1957 — Nov 16, fire, tenement bldg. (ex-Moonglow Hotel), Allen Ave., Niagara Falls, NY-18

–18 Bradberry. “Bradberry: Out of the fire: Life from the ashes.” Niagara Gazette, 2-19-2013.
–18 McKinley. “Survivor of Deadly Niagara Falls Fire Writes Book…” WGRZ.com, 5-3-2013.
–18 Middletown Times Herald, NY. “Arson Probed in Niagara Holocaust.” 11-18-1957, p. 15.
–18 National Fire Protection Assoc. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003).
–18 Syracuse Herald-Journal, NY. “18 Dead – Tenement Owner Gets 2-5 Years.” 4-9-1958, 1.
–18 Syracuse Herald-Journal, NY. “Landlord Found Guilty in Deaths.” 3-18-1958, p. 8.
–18 Wellsville Daily Reporter, NY. “Falls Tenement Owner Facing Manslaughter…” 12-12-57
–17 Dunkirk Evening Observer, NY. “17 Persons Killed In Niagara Falls…Fire…” 11-16-1957.
–17 Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY. “17 Perish in Tenement Blaze.” 11-17-1957, p. 3.

Narrative Information

Bradberry: “It still stands as a record that should never be approached, let alone broken; 15 children and three adults died in the Moonglow Hotel, in the worst fire in Niagara Falls’ history, Nov. 16, 1957. Annie L. Reid, then just 4 years old was pulled from the flames by her sister who found her hiding underneath her crib. Thrown from a second-story window of the dilapidated tenement building, little Annie miraculously survived the fire and lived to write a book about it.

“Now 55 years later retired US Marine Corps First Sgt. Annie L. Chivers’ poignant memoir tells the heartbreaking, but inspirational story of one woman’s journey in the aftermath of losing nearly her entire family in one of the worst tragedies in the history of African American’s migration from the back breaking work in the cotton fields and farm life of Pigeon Creek, Alabama and other communities in the Deep South to live and work just as hard in the body breaking factories and farms of Niagara Falls and Western New York….

“The area, once one populated by small junk yards and immigrant factory workers who settled here from Hitler and Mussolini’s “Old Country” in Europe and Jim Crow’s Deep South, a neighborhood where the otherwise unwanted were forced to live in some kind of harmony on their way toward “Americanization,” now a wasteland….

“…at 2449 Allen Ave. at the Moonglow, near the foot of the street, little Howard, Horace, Belinda, Arlene, Gloria Jean, twins Terry and Jerry, tiny 2-month-old Bonnie Patricia and their mother, Mrs. Mary Ewing, were huddled together in their beds, finding each others’ warmth against the cold wind that crept in through the cracks in the walls. In another room slept some of the Reid children, Walter, Carson, Harvey, William, Sanford and 5-month-old Mary Louise. The furnace in their building was not working correctly that night, according to some….

“Gazette reporter Rick Forgione wrote 50 years later on Nov. 16, 2007, Niagara Falls Police Traffic Division Capt. Jack Dietz was on routine patrol when he saw flames bursting out of his son’s building at 2449 Allen Ave….

“Dietz’s son, William Dietz was found responsible and convicted of first-degree manslaughter. The notorious distinction cast a dark shadow of regret over the close-knit family, a burden that still exists today. “Our family has suffered and are haunted by what happened in that fire,” William Dietz’s daughter, Patti Dietz said from her California home. “Every day we remember that fire. It will haunt us all of our lives. My dad never wanted that tragic fire to happen. He never wanted anyone to die.” she told Forgione.

“Indicted by a 24-member grand jury Dec. 11, 1957, on charges of first- and second-degree manslaughter after the jury heard testimony from 42 people in a probe into the fatal fire conducted by District Attorney William H. Earl, a jury of 10 men and two women in March 1958 convicted Dietz on the first-degree manslaughter charge. Genesee County Judge Philip J. Weiss sentenced Dietz to two to five years at Attica State Prison….” (Bradberry, Bill. “Bradberry: Out of the fire: Life from the ashes.” Niagara Gazette, 2-19-2013.)

McKinley: “Niagara Falls, NY — A woman who survived the deadliest fire in the history of Niagara Falls, has now written a book about her experiences. The blaze took place more than 50 years ago and claimed the lives of seven of her siblings. On November 16th 1957, 18 people, including 15 children, died when flames swept through the Moonglow Hotel, a tenement in the city’s north end. Most of the victims came from two families….

“Now one of the survivors, Annie Reid Chivers, has written a powerful memoir, Out of the Fire, Life from the Ashes, about her journey growing up without the loved ones she can barely remember, and her remaining family’s struggle pick up the pieces….

“The owner of the Moonglow Hotel, which stood on Allen Avenue, was eventually tried and convicted of manslaughter in connection with the fire, after investigators concluded the conditions of the building, made escaping the flames difficult or impossible.

“Historians note that if there was a silver lining to this dark tragedy, it was that the deadly fire sparked what is today NY State’s uniform fire safety codes….” (McKinley, Dave. “Survivor of Deadly Niagara Falls Fire Writes Book About Her Experiences.” WGRZ.com, 5-3-2013.)

Newspapers

Nov 16, UP: “Niagara Falls, N.Y. (UP) – The charred bodies of three adults and 13 children were carried from the gutted tenement…building, known as the Moonglow Hotel but used as a permanent residence, shortly after firemen put out the smoldering blaze. One other victim, Mrs. Mary Ewing, 25, mother of six of the children who lost their lives, was found alongside the blackened structure after she had made a fatal leap from a window. Authorities said the other death victims included Jack Thompson, John Jackson and six children of the family of Sanford Reid, who was treated at a hospital for minor injuries.

“The fire was discovered by officers in a police car which happened to pass the scene. When firemen arrived, the upper portion of the building was a mass of flames and it was impossible to enter. Ambulances rushed to the scene to treat the injured. Horace Ewing, 35, husband of the dead woman, and Mrs. Louise Reid, 37, mother of the 11-children Reid family, were reported in ‘fair’ condition at St. Mary’s Hospital. Another of the injured, Herbert Reid, 16, was listed in very critical condition in Memorial Hospital.

“First reports indicated the blaze was started by careless smoking. However, nearby residents reported hearing an explosion before the flames broke out, indicating the fire may have been caused by a gas heater.” (Dunkirk Evening Observer, NY. “17 Persons Killed In Niagara Falls Rooming Home Fire This Morning.” 11-16-1957, p. 1.)

Nov 16, AP: “Niagara Falls, N.Y., Nov. 16 (AP) – A nightmare fire roared through a rickety tenement early today taking 17 lives. Fourteen were children. In seconds, flames engulfed the thee-story frame structure which housed two Negro families. The dead, most of them trapped upstairs, included a 25-year-old mother and her eight children, six youngsters from the other family, and two roomers in what was once the Moonglow Hotel.

“It was the worst fire in the history of this honeymoon capital. Nine people were injured. Herbert Reid, 16, was near death.

“City officials probed through the charred shell seeking the cause. Tentatively, they blamed an oil-fired steam furnace that may have exploded. Killed were Mrs. Mary Ewing, 25, and her eight children – Howard, 9; Horace Jr., 8; Arline, 6; Gloria Jean, 3; twins Terry and Jerry, 1, and Bonnie Patricia, 2 months. Also killed were six of the 10 children of Mr. and Mrs. Sanford Reid – Walter, 17; Carson, 10; Harvey, 6; William, 3; Sanford Jr., 2, and Mary Louise, 5 months. The two men who died were identified as Jack Thomas and John Johnson.

“The injured were Horace Ewing Sr., 35; Reid, 37; his wife, Louise, 38; and the other Reid children, Lucille, 15; Leila, 18; Cledine, 13, and Lois, 4….

“The fire was discovered at 4:35 a.m. by Police Capt. John J. Dietz and Patrolman James Bell, passing in a prowl car. Dietz’s son, William, a building demolition contractor, owned the building.

“Mrs. Frances Haynes, who lives across the street, said she was awakened by an explosion. She looked out and saw flames coming from a second floor window.

“Capt. Dietz said it was impossible to get into the building. When firemen arrived the inside was a sea of fire.” (Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY. “17 Perish in Tenement Blaze.” 11-17-1957, p. 3.)

Nov 18. AP: “Niagara Falls (AP) – Investigators probing a tenement fire that killed 18 persons, 15 of them children, say they will give lie detector tests to several persons and present all evidence to a grand Jury. City, county and state officials sifted through the ruins all day yesterday and questioned the eight survivors of the roaring fire that raced through the three-story frame building Saturday…. The officials held a three-hour conference last night to compare notes…

“The 18th victim, Herbert Reid, 16, died yesterday of burns. Five of his brothers and a baby sister died in the fire along with the mother of another family, her eight children and two men….

“Both Negro families in the building had been served with eviction notices. The cases were scheduled to be heard in city court tomorrow.

“Daniel W. Collins, city director of housing rehabilitation, said the structure “met the bare minimum housing requirements.” He said it had been inspected last June when seven families were living there. Five moved out since then, one of them, a family of ten, had left only two days before the pre-dawn fire.

“The owner of toe building, William Dietz, said he had planned to use it as a warehouse.” (Middletown Times Herald, NY. “Arson Probed in Niagara Holocaust.” 11-18-1957, p. 15.)

Dec 12, AP: “Lockport (AP) – The owner of a Niagara Falls tenement in which 18 died in a fire Nov. 16, faces trial on charges of first and second degree manslaughter. William Dietz was indicted by a 24-member Niagara County grand jury yesterday. The jury also returned a second indictment contents of which remained sealed. The jury exonerated William Andrews, acting building commissioner, by returning a “no-bill” to charges of willful neglect. Dist. Atty. William II. Earl said the first-degree manslaughter charge was based on allegations that violations of the state’s multiple dwelling law existed in the building. The other count was based on charges that Dietz was negligent in allowing the conditions to continue. Dietz pleaded innocent to both charges and was released in $10,000 property bond. County Judge Frank J. Kronenberg set no date for the trial.

“Although the grand jury exonerated Andrews, it said that little effort has been made to enforce multiple residence laws in Niagara Falls. But it added that it was ‘humanly impossible’ for Andrews to cope with the situation with only three officials in the commissioner’s office.

“No cause has yet been determined for the fire….

“The jury called for an urgent program to increase the building commissioner’s staff, step up construction to meet a critical housing shortage and crack down on violators. It also called for a legislative review.” (Wellsville Daily Reporter, NY. “Falls Tenement Owner Facing Manslaughter Trial After Bad Fire.” 12-12-1957, p. 1.)

March 18, AP: “Lockport (AP) – The owner of a tenement in Niagara Falls where 18 persons died in a fire last November has been convicted of first-degree manslaughter. William Dietz, 37, a son of a Niagara Falls police captain, faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison on the conviction. A Niagara County jury of 10 men and two women returned the verdict last night after deliberating six hours. The prosecution charged that Dietz failed to comply with the state’s multiple dwelling law requiring fireproof doors and partitions. The defense argued that Dietz had tried to evict the two Negro families and that others moved in without his knowledge.” (Syracuse Herald-Journal, NY. “Landlord Found Guilty in Deaths.” 3-18-1958, p. 8.)

April 9, AP: “Lockport, N.Y. (AP) – The owner of a tenement, where fire killed 18 persons, was sentenced today to serve two to five years in prison. William Dietz, 37, was convicted in Niagara County Court March 17 on a charge of first-degree manslaughter. In sentencing him, Judge Philip J. Weiss said Dietz had willfully violated a state law requiring fireproof doors and partitions in such buildings. The building was in Niagara Falls. Fifteen children and three adults died in the fire, which enveloped the three – story frame structure last Nov. 16.” (Syracuse Herald-Journal, NY. “18 Dead – Tenement Owner Gets 2-5 Years.” 4-9-1958, p. 1.)

Sources

Bradberry, Bill. “Bradberry: Out of the fire: Life from the ashes.” Niagara Gazette, 2-19-2013.
Accessed 7-2-2013: http://niagara-gazette.com/opinion/x730445411/BRADBERRY-Out-of-the-fire-Life-from-the-ashes

Dunkirk Evening Observer, NY. “17 Persons Killed In Niagara Falls Rooming Home Fire This Morning.” 11-16-1957, 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=130408725&sterm

McKinley, Dave. “Survivor of Deadly Niagara Falls Fire Writes Book About Her Experiences.” WGRZ.com, 5-3-2013. Accessed 7-2-2013 at: http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/213251/13/Survivor-Of-Deadly-Niagara-Falls-Fire-Writes-Book-About-Her-Experiences

Middletown Times Herald, NY. “Arson Probed in Niagara Holocaust.” 11-18-1957, p. 15. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=172334921&sterm

National Fire Protection Association. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003). (Email attachment to B. W. Blanchard from Jacob Ratliff, NFPA Archivist/Taxonomy Librarian, 7-8-2013.)

Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY. “17 Perish in Tenement Blaze.” 11-17-1957, p. 3. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=18400058&sterm

Syracuse Herald-Journal, NY. “18 Dead – Tenement Owner Gets 2-5 Years.” 4-9-1958, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=22495744&sterm

Syracuse Herald-Journal, NY. “Landlord Found Guilty in Deaths.” 3-18-1958, p. 8. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=22494536&sterm

Wellsville Daily Reporter, NY. “Falls Tenement Owner Facing Manslaughter Trial After Bad Fire.” 12-12-1957, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=135551120&sterm