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List of disasters in Massachusetts by death toll

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Ruins of the Great Boston Fire of 1872
Aftermath of the Grover Shoe Factory disaster (1905)
Great Chelsea fire of 1908
Streetcar involved in the Summer Street Bridge disaster (1916) being raised from the river
Wreckage of the Great Molasses Flood (1919)
Damage from the 1953 Worcester tornado
Andrea Doria sinking (1956)
Wreckage of Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 (1960)
Wreckage of the 1967 Nantucket radar plane crash, in a hangar after recovery

This is a list of known disasters that have occurred in Massachusetts, organized by death toll. Historically documented events that caused 10 or more deaths are included. Notes:

Year[a] Event Type Death toll Location Sources
1918 Spanish flu pandemic Disease 28,870 Statewide [1]
2020 COVID-19 pandemic Disease 20,872 Statewide [2]
1693 1693 Boston yellow fever epidemic Disease 3,100+ Boston [3]
1911 1911 Eastern North America heat wave Weather 1,110 Statewide [4]
1633 Massachusetts smallpox epidemic Disease 1,000 Statewide [5]
1721 1721 Boston smallpox outbreak Disease 844 Boston [6]
1677 1677–1678 Boston smallpox epidemic Disease 750–1,000 Boston [7]
1942 Cocoanut Grove fire Fire 492 Boston [8][9]
1898 Sinking of the Portland Shipwreck 193 to 245 off Gloucester[b] [10]
1874 Mill River Flood of 1874 Flood 139 Williamsburg/Northampton [11]
1963 Sinking of the USS Thresher Shipwreck 129 off Cape Cod[c] [12]
1884 Sinking of the SS City of Columbus Shipwreck 103 off Martha's Vineyard[d] [13]
1953 1953 Worcester tornado Weather 94 Worcester [14]
1973 Delta Air Lines Flight 723 Aviation accident 89 Boston [15][16]
1860 Pemberton Mill collapse Collapse (building) 88 to 145 Lawrence [17][18]
1938 1938 New England hurricane Weather 88 Statewide [19]
1875 Precious Blood Church fire Fire 78 Holyoke [20]
1960 Eastern Air Lines Flight 375 Aviation accident 62 Boston Harbor [21][22]
1905 Grover Shoe Factory disaster Explosion 58 Brockton [23]
1916 Summer Street Bridge disaster Railway accident 46 Boston [24]
1956 Sinking of the SS Andrea Doria Ship collision 46 off Nantucket[e] [25]
1925 Pickwick Club collapse Collapse (building) 44 Boston [26]
1927 Sinking of the USS S-4 Ship collision 40 off Provincetown[f] [29]
1887 Forest Hills disaster Collapse (rail bridge) 38 Boston [30]
1911 Septic sore throat outbreak Disease 38 Boston [31]
1953 Explosion aboard USS Leyte Shipboard explosion 37 Boston (Naval Annex) [32][33]
1871 Great Revere train wreck of 1871 Railway collision 30 Revere [34]
1913 Arcadia Hotel fire Fire 28 Boston [35][36]
1872 Great Boston Fire of 1872 Fire 26 to 30 Boston [37][38]
1946 Mount Tom B-17 crash Aviation accident 25 Holyoke [39][40]
1874 Granite Mill fire Fire 23 Fall River [41]
1890 1890 Quincy train wreck Railway accident 23 Quincy [42]
1958 Northeast Airlines Flight 258 Aviation accident 23 Nantucket [43][44]
1903 United States Cartridge Company explosion Explosion 22 Lowell [45]
1915 St. John's School fire Fire 21 Peabody [46]
1919 Great Molasses Flood Flood 21 Boston [47]
1928 Preble Box Toe Company explosion Explosion 20 Lynn [48]
1878 Wollaston disaster Railway accident 19 Quincy [49]
1908 Great Chelsea fire of 1908 Fire 19 Chelsea [50]
1945 SS Silver Star Park and SS Mangore collision Ship collision 19 off New Bedford[g] [53][54]
1966 1966 Nantucket radar plane crash Aviation accident 19 off Nantucket[h] [55][56]
2012 2012–2013 flu season Disease 18 Statewide [57]
1905 Baker Bridge train wreck Railway collision 17 Lincoln [58]
1910 Morewood Lake Ice Company explosion Explosion 17 Pittsfield [59]
1944 Sinking of the USS YF-415 Shipboard explosion 17 off Hingham[i] [60]
1804 1804 New England hurricane Weather 16 Statewide [61]
1965 1965 Nantucket radar plane crash Aviation accident 16 off Nantucket[j] [62][63]
1942 Garnet Peak C-53 crash Aviation accident 16 Peru [64][65]
1958 Westover Air Force Base KC-135 crash Aviation accident 15 Chicopee [66][67]
1967 1967 Nantucket radar plane crash Aviation accident 15 off Nantucket[k] [68][69]
1984 Beverly rooming house fire Fire (arson) 15 Beverly [70]
1893 Chester train wreck Collapse (rail bridge) 14 Chester [71]
1928 Beacon Oil explosion Explosion 14 Everett [72]
1867 Hoosac Tunnel Central Shaft accident Collapse (rail tunnel) 13 Florida [73]
1906 Amsden Building collapse Collapse (building) 13 Framingham [74][75]
1941 Strand Theatre fire Fire 13 Brockton [76]
1942 Melvin Hall fire Fire 13 Lynn [77]
1956 Swampscott train wreck Railway collision 13 Swampscott [78]
1966 Everett train-truck crash Railway accident 13 Everett [79]
1890 North End tenement fire (North Street) Fire 12 Boston [80][81]
1952 Camp Edwards C-47/F-94B collision Aviation accident 12 Mashpee [82][83]
1958 Northeast Airlines Flight 285 Aviation accident 12 New Bedford [84][85]
1886 Deerfield railway accident Railway accident 11 Deerfield [86]
1902 Frank A. Palmer and Louise B. Crary collision Ship collision 11 off Gloucester[l] [87]
1913 Lawrence bathhouse tragedy Drowning 11 Lawrence [88]
1919 Springfield Boys' Club Camp drownings Drowning 11 East Otis [89]
1964 January 1964 blizzard Weather 11 Statewide [90]
1966 Paramount Hotel explosion Explosion 11 Boston [91]
1902 North End lodging house fire (Fleet Street) Fire 10 Boston [92][93]
1944 Mount Holyoke B-24 crash Aviation accident 10 South Hadley [94][95]
1973 Worcester rooming house fire Fire 10 Worcester [96]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ For continuous multi-year events, the year in the year column represents the initial year of the event, unless otherwise noted.
  2. ^ The wreck is located within Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
  3. ^ Approximately 220 miles (350 km) east of Cape Cod
  4. ^ Approximately one mile (1.6 km) northwest of Gay Head Light
  5. ^ Approximately 50 miles (80 km) south of Nantucket
  6. ^ Approximately 1,800 yards (1.0 mi; 1.6 km) off Wood End Coast Guard Station,[27] which was located near Wood End Light.[28]
  7. ^ Described as "in the vicinity of Hen and Chickens Lightship at Buzzards Bay, Mass."[51] although another source places the collision at "about 45 nm ENE of the Long Island Sound access to New York City and about 10 nm from Newport, RI".[52]
  8. ^ Approximately 125 miles (201 km) east of Nantucket
  9. ^ Approximately 14 miles (23 km) northeast of Boston Harbor
  10. ^ Approximately 85 miles (137 km) northeast of Nantucket
  11. ^ Approximately one-quarter mile (0.40 km) off Madaket Beach
  12. ^ The wrecks are located in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Shea, Lois R. (November 1, 1998). "Sudden, swift, silent, and deadly 80 years ago, flu ravaged New England". The Boston Globe.
  2. ^ "COVID-19 Response Reporting". Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  3. ^ "1693 — June 17 start, Yellow Fever, Boston, British fleet arrival from Martinique[1]—<10?". 17 June 1693. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  4. ^ Aldrich, Ian (March 24, 2010). "Natural Disasters: New England Numbers". Yankee Magazine. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  5. ^ "1633–34 — Smallpox Epidemic, New England Natives, Plymouth Colonists, MA –>1000". usdeadlyevents.com. January 1632. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  6. ^ Kelly, M.D., Howard; Burrage, M.D., Walter (1920). American Medical Biographies. The Norman, Remington Company. p. 134. Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  7. ^ "1677–1678 — Smallpox Epidemic, Massachusetts Bay Colony, esp. Boston & vic. –750-1,000". usdeadlyevents. January 1676. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  8. ^ Daniel J. Fleming, "The Cocoanut Grove Revisited: U.S. Navy Records Document How 492 Died in a Deadly Nightclub Fire 75 Years Ago." Prologue Magazine, Fall 2017, Vol. 49, No. 3
  9. ^ "The Story of the Cocoanut Grove Fire". bostonfirehistory.org. Boston Fire Historical Society. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  10. ^ "Passenger and Crew Lost with the Steamship Portland". Maritime Heritage. Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  11. ^ "Passenger and Crew Lost with the Steamship Portland". Maritime Heritage. Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. 5 January 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  12. ^ Duddu, Praveen (6 March 2014). "Peril in the depths – the world's worst submarine disasters". Navaltechnology.com. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  13. ^ King, Irving H. (1996). The Coast Guard Expands, 1865–1915: New Roles, New Frontiers. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. ISBN 978-1-55750-458-6.
  14. ^ "The 25 Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes". National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
  15. ^ Burden, Leanne; Tuite, Lisa (2012-08-01). "Flight 723: Boston's worst plane crash in history". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  16. ^ "Logan Airport – July 31, 1973". newenglandaviationhistory.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  17. ^ Date, Terry. "The walls trembled, then fell: Lessons from the Pemberton disaster". The Eagle Tribune. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  18. ^ "THE FALL OF THE PEMBERTON MILL". The New York Times. April 18, 1886.
  19. ^ Scotti, R. A. "Sudden Sea — The Great Hurricane of 1938". Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 2003. Archived from the original on January 2, 2007. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
  20. ^ Corbeil, Art (2000). "Fire at Precious Blood". HolyokeMass.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017.
  21. ^ Reints, Renae (October 5, 2017). "Throwback Thursday: The Worst Bird Strike in U.S. History". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  22. ^ "Logan Airport – October 4, 1960". newenglandaviationhistory.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  23. ^ "Fifty-eighth Brockton Victim Dead". The New York Times. April 16, 1905.
  24. ^ Moskowitz, Eric (October 29, 1916). "STREET CAR PLUNGE 46 DROWNED: 'WORST TRAGEDY IN THE HISTORY OF THE CITY' (And the one Boston completely forgot)". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  25. ^ "PBS Online – Lost Liners – Comparison Chart". PBS.
  26. ^ "Disaster Probe Again Delayed". The Boston Daily Globe. July 10, 1925.
  27. ^ "U.S. Sub, 43 Aboard, Goes Down In Crash". Decatur Daily Review. Decatur, Illinois. AP. December 18, 1927. p. 1. Retrieved October 25, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Station Wood End, Massachusetts". history.uscg.mil. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  29. ^ Hoppe, Jon (October 29, 2015). "Anatomy of a Tragedy: The Sinking of the USS S-4". U.S. Naval Institute. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  30. ^ "Bussey Bridge Disaster: Feature News Account". Boston Daily Globe. Jamaica Historical Society. March 15, 1887.
  31. ^ Vaughan, Victor C. (1922). Respiratory infections. St. Louis: C. V. Mosby Company. p. 124. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  32. ^ "Leyte III (CV-32)". history.navy.mil. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved October 21, 2024. As a result of the fire, 37 men died and 28 were injured, the number including civilian workmen who were on board when the fire began.
  33. ^ Mullins, Lisa (October 23, 2023). "70 years later, survivor recalls Boston ship blast that killed 37". WBUR-FM. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  34. ^ The New York Herald August 30, 1871 page 10 lists 30 fatalities
  35. ^ "Record Toll in Fire Victims" (PDF). The Boston Daily Globe. December 4, 1913. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  36. ^ "Arcadia Hotel Fire (newspaper articles)" (PDF). bostonfirehistory.org. Boston Fire Historical Society. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  37. ^ "Great Boston Fire of 1872". bostonfirehistory.org. Boston Fire Historical Society. Retrieved October 26, 2024. Nine firefighters were killed during the Fire, two after the Fire, along with perhaps fifteen civilians.
  38. ^ "The Great Boston Fire of 1872". newenglandhistoricalsociety.com. New England Historical Society. 2024. Retrieved October 26, 2024. at least 30 people died, including 12 firefighters
  39. ^ "25 Bodies Found in Bomber Crash". The New York Times. July 11, 1946.
  40. ^ "Mt. Tom B-17 Crash – July 9, 1946". newenglandaviationhistory.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  41. ^ "23 Killed---26 Wounded". The Pilot. September 26, 1874. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  42. ^ Massachusetts Board of Railroad Commissioners (1890). Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners 1890. pp. 113–135. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  43. ^ Walsh, Robert (August 17, 1958). "Air Safety Probe Demanded for N.E.: Nantucket Crash Toll Rises to 23; 11 Survive". The Boston Daily Globe.
  44. ^ "Nantucket, Massachusetts – August 15, 1958". newenglandaviationhistory.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  45. ^ "Makes 22 Lives Lost". The Boston Daily Globe. September 25, 1903.
  46. ^ BURKE, ALAN (October 27, 2015). "Suffer the little children: Remembering the 21 who died in the St. John's fire 100 years ago". Salem News. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  47. ^ Sohn, Emily (January 15, 2019). "Why the Great Molasses Flood Was So Deadly". The History Channel. A&E Television Networks. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  48. ^ "John Coleman Dies, 20th in Lynn Blast". The Boston Daily Globe. November 25, 1928.
  49. ^ Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners Volume 11, Part 1880. 1880. pp. 186–187. Retrieved 19 February 2022.
  50. ^ "Great Chelsea Fire of 1908". Celebrate Boston. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  51. ^ "Jensen Estate Now Settled". The Peterborough Examiner. Peterborough, Ontario. October 23, 1948. p. 2. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  52. ^ "This Week in RCN/Maritime History". NAC News (508 ed.). Naval Association of Canada. April 7, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via navalassoc.ca.
  53. ^ "19 Dead, 3 Missing Listed In Tanker, Freighter Crash". The Buffalo News. AP. April 14, 1945. p. 7. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  54. ^ Barry, William R.; Chisholm, Doug; Parsons, Beth (2005). Age Shall Not Weary Them: Saskatchewan Remembers Its War Dead. People Places Pub.
  55. ^ "Otis Radar Plane Lost; 19 Aboard". The Boston Globe. November 11, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved October 24, 2024 – via newspapers.com. An Air Force radar picket plane with 19 men aboard plunged into the ocean 125 miles east of Nantucket at 1:30 this morning, and a wide search has found no trace of survivors.
  56. ^ "Atlantic Ocean – November 11, 1966". newenglandaviationhistory.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  57. ^ "Boston declares flu emergency; 18 dead statewide from outbreak". The Berkshire Eagle. January 9, 2013.
  58. ^ "Rear-End Collision Brings Deaths to 17". The Boston Daily Globe. November 27, 1905.
  59. ^ "17th Victim of Explosion". The Boston Daily Globe. December 30, 1910.
  60. ^ "USS YF-415". Northern Atlantic Dive Expeditions. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  61. ^ Ludlum, David McWilliams (1963). Early American hurricanes, 1492–1870. Boston, Massachusetts: American Meteorological Society. ISBN 978-0-933876-16-3.
  62. ^ Jenner, Edward A.; Anglin, Robert J. (July 12, 1965). "Plane Down Off Cape—19 Aboard". The Boston Globe. p. 1. Retrieved October 24, 2024 – via newspapers.com. A four-engined Air Force radar picket plane with 19 men aboard ditched in the ocean 85 miles northeast of here Sunday night.
  63. ^ "Atlantic Ocean – July 11, 1965". newenglandaviationhistory.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  64. ^ "Army Announces Names of Peru Crash Victims". The Boston Globe. UP. August 19, 1942. p. 6. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  65. ^ "Peru, Massachusetts – August 15, 1942". newenglandaviationhistory.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  66. ^ "Jet Tanker Crashes; 15 Killed". The Boston Daily Globe. June 27, 1958.
  67. ^ "Chicopee, Massachusetts – June 27, 1958". newenglandaviationhistory.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  68. ^ Jenner, Edward A.; Connolly, Richard J. (April 26, 1967). "Plane Crash Off Nantucket Kills 15--1 Survivor". The Boston Globe. p. 1. Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via newspapers.com. An Air Force radar picket plane with 16 crewmen aboard caught fire in midair and exploded in flames as it crashed into the Atlantic one-quarter of a mile off Madaket Beach at 7:05 Tuesday night.
  69. ^ "Off Nantucket – April 25, 1967". newenglandaviationhistory.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  70. ^ "July Fire in Beverly Claims 15th Victim". The Boston Globe. August 8, 1984.
  71. ^ "List of Dead Numbers 14". The Boston Daily Globe. September 4, 1893.
  72. ^ "Ask Beacon Plant Permit Be Revoked". The Boston Daily Globe. March 13, 1928.
  73. ^ "The Hoosac Tunnel Disaster of 1867". New England Historical Society. 2014-10-18. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
  74. ^ "Only One is Now Missing". The Boston Daily Globe. July 26, 1906.
  75. ^ "Chester Nicholson Dead". The Boston Daily Globe. November 14, 1908.
  76. ^ "Herlihy's Death 13th From Brockton Fire". The Boston Daily Globe. March 13, 1941.
  77. ^ Monahan, James (January 21, 1942). "Probe Ordered of Lynn Blaze Which Killed 13". The Boston Daily Globe.
  78. ^ Linscott, Seymour (February 29, 1956). "Probe 13-Death Wreck: B & M Blames Dead Budd Liner Engineer". The Boston Daily Globe.
  79. ^ "Everett Rail Crash Claims 13th Victim". The Boston Daily Globe. February 6, 1967.
  80. ^ "Victims of a Death Trap". The New York Times. February 3, 1890. p. 1. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  81. ^ "Twelve Lives Lost at a Tenement House Blaze". Boston Evening Transcript. February 3, 1890. p. 1. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  82. ^ "Planes Crash Aloft; 12 in Air Force Die". The New York Times. April 10, 1952. p. 43. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via TimesMachine.
  83. ^ "Otis Air Force Base – April 9, 1952". newenglandaviationhistory.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  84. ^ "12th Crash Victim Dies". The New York Times. September 25, 1957.
  85. ^ "New Bedford, Massachusetts – September 15, 1957". newenglandaviationhistory.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  86. ^ Massachusetts Board of Railroad Commissioners (1887). Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners 1887. pp. 64–68. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  87. ^ "11 Dead, 10 Saved". The Boston Daily Globe. December 23, 1902.
  88. ^ Volger, Mark E. (June 30, 2013). "The day 'many happy homes were made silent and sorrowful'". The Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
  89. ^ "Eleven Boys Are Drowned At One Picnic". The Boston Globe. July 26, 1919. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  90. ^ "New England Digs Out, Counts 31 Dead, Millions Spent". The Boston Daily Globe. January 15, 1964.
  91. ^ Turner, R. L. (May 20, 1966). "Gas Leak Blamed For Hub Blast". The Boston Globe.
  92. ^ "Fire Kills Ten Italians in Boston". The New York Times. January 30, 1902. p. 16. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  93. ^ "Hundreds Like the Fleet St. Fire Trap". The Boston Post. January 30, 1902. p. 2. Retrieved October 26, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  94. ^ "Arlington Flyer One of Ten Killed in Holyoke Crash". The Boston Globe. May 29, 1944. p. 1. Retrieved October 23, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  95. ^ "Mount Holyoke, Massachusetts – May 27, 1944". newenglandaviationhistory.com. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  96. ^ "10th victim found from Worcester guest house fire". The Boston Globe. July 16, 1973.
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