On this day in New York · July 19, 1845
The Great Fire of 1845 Levels Lower Manhattan
A predawn fire in a whale-oil shop reached a warehouse full of saltpeter, and the explosion that followed flattened block after block of the young city's business district.
The facts
- Date
- July 19, 1845
- Origin
- A whale-oil and candle shop at 34 New Street, Manhattan
- Turning point
- A saltpeter explosion in a warehouse on Broad Street
- Damage
- 345 buildings destroyed, about 30 dead
Before dawn on July 19, 1845, fire broke out in a whale-oil and candle shop at 34 New Street in Lower Manhattan and spread fast through the crowded blocks around Wall Street. When the flames reached a warehouse on Broad Street where saltpeter was stored, the building blew up and threw burning debris even farther. By the time it was out, 345 buildings across the heart of the business district were gone and roughly thirty people were dead. It was the second time in a decade that fire had gutted downtown, after the Great Fire of 1835.
In their words
The day in the words of the people who were there. Every quote is verbatim, and every source links out so you can check it.
-
reached a warehouse on Broad Street where combustible saltpeter was stored and caused a massive explosion
Great Fire of New York (1845), Wikipedia
Source: Great Fire of New York (1845), Wikipedia
Why it still matters
The scale of the loss pushed New York toward fireproof brick and stone construction downtown and tighter rules on storing explosives among the counting houses. The district that burned came back as the banking center we still call the Financial District.
Sources
Get the day it happened, the day it happens.
Every morning brief ends with this day in New York history, and every day adds a page to this almanac. Free, in your inbox.
Free to start. The unsubscribe link actually works.