Snow and ice fell from a north bound tractor trailer on Route 225 south of Elizabethville and crashed through the windshield of a south bound vehicle on February 16, 2007, causing lacerations to the face and hands of the driver. The driver was taken to Hershey Medical Center, and his vehicle was towed from the scene.
A two vehicle accident occurred in Upper Paxton Township, in Lenkerville, on February 16, 2001 at 1:15 p.m. The driver of a 1990 Pontiac Grand Am pulled out from Center Street onto Route 147 into the path of an oncoming 1984 Ford Bronco II. The driver of the Bronco swerved to miss the Grand Am, and the Bronco hit a curb, flipped onto its roof, and slid into a 1995 Jeep Wrangler. Neither driver was hurt . The Pontiac suffered minor damage to its right rear panel, the Bronco suffered severe damage to the entire vehicle, and the Jeep suffered minor damage to its front end. The 22-year-old driver of the Pontiac, from Halifax, was charged with driving under suspension, operating a vehicle with an open container of alcohol, failure to yield right away to oncoming traffic, expired inspection, expired registration, and driving under the influence of alcohol.
Site No. 2, one of twelve Atlas missile launching pads being dug near Roswell, New Mexico, was the scene of a deadly accident on February 16, 1961. Workers removed steel outriggers from an unmanned Lorain crane positioned near the edge of a 172 feet deep silo hole. The huge crane rolled through a wooden railing, toppled over backwards, and slid over the silo's edge. It hurtled downward, brushed workmen and scaffolding off the sides of the hole, and crashed in flames at the bottom, killing a total of six people and injuring 14 others.
1951
San Francisco City Hall Dome Fire - San Francisco, CA
On February 16, 1951, a workman's blow torch set fire to the Sab Francisco City Hall Dome. The fire burned for more than an hour, sending billows of smoke into the sky that were visible from much of San Francisco. Firefighters had difficulty reaching the blaze, because it was in woodwork between the inner and outer domes. The damage was estimated at $10,000.
Around 5 p.m. on February 16, 1882, a fire broke out in the Old Main building of the Pennsylvania Military Academy (later known as the Pennsylvania Military College, and even later as Widener University), in Chester, Pennsylvania. The 143 cadets were out drilling and returned to find the third corridor filling with smoke that was issuing from the laboratory. They quickly formed a bucket brigade from a lake some distance away, but the flames spread from the laboratory on the fourth floor to the eastern wing. The entire Chester Fire Department answered the alarm, but the apparatus was greatly delayed due to bad conditions of the street. By the time they reached the scene, the building was completely enveloped in flames. In the meantime, the cadets and hundreds of citizens had the campus strewn with furniture, books, provisions, and government property they emptied from the building. Most of the cadets were able to save the most valuable of their personal effects. By 9 p.m., nothing remained of the building but blackened walls. The loss was estimated at $200,000. After the fire, the cadets were summoned to the drill hall, when each was given enough money for transportation home. Nearly every state in the union was represented by a cadet.
A fire destroyed the magnificent hotel erected by R.V. Pierce on Prospect Avenue in Buffalo on February 16, 1881. The fire was discovered around 2 p.m. when smoke was seen issuing from the cupola above the sixth floor. The fire was found to be in the baggage room on the sixth floor. The hotel did have a fire extinguishing apparatus, but the cylinders burst when it was used. The fire department responded promptly, but the wind coming from the lake fanned the flames into ferocity. Twenty patients in the infirmary or medical and surgical department, two of whom had undergone serious operations only a few hours earlier were safely evacuated. The tower of the cupola crashed through the roof fifteen minutes later, and the fire was soon spread to the first floor. Frequent explosions were heard, probably a result of the cracking or bursting of the hotel's stone and marble interior. The building was burned to a pile of ruins within two hours. The boarders at the hotel lost all their personal property, valued from a few hundred dollars to $20,000. The total loss was estimated at $400,000. Several firemen were injured by falling walls. One was hurt seriously when he was buried under a portion of the tower when it fell. The hotel was built between 1876 and 1878. It had a frontage of 210 feet, with wing extensions of 125 feet, was 216 feet in depth, and 258 feet high including the tower.
1853
Steamer Independence Fire - Margaretta Island, Lower California
The steamer Independence, traveling from San Juan del Sud to San Francisco, ran aground on the shoals about a mile off Margaretta Island, near Lower California (present day Isla Santa Margarita, Baja California Sur, Mexico), around 5 a.m. on February 16, 1853. After striking, the Independence was able to back off the shoal. But, the captain found eight feet of water in the hold and ordered the pilot to run her aground on the beach. She made it to within 300 yards of the land. At that point, the ship caught fire, which spread rapidly, and created panic among the passengers. The surf was heavy and the ship's life boats were swamped the first time they were attempted to be used. The fire reached the powder magazine and it exploded with terrible force, shattering the steamer's stern to pieces and throwing fragments in every direction. Many of the passengers were blown into the sea, while others jumped in. They were immediately carried out to sea by the strong current sweeping from the shore. Those who did reach the shore watched helplessly as the struggling men, women, and children perished by the fire and in the sea. The ship swung around broadside to the beach. Her coal caught fire and she was totally destroyed - burned to the water level. The passengers who did survive found themselves on an uninhabited island without fresh water. They were there for fifty-six hours before they were able to attract the attention of some whaling vessels in Magdaline Bay, a few miles away. The whaling vessels came to their rescue and took them off the island. Of over 500 passengers, at least 140 were killed. Some were burned to death, others were killed by the explosion, but most drowned as they were swept out to sea.
The State Lunatic Asylum in Lexington, Kentuckey, was destroyed by fire on February 16, 1852. One lunatic burned to death and several others were severly injured. The Eastern Lunatic Asylum at Lexington was established in 1815 as a private institution. It came under the control of the state in 1824.
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