Let's start off with this one, since it's been on my mind recently.
In Hartford, CT, on July 6, 1944, a terrible fire disaster happened during a showing of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Approximately 168 people perished when a fire of suspicious origin began at the big top, setting the tent ablaze in under 10 minutes.
The tent had been coated in gallons of paraffin and gasoline as a method of waterproofing, which proved to be highly flammable. As the tent melted, it "rained down like napalm from the roof", burning hundreds of people. As with most disasters, panic ensued to the point where people were being trampled on the way to the exits. Many died while being asphyxiated under piles of bodies. It's also quite possible the death toll was higher than initially thought, as some remains may have been cremated by the toxins. Poor residency records, no exact knowledge of the ticket sales, and the attendance of drifters makes it difficult to ascertain how many people were in the crowd, and how many died.
The Hartford circus fire is known as "the day the clowns cried", sensationalized by a picture of clown Emmett Kelly holding a water bucket. Due to the atmospheric conditions that day, the fire was not likely caused by a carelessly tossed cigarette as some thought, but probably arson. Dale Segee, a man with multiple personality disorder, confessed that he had set the fire after he had a dream in which an indian riding a flaming horse told him to do it. He later recanted, but was charged for other crimes in his life, including arson.
The saddest twist to the story is Little Miss 1565. Named after the number assigned to her body at the morgue, she was a remarkably well-preserved victim of the fire. Although pictures of her were published in national sources, no one claimed her, and she was eventually buried without her true identity ever being known.
(Her picture is
here - BE WARNED, it's post-mortem. Looks like she's sleeping...)
Investigator Rick Davey, who published a book on her story in 1991 ("A Matter of Degree"), claims the girl was really Eleanor Emily Cook from Massachusetts, who attended the circus with her family. The mother, Mildred Cook, was badly injured in the fire, and too traumatized to claim her two dead children. When Mildred was later shown a picture of Miss 1565, she denied it was her daughter.
Despite the fact that researcher Stewart O'Nan (publisher of "The Circus Fire" book in 2001) fiercely disputed Miss 1565's true identity, her body was eventually exhumed and buried with the other Cook child who died. O'Nan persists that the girl's face, dental records, and other obvious features do not match those of Eleanor Cook. However, the matter seems closed at this point, as only DNA testing could prove conclusively if the girl is Eleanor or not.
I have to note that Stewart O'Nan's book on the subject is incredible. He details the entire event from start to finish, including a strong argument about why Eleanor was likely the unclaimed #1503. This raises the disheartening question... who is #1565? Were all her relatives killed in the fire, leaving no one left to claim her? O'Nan also covers a brief history of circus disasters up until the incident at Hartford, and then completes people's stories up into the 1990s. If this tragedy grabs you at all, I highly recommend reading his book.
SOURCEShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartford_circus_firehttp://www.circusfire1944.comhttp://www.findadeath.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1728http://wheelerclown.tripod.com/Clownpage/Hartford.html"The Circus Fire" @ Amazon
