing chemicals in the first placew there would have been no Hartford fire.
When i go to show i always check where the way out is if you need it quick. Use your head for something besides a hat rack and yuo live longer.
Harry Kingston
Post a Comment