20th Century

1948 — March 10, Delta Air Flight 705 takeoff crash, Chicago Municipal Airport, IL — 12

lornajarrettblanchard March 10, 1948

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard Sep 26, 2023 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

— 12 Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Delta Air Lines Flight 705, 10 Mar 1948

— 12 Baugher. 1943 USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437). 11-7-2011 rev.

— 12 CAB. AIR. Delta Air Lines, Inc. – Chicago, Illinois, March 10, 1948.

— 12 National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss Fires of 1948.” 42/3, Jan 1949, p. 196.

Narrative Information

Baugher: “Douglas C-54B-15-DO Skymaster….17190 (c/n 18390/DO164) purchased by Douglas Mar 1, 1946 and converted to DC-4 (conversion No. 51) and sold to Delta Airlines May 2, 1946 registered as N37478, side number 78. Crashed on takeoff at Midway Airport, Chicago, IL Mar 10, 1948. 12 of 13 onboard killed.” (Baugher. 1943 USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437). 11-7-2011 revision.)

Civil Aeronautics Board: “At approximately 2258, March 10, 1948, Delta Air Lines Flight 705, a DC-4, airplane NC 37478, crashed and burned 150 feet beyond the north boundary of the Municipal Airport, Chicago, Illinois. Eight of the nine passengers and the four crew members were killed, and one passenger was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed…..

“The take-off roll and the first part of the climb appeared to be normal until the aircraft and progressed three-quarters of the way down the runway, at which time it had reached an altitude between 150 and 200 feet. Then, while still within the airport boundaries, it assumed a very steep, near vertical, climbing attitude. Airport, tower, and flight personal observing from the ground believed the flight to be in difficulty, and though no distress signal was received from the airplane, the tower promptly telephoned the crash and fire facilities on the field. At an altitude between 500 and 800 feet the airplane appeared to stall, and the nose and right wing dropped. A partial recovery from the stall was made before the aircraft crashed to the ground and burst into flames….

“The possibility of mechanical or structural failure as a cause of this accident appears to be extremely remote. No evidence was found to indicate that the control cables or control surfaces had been restricted by foreign matter, nor was any indication found of structural defect except that which resulted from impact. The bent and twisted propeller blades showed that all engines had been developing power, accordingly, engines could not have been a contributing factor. There was also a lack of evidence that ice had formed on or around any of the control surfaces or on their actuating cables or mechanisms. At the time that the flight landed at Chicago and during the period that the airplane remained on the ground, subfreezing temperatures prevailed. Conditions were not conducive to the formation of ice for the air and runway surfaces were dry. Furthermore, the inspection of a similar airplane disclosed no possibility that water from melted snow which might have been tracked into the cabin could have dripped and frozen on any of the control cables….

“The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the loss of longitudinal control of the airplane. The cause for the loss of control remains undetermined.” (CAB. AIR. Delta Air Lines, Inc. – Chicago, Illinois, March 10, 1948.)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network. Accident Description. Delta Air Lines Flight 705, 10 Mar 1948. Accessed 2/8/2009 at: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19480310-1

Baugher, Joseph F. 1943 USAAF Serial Numbers (43-5109 to 43-52437). Nov 7, 2011 revision. Accessed 12-18-2011 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1943_2.html

Civil Aeronautics Board. Accident Investigation Report. Delta Air Lines, Inc. – Chicago, Illinois, March 10, 1948. Washington, DC: CAB. Accessed at: http://dotlibrary1.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?websearch&site=dot_aircraftacc

National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss Fires of 1948.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 42, No. 3, January 1949, pp. 133-197.

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20th Century

1948 — Feb 13, Fire, Apartment Building, Hoage family, Cedar Street, Utica, NY — 11

lornajarrettblanchard February 13, 1948

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard Sep 27, 2023 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

— 11 Dunkirk Evening Observer, NY. “11 Burn to Death in Utica Apartment.” 2-13-1948, p. 1.

— 11 Dunkirk Evening Observer, NY. “Mass Funeral…Utica Victims Will be Held.” 2-14-1948.

— 11 National Fire Protection Assoc. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003).

— 11 Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY. “Third Major Fire Hits Utica Building.” 2-15-1948, p. 1.

— 11 Utica Daily Press, NY. “Hundreds Pay Tribute…11 Victims of Cedar St. Fire.” 2-19-1948.

Narrative Information

Feb 13, United Press: “Utica, (UP) – The charred bodies of five persons — one a young mother clutching a year old baby, have been recovered from a fire-gutted frame apartment building on the west side, police said today. Police were still searching for six others, reported missing when fire of undetermined origin swept the buildings threatening an estimated 26 persons. Fourteen of the 26 escaped. Three were injured, one a woman so critically that she is not expected to live.

“Firemen said all floors of the building collapsed and it was certain that the death toll would be high. One occupant, a 14 year old girl said she pleaded with her brother and sisters to leap from a second story window, but they were afraid. The girl leaped and saw the flames shoot up, enveloping the window where her family lived.

“There were conflicting reports as to the exact number of persons in the building at the time of the fire. Police said there were 26. Other sources put the number at 25. Firemen said they would not be able to know how many deaths occurred until a search is made and the bodies identified. None of the bodies taken from the building could be identified immediately. Two physicians who were summoned to aid the injured, said they understood the victims included a five-week old baby.

“The apartment building, police said, is located on a narrow one-way street, making it difficult to

fight the fire. Fire swept the three-story building shortly after four o’clock this morning….It was completely demolished, police said.

”Three persons were rescued and taken to a hospital. One is not expected to live. An immediate search of the ruins was started for the missing.

“Physicians and ambulances were rushed to the scene and virtually all of Utica’s fire-fighting apparatus answered the call.

“Dr. James G. Douglas and Dr. W. B. Falvo, said the injured, taken to St. Elizabeth’s hospital,

are:

Mrs. Ella Paye, 48, who suffered first and second degree burns over three quarters of her body. The doctors said they do not expect her to live.

“….Police listed the missing persons as:

Ruth Hoage, 23,

Virginia Hoage, 19;

Diana Marie Hoage, 3;

Shirley Hoage, 29 months;

Michael Hoage, 11 months;

Mark Hoage, 8 months;

Lee Hoage, 5 weeks;

Katherine Hoage, 2;

Geraldine Hoage, 10;

Audrey Hoage, 5 and

Charity Hoage, 7.

“….Police began a search of the building as soon as the flames were put out. Police Captain Joseph Robillotta, said all three floors of the building collapsed….

“Police said they believed the fire resulted from an oil burner explosion in the cellar. A quick search, they said, showed considerable oil strewn on the cellar floor and cans of oil scattered about.

“One officer said the walls of the building are ‘being held up by a telegraph pole line’.” (Dunkirk Evening Observer, NY. “11 Burn to Death in Utica Apartment.” 2-13-1948, p. 1.)

Feb 14: “Utica, (UP) — Mass funeral services will be held Wednesday for eleven members of the Hoage family, victims of yesterday’s early morning apartment house fire tragedy….Only one member of the Hoage family, Mary, 13, who was home at the time of the fire, managed to escape from the inferno. She jumped into a snow bank from a second-story window.

“Fire Chief Leo Barry said an investigation got under way last night immediately after the body of eight-month old Mark, youngest son of Richard Hoage, Sr., was recovered from the basement ruins of the building which yesterday housed 25 persons. Coroner J. Haberer said he will hold an inquest to determine if there was any criminal responsibility.

“Three of the 14 persons who escaped from the inferno were in a Utica hospital suffering from burns. One of them, Mrs. Dana Paye, 48, was in critical condition.

“Police said the bodies of the victims were so badly burned that positive identification was doubtful. Hoage’s 24 year old wife was identified through a wedding ring.

“Richard Hoage, Jr., .and his father were at work when the fire was discovered.

“Police listed the victims as:

Mrs. Richard Hoage,. Jr., 29, and her son,

Michael, 11-months old;

Virginia Hoage, 19, and her

one-month old son, Leroy;

Mrs. Richard Hoage, Sr.,

Mark;

Geraldine, 10;

Charity, 7;

Audrey, 5;

Diana, 3, and

Katherine, 2.”

(Dunkirk Evening Observer, NY. “Mass Funeral For Utica Victims Will be Held.” 2-14-1948, 1.)

Feb 15: “Mass services will be held at 2 p. m. Wednesday for 11 members of one family who perished Friday in the worst fire tragedy in the city’s history.” (Post-Standard, Syracuse, NY. “Third Major Fire Hits Utica Building.” 2-15-1948, p. 1.)

Feb 19: “. . . ‘Suffer little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.’ As the Rev. Maynard P. Beach, pastor of Dryer Church, intoned that and other scriptural passages at the mass funeral for eight children and three adults who perished in Friday’s fire a 5 Cedar St., sobs of many among the 200 mourners inside the Langdon Funeral Home, could be heard yesterday afternoon. Outside an even larger throng of perhaps 500 men, women and children, unable to get inside the Varick St. parlors for the private rites, stood with bowed heads. Soon the four caskets, one of them flag-draped, containing the bodies of the 11 victims, were carried to the waiting hearses, one after another, by the six bearers….

“In the third hearst was placed the flag-draped casket containing the body of Mrs. Shirlee Hirsch Hoage, wife of Richard Hoage Jr., and her 11-month-old son, Michael. Mrs. Hoage had served in the Women’s Army Corps and was entitled to the traditional soldier’s burial.” (Utica Daily Press, NY. “Hundreds Pay Tribute at Rites for 11 Victims of Cedar St. Fire.” 2-19-1948, p. 6.)

Sources

Dunkirk Evening Observer, NY. “11 Burn to Death in Utica Apartment.” 2-13-1948, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=53926622&sterm=utica+fire

Dunkirk Evening Observer, NY. “Mass Funeral For Utica Victims Will be Held.” 2-14-1948, p.1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=53926638&sterm=utica

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. “Third Major Fire Hits Utica Building.” 2-15-1948, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=17999492&sterm=utica+fire

Utica Daily Press, NY. “Hundreds Pay Tribute at Rites for 11 Victims of Cedar St. Fire.” 2-19-1948, 6. Accessed 5-20-2013 at:

http://www.fultonhistory.com/Process%20small/Newspapers/Utica%20NY%20Daily%20Press/Utica%20NY%20Daily%20Press%201948%20pdf/Utica%20NY%20Daily%20Press%201948%20-%200671.pdf

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20th Century

1948 — Jan 30, USAF B-17 plane crash, Cheval Blanc Mountain, Southern France — 9

lornajarrettblanchard January 30, 1948

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard Sep 27, 2023 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

— 9 Altoona Mirror, PA. “Third Plane is Believed Lost in Alps Tragedy.” 1-31-1948, p. 1.

— 9 Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1948. USAF B-17, 1-30-1948.

— 9 European Stars and Stripes, Germany. “`I’ve Got to Get Altitude’.” 2-3-1948, 1.

— 9 Oakland Tribune, CA. “Bodies Removed From U.S. Plane.” 2-1-1948, p. 9.

— 9 Oakland Tribune, CA. “One U.S. Air Crewman’s Life Saved by Ex-German Flier.” 2-1-48

— 9 Oakland Tribune CA. “Two Missing Crash Victims’ Bodies Found.” 2-2-1948, 6.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1948 (USAF b-17, 1-30-1948):

“Date: Friday 30 January 1948

“Type: Boeing SB-17G Flying Fortress

“Owner/operator: United States Air Force (USAF)

“Registration: 44-83787

….

“Fatalities: Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 10

…

“Location: Montagne du Cheval-Blanc, Basses-Alpes or – France

“Hase: En route

“Nature: Military

“Departure airport: Istres-Le Tubé Air Base

“Destination airport: ?

“Narrative:

“On early morning of 30 January 1948, a search plane located the wreckage of a C-47 that had crashed on the 27th of the same month. The plane waited there for a while, awaiting a B-17 that was to take some photos. But the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress struck the Montagne du Cheval-Blanc, just behind the ridge. The aircraft exploded instantly, and crashed some 1000m from the C-47 debris. There were only 2 survivors…. But the pilot, one of them, was not located until March 25th, and had died because of his severe injuries and because of cold.

“Probable Cause:

Strong winds from the north, causing strong downdrafts.
The photographers asked the pilot to descend dangerously low.
The pilot was surprised by the winds and misjudged the descent.
8 of 10 people located on board the accident aircraft were in the forward part, causing a huge imbalance.”

European Stars and Stripes

Feb 2, S&S: “Digne, France, Feb. 2 (S&S) – ‘The last thing I heard the pilot say was, ‘I’ve tot to get some altitude.’ The words are those of S/Sgt. Angelo A. LaSalle, lone survivor of two American plane crashes in the French Alps near here which claimed the lives of 21 persons. ‘We turned to the left,’ continued LaSalle, ‘but as wee passed over the peak, a downdraft caught us and our left wingtip dragged. I saw it and tried to kick a hole in a plexiglass window so I cound get jump. Then the plane cartwheeled…’

“Nine men died in the crash of the B17, on which LaSalle had been assistant engineer. It smashed on the crest of White Horse Mountain…while on a rescue mission, and had just circled above the wreckage of the C47 it had been hunting.

“The C47 crashed Tuesday while en route from Istres, France to…Italy, with four crewmen and eight dependents – three women and five children who planned to join American Occupation Forces in Trieste….” (European Stars and Stripes, Darmstadt, Germany. “`I’ve Got to Get Altitude’.” 2-3-1948, 1.)

Sources

Altoona Mirror, PA. “Third Plane is Believed Lost in Alps Tragedy.” 1-31-1948, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=73992842

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1948. USAF B-17 strikes Montagne du Cheval-Blac, France, 1-30-1948. Accessed 9-29-23 at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/140141

European Stars and Stripes, Darmstadt, Germany. “`I’ve Got to Get Altitude’.” 2-3-1948, 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=133377733

Oakland Tribune, CA. “Bodies Removed From U.S. Plane.” 2-1-1948, p. 9. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=46783856

Oakland Tribune, CA. “One U.S. Air Crewman’s Life Saved by Ex-German Flier.” 2-1-1948, 9. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=46783856

Oakland Tribune, CA. “Two Missing Crash Victims’ Bodies Found.” 2-2-1948, p. 6. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=43151710

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20th Century

1948 — Jan 28, Airline Transport Carriers crash (US INS charter to Mex.) ~Coalinga, CA–32

lornajarrettblanchard January 28, 1948

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard Sep 19, 2023 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–32 Baugher. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-70255 to 44-83885). 11-6-2011 revision.

–32 Civil Aeronautics Board. AIR. Airline Transport, Inc., – Coalinga, CA, Jan 28, 1948.

–32 Notable California Aviation Disasters. “The 1940s.”

–32 Oakland Tribune, CA. “32 Perish as Oakland Plane Catches Fire in Air, Crashes.” 1-28-’48

Narrative Information

Baugher: “Douglas C-47B-40-DK Skytrain….77266 (c/n 16850/33598) to Airline Transport Carriers as NC36480. Crashed in Diablo Canyon, CA Jan 28, 1948 in flight from Oakland IAP,CA to Imperial County Airport, CA carrying Mexican deportees. No. 1 engine caught fire and left wing fell off. 3 crew and 29 passengers killed.” (Baugher. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-70255 to 44-83885). 11-6-2011 revision.)

Civil Aeronautics Board Accident Investigation Report (File No. 1-0007, 8-12-1948:

“The Accident

“At approximately 1050, January 28, 1948, a DC-3, aircraft NC-36480, owned and operated by Airline Transport Carriers, a non-scheduled carrier, crashed near Coalinga, California. All of the 29 passengers and the crew of 3 were fatally injured. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and fire.

“History of the Flight

“The flight departed from its operating base, Burbank, California, for Oakland, California, at 0646, January, 1948. According to company instructions, the crew consisting of Francis Charles Atkinson, captain; Marion Harlow Ewing, first officer; and Mrs. Francis Charles Atkinson, stewardess, were to fly NC-79055, which was certificated to carry 32 passengers, however, the crew made a mistake and departed in NC-36480. This airplane was certificated to carry only 26 passengers and was 7 hours overdue for a 100-hour inspection at the time of departure from Burbank.

“Landing at Oakland was accomplished at 0849. The trip had been routine, and somewhere between Burbank and Oakland the pilot apparently realized that he was flying the wrong airplane for he requested his landing instructions from the Oakland tower with the appropriate airplane call numbers, 480. In Oakland, 28 Mexican Nationals and one United States Immigration official were enplaned for a flight to the Imperial County Airport, Imperial County, California. This flight was to be performed under a contract which the company had with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service.

“Since NC-36480 had accommodations for only 26 passengers, three of the 28 Mexican Nationals who boarded the aircraft were unable to be seated where they could be secured with safety belts. According to the statement of a United States Immigration official who assisted in the loading, three pieces of unsecured luggage were in the aisle at the time of take-off, and it as probable that the three passengers were seated on this luggage after the aircraft taxied from its parking area at the Oakland Airport for take-off. The remainder of the airplane load consisted of 375 gallons of fuel. Total weight was 67 pounds in excess of the maximum allowable.

“No flight plan was filed for the southbound trip since clear weather conditions prevailed over the route to the Imperial County Airport. Take-off was accomplished at approximately 0930. Before leaving the Oakland tower frequency Captain Atkinson received a message from his company, relayed through the tower, that he was to return directly to Burbank. His acknowledgment of this message was the last communication received from the flight.

“One hour and 35 minutes after the aircraft had departed from Oakland, it was observed over the vicinity of Coalinga, California, cruising at an estimated altitude of 5,000 feet above the ground. At this time a trail of white vapor or smoke, 150 to 200 feet long, was observed streaming from the left engine of the aircraft. Ten to 15 seconds later flames were seen flowing from the left engine over the wing and back to the empennage. Seconds later the left wing and the left engine dropped free from the rest of the aircraft; and the airplane fell out of control, crashed to the ground, and burst into flames.

“Investigation

“The main portion of the wreckage was concentrated in an area approximately 75 feet in diameter. The fuselage, right wing, and right engine were destroyed by fire. The left wing had separated from the aircraft in flight and was found one-half to three-fourths of a mile from the main body of the wreckage. The left engine which also had fallen from the aircraft in flight had struck a hillside 600 feet above the main wreckage and had rolled down the mill, coming to rest 150 feet below the wreckage.

“With the exception of the left engine fuel pump and left wing, no part of the aircraft or any of its components indicated structural failure or mechanical malfunction prior to the time of impact. The fuel pump was removed from the left engine. The four studs which held the castings of the pump-case together were loose, and the parts of the case could be moved with finger pressure. When the pimp was disassembled, it was found that the separating gasket between the castings was broken on the intake or low pressure side of the pump. The pump was reassembled as nearly as possible to the condition it had been at the time of removal from the engine, and was then bench checked. Test fluid flowed freely through the broken portion of the gasket. The four connecting studs were tightened, but test fluid continued to flow through the break in the gasket. Fluid was then fed to the pump under 18-pound pressure, which would have been the pressure supplied from the booster pimps in the aircraft. This test resulted in the fluid being sprayed from the pump in large quantities.

“A portion of the fire wall which had been located directly behind the left fuel pump was found with a heavy deposit of carbon particles on the forward side. Fire from the fuel pump, and around this part of the fire wall could be traced through the rest of the engine nacelle to the main wing spar. The left wing aid the main spar directly behind the left engine showed evidence of being subjected to considerable heat and fire, and fire had burned through the top section of the wing and through the main spar….

“Discussion

“The error of the crew in taking the wrong airplane and their overloading the aircraft with 3 passengers, who were not provided with safety belts, certainly indicated laxness and poor judgment on the part of the crew, but these considerations did not materially contribute to the cause of the accident. The left wing failed as a result of fire damage, and all evidence found during the course of the investigation points to the defective fuel pump as the source of the fire.

“The fuel stained portion of the fuel pump castings, where the break in the separating gasket was located, showed that the fracture had existed for a considerable period of time before the accident. It is highly possible that the fuel pump was in this condition prior to expiration of the time for the 100-hour inspection, which was 7 hours overdue when the aircraft was flown from Burbank; and it is questionable whether the condition of this fuel pump would have been discovered during the course of 100-hour inspection unless the fuel system were examined under pressure. The defect, latent in character, was certain of discovery only by removal of the pump and examination of its parts….

“Probable Cause

“The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the failure of the left wing in flight as result of damage by fire which had its source in a defective left engine driven fuel pump.” (Civil Aeronautics Board. Accident Investigation Report. Airline Transport, Inc., – Coalinga, CA, Jan 28, 1948.)

Notable CA Aviation Disasters:

“Date / Time: Wednesday, January 28, 1948 / 10:50 a.m.

“Operator / Flight No.: Airline Transport Carriers, Inc. / Non-Scheduled Charter

“Location: Los Gatos Canyon, near Coalinga, Calif.

“Details and Probable Cause: Based at the Lockheed Air Terminal in Burbank, Airline Transport Carriers, Inc., was a non-scheduled air carrier operating under a letter of registration issued by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) and an operating certificate issued by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA).

“Early on the morning of January 28, a crew of three — pilot Francis “Frank” Atkinson, 30, stewardess Lillian “Bobbie” Atkinson, 28 (Captain Atkinson’s wife), and copilot Marion Harlow Ewing, 33 — were contracted to fly company aircraft NC79055, a Douglas DC-3, from Burbank to Oakland. Upon arrival at Oakland, the plane, certificated to carry up to 32 passengers, was to take aboard 28 Mexican Nationals and a United States Immigration Department official and then fly the group to Imperial County Airport near El Centro, California, where the Mexican Nationals were to be processed at a deportation facility.

“However, the flight crew mistakenly boarded the wrong company aircraft and departed Burbank for Oakland at 6:46 a.m. with aircraft NC36480, a similar twin-engine Douglas DC-3 (actually a former military version of the DC-3, a Douglas C-47B-40-DK Skytrain transport that had been converted to post-war passenger use). This plane was certificated to carry only 26 passengers and was seven hours overdue for a required 100-hour maintenance inspection.

“The flight from Burbank to Oakland was routine, but at some point during the flight Captain Atkinson apparently realized that he was flying the wrong airplane for he requested his landing instructions from the Oakland control tower using the appropriate call numbers for the aircraft being utilized: 480. The plane landed at Oakland at 8:49 a.m.

“Since this particular DC-3 could only seat 26 passengers, and 29 were boarding at Oakland, this left three of the Mexican Nationals without seats in which they could be secured with safety belts. According to the statement of a second United States Immigration Department employee who assisted with the passenger loading process, three pieces of unsecured luggage were present in the passenger cabin aisle at the time of the plane’s departure, and “it is probable” that the three passengers were seated on this luggage after the aircraft taxied away from the loading area.

“Total weight for the plane upon departure was 67 pounds over the maximum allowable weight.

Just prior to departure, the captain received a message from his company, relayed through the control tower, that he was to return directly to Burbank. Atkinson’s acknowledgment of this message was the last communication received from the flight, and the plane departed Oakland at approximately 9:30 a.m.

“Over an hour and 20 minutes later the DC-3 was observed by various people on the ground in the vicinity of Coalinga cruising at an estimated altitude of 5,000 feet and emitting a stream of white smoke or vapor, 150 to 200 feet long, from its left (port) engine.

“Moments later, flames were seen erupting from the left engine and after several more seconds the entire left wing and engine fell from the aircraft. Eyewitness Frank V. Johnson, a foreman overseeing a gang of road camp workers, told the Associated Press that the plane “appeared to explode and a wing fell off” before it plummeted to the ground. An estimated nine or ten occupants of the plane appeared to jump or fall from the aircraft before it hit the earth, he added.

“The DC-3 plunged out of control into Los Gatos Canyon at the southern edge of the Diablo mountain range in western Fresno County and burst into flames. All 29 passengers and three crew members were killed in the crash. Twelve of the Mexican Nationals were never positively identified.

“Investigators probing the wreckage discovered that the left-engine fuel pump contained a defective gasket that allowed a significant amount of fuel to be sprayed from the pump. Since this defect was only detected after the pump was removed from the wreckage and disassembled, officials were not sure whether it would have been discovered during the course of the (overdue) routine 100-hour maintenance inspection.

“It was noted by investigators in their final accident report that Airline Transport Carriers records disclosed that the airline was performing the required maintenance on its planes. But the officials noted that had the company established some sort of alert or notice — other than the aircraft log itself — that the airplane was overdue for inspection and, therefore, “out of commission,” the crew’s error of taking the wrong aircraft might not have occurred.

“As to the actual cause of the accident, investigators ultimately came to the conclusion that fuel, escaping from the defective gasket within the fuel pump, was ignited by an engine source, possibly the engine’s exhaust stack. The inflight fire then spread into the wing panel and burned through the main spar of the left wing, causing the wing to separate and fall from the aircraft.

“The investigators’ report also concluded that “the error of the crew in taking he wrong airplane and their overloading the aircraft with 3 passengers, who were not provided with safety belts, certainly indicated laxness and poor judgment on the part of the crew, but these considerations did not materially contribute to the cause of the accident.”

“Famed folk singer Woody Guthrie’s song “Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportee)” is based on this aviation disaster. Guthrie was reportedly outraged after hearing a radio news account of the accident in which the victims were referred to as “just deportees.”

“Fatalities: 32–3 crew members; 29 passengers.” (Notable CA Aviation Disasters. “The 1940s.”)

Newspaper

Jan 8: “Wing Falls Off Big DC-3 Airliner Under Contract to Government for Taking Mexican Nationals Home.

“Thirty-two persons were killed today when a twin-engine DC-3 airliner from Oakland, chartered by the U.S. Immigration Service, caught fire in mid-air, disintegrated and crashed in a mass of flames in the Diablo section of the Coast Range near Coalinga, Fresno County.

“One of the victims was Frank Chaffin, 63, of 1350 Albina Avenue, Berkeley, an Immigration Service guard. Others were the crew of three and 28 Mexican Nationals, who were being returned to their homeland.

“Airline Transport Carriers, Inc., the company which operated the plane, which has its main office in Burbank, said the members of the crew were Frank Atkinson, 30, of Long Beach, the pilot; his wife, Bobbie Atkinson, who was stewardess; and Marion Ewing, 32, of Balboa, co-pilot.

BOUND FOR MEXICO

“Chaffin, who would have retired in two years, is survived by his widow, Mary, of Berkeley, and three stepsons, including Sgt Robert Bowers, of the El Cerrito Police Department, and George C. Bowers, chief of police in Winnetka, HI.

“The plane left Oakland Municipal Airport at 9:45 a.m. and was bound for El Centre, where it was to clear for Mexico.

“The crash first was reported by Melvin Willmirth, superintendent of the Fresno County Road Camp. Rudy Larson, a cook at the camp, which is about a mile west of the place where the plane crashed, said the right engine of the plane caught fire at an altitude of about 1500 feet. The right wing then crumpled and dropped off and the plane crashed into the ground and burned. He said the gasoline tanks apparently exploded just before the plane hit.

SEVERAL JUMP

“Reports of witnesses received at the Fresno County Sheriffs office said that 8 or 9 persons were seen to jump while the plane still was in the air.

“At least 26 bodies had been recovered by prisoners from the road camp and rescuers, and others were believed inside the charred wreckage. Prisoners also helped to extinguish the fire.

“A Southwest Airways pilot who flew over the wreckage reported it was “burning fiercely” when he passed, and that he could see ambulances from the nearby town of Coalinga at the crash scene.

UNDER U.S. CONTRACT

“All of the Mexican nationals were said to be agricultural workers who were being returned to Mexico after having been picked up as illegally in the country. The Immigration Service has been contracting for planes of the Airline Transport Carriers company for flights out of Oakland which have been operated about once a week.

“The number of Mexicans aboard was set at 28 by Immigration Service officers in San Francisco, but in Burbank. Col. Charles C. Sherman, lead of the airline, said he understood there were only 24 passengers aboard.

“Main wreckage of the plane and the wing which came off were some distance apart, according to a radio report by the airline pilot who sighted it from the air. The plane fell in mountainous area about 20 miles west of Coalinga.

“Long Beach airport officials said Pilot Atkinson, formerly of Rochester, N.Y., had logged more than 1700 hours flying time as a member of the Air Transport Command during wartime.” (Oakland Tribune, CA. “32 Perish as Oakland Plane Catches Fire in Air, Crashes.” 1-28-1948, 1)

Sources

Baugher, Joseph F. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-70255 to 44-83885). Nov 6, 2011 revision. Accessed 12-29-2011 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1944_5.html

Civil Aeronautics Board. Accident Investigation Report. Airline Transport, Inc., – Coalinga, CA, January 28, 1948. Washington, DC: CAB. Accessed 9-19-2023 at: dot_33329_DS1.pdf

http://dotlibrary1.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?websearch&site=dot_aircraftacc

Notable California Aviation Disasters. “The 1940s.” Sep 25, 2009 update. Accessed 10/17/2009 at: http://www.jaydeebee1.com/crash40s.html

Oakland Tribune, CA. “32 Perish as Oakland Plane Catches Fire in Air, Crashes.” 1-28-1948, 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=46783783

Text content

20th Century

1948 — Jan 27, USAF C-47 (dependents) crash, snowstorm, Cheval Blanc Mt., France–all 12

lornajarrettblanchard January 27, 1948

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard Sep 29, 2023 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–12-13 Oakland Tribune, CA. “Bodies Removed From U.S. Plane.” 2-1-1948, p. 9.

— 12 Altoona Mirror, PA. “Third Plane is Believed Lost in Alps Tragedy.” 1-31-1948, p. 1.

— 12 Baugher. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-70255 to 44-83885). 11-6-2011 revision.

— 12 European Stars and Stripes, Germany. “C47…AF to Search Alps Today.” 1-30-1948, p.1.

— 12 European Stars and Stripes, Germany. “Ski Team Climbed 17 Hours…C47…” 2-3-‘48, 4.

— 12 Oakland Tribune, CA. “One US…Crewman’s Life Saved by Ex-German Flier.” 2-1-48, 9.

— 12 Oakland Tribune, CA. “Two Missing Crash Victims’ Bodies Found.” 2-2-1948, p. 6.

— 11 ASN. Accident description. USAF Douglas C-47, 27 Jan 1948, Montagne du Cheval-Blanc

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1948 (USAF C-47, 1-27-1948):

….

“….Fatalities: 11 / Occupants: 11….

….

“Narrative: The USAF C-47 aircraft departed Istres-Le Tubé Air Base, France at 12:37 LT for a flight to Udine via Pisa, Italy. The pilot couldn’t find his route because of a heavy snowstorm. He decided to return to Istres but the wind caused the aircraft to deviate significantly off course. The airplane flew into the side of a mountain^[1] 15:30 LT killing all occupants. The occupants, except the crew, were women and children that were going to meet their husbands at Udine. On 30th January, 1948 a B-17 Flying Fortress, searching for survivors, crashed at the same location. Nine occupants were killed and one survived.”^[2] (Aviation Safety Network. Accident description. United States Air Force Douglas C-47, 27 Jan 1948, Montagne du Cheval-Blanc. 11-27-2011.)

Baugher: “Douglas C-47B-25-DK Skytrain….76443 (c/n 16027/32775) crashed Jan 27, 1948 on Cheval Blanc Mountain, southern France. 12 killed.” (Baugher. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-70255 to 44-83885). 11-6-2011 revision.)

Newspapers:

Jan 28, AP: “Frankfurt, Germany, Jan 28. (AP) A United States Air Forces C-47 transport plane is missing on a flight from Istres France, to Udine, Italy, Air Force headquarters at Wiesbaden, announced today. The number of crew or passengers aboard was not announced. The aircraft left Istres, near Marseille, yesterday at 10:37 a. m. and had not been heard from up to 2 p. m. today. A-B-17 rescue plane carrying a lifeboat was sent out to search the flight route.” (Long Beach Press-Telegram, CA. 1-28-1948, p. 1.)

Jan 28, AP: “Frankfurt, Germany, Jan. 28. – (AP) — United States Air Forces will begin a wide search tomorrow for a transport plane missing for more than 36 hours with three American wives and five children aboard. The Air Forces C-47 transport disappeared while flying from Istres, France, to Udine, Italy. Part of the route would carry it over the Mediterranean. Air Force headquarters said it had been unreported since the takeoff from Istres at 11:37 a. m. (5:37 a.m., EST), Tuesday.

“The women and children were dependents of American servicemen in the Trieste area. They arrived in Europe Saturday from the United States….The women and children were understood to have arrived at Bremerhaven, Germany, Saturday from the United States. They came by train to Frankfurt and flew from Frankfurt to Istres.

“With good prospects for fair weather tomorrow, the Air Forces tonight alerted all available planes to seek the missing transport. A specially equipped Flying Fortress searched over the transport’s planned route today and, reported it had not sighted the missing craft. The Air Forces said up to a dozen B-29 Superfortresses would fly to Istres tomorrow to join the hunt. Several C-47s flew tonight to the French base, which will be the search center.” (Titusville Herald, PA. “AAF Plane is Missing in Europe.” 1-29-1948, p. 1.)

Jan 29: “Wiesbaden, Jan. 29 (Special) – Air Force officials declared tonight that a series of radio fixes reported taken Tuesday on the C47 transport missing on a flight with 12 aboard from Istres, France, to Udine, Italy, are believed to have been reliable. The fixes, taken by British and French stations, placed the plane about 50 miles northeast of Marseille, on the southwest fringe of the French Alps. Tomorrow’s search will be concentrated in this area, officials said.

“(Earlier, the United Press relayed a Paris report that the plane had crashed near the French town of Barcelonnette. This town is in tomorrow’s search area. However police at Barcelonnette said they knew nothing of any crash in that area.)

“The last fix on the plane, which was carrying a crew of four and three U.S. dependent women and their five children, was made at 4:29 p.m. (German time) Tuesday, or 4 hours 52 minutes after the plane took off on what should have been a three-and-one-half-hour flight. The fix was made by a British air station at Sete, on the Mediterranean coast, and a French station on the northeast coast of the island of Corsica. Tonight, a high-frequency radio-control station began sending its first messages from Istres after being erected in record time by members of the 5^th Wing, AACS. Men and equipment were flown to Istres from the air signal base at Kaufbeuren, near Munich.

“During the day about 40 U.S. planes took part in search activities….

“Istres, France, Jan 29 (S&S) – Bad weather today turned back search planes at the edges of the French Alps, frustrating operations in the area where Air Force officials believe the C47 missing on a flight from here to Udine, Italy, might be found….The air search today covered 1,500 square miles southwest of Grenoble, 2,000 square miles around St. Etienne, 800 square miles northwest of Cannes and about 750 square miles north of San Remo, Italy….

“USAFE officials here, after considering various reports of radio contacts made with the missing plane on Tuesday, believe the pilot turned back at a point near the Italian coast and apparently became lost.” (European Stars and Stripes, Germany. “C47…AF to Search Alps Today.” 1-30-1948, 1, p. 12.)

Jan 31, UP: “Marseille, Jan 31. – (UP) – A French search plane is missing and believed to have crashed in the Alps, making a possible triple tragedy among the snow-covered peaks which already have claimed two planes and 21 lives this week, authorities announced today. Ground rescue teams climbing the mountains near Digne, northeast of here, reached the crash scene of an American C-47 transport and Flying Fortress search plane today and confirmed that 21 persons were killed in the double disaster. All 12 persons aboard the transport, including three American army wives and their five children, and nine of the 10-man crew in the Flying Fortress were dead.

“The missing French plane, which joined in the search for the transport last Wednesday, has failed to return to its base at Istres airfield, near Marseille, and is presumed lost, officials said.

“The Fortress which flew to disaster searching for the transport, hit the same peak and crashed less than 100 yards from the transport, the ground rescue parties reported. “The only man in the crew of the fortress to survive was identified as Sgt. Angelo LaSalle of Des Moines, IA.

“Passengers killed in the wreck of the air transport have been identified as Mrs. Rosaline Noak, Worcester, N.Y., and her three children, Gifford, Jr., aged 6. Mary, aged 3, and Verna, aged 2; Mrs. Shirley G. Martin, Columbia. S. C., and her son Benjamin, Jr., and Mrs. Garnette B. Saunders, Memphis. Tenn., and her son, William, aged 3. Crew members were pilot, 1st Lt. Earl E. Baskin, Florence, S.C.; co-pilot, 2nd Lt. Terrell H. Trexler, Sr., Dunn, S.C.; crew chief, Sgt. Donald L. Cimmers, Dumont, La.; and the radio operator, Robert M. Hermanski, Nanticoke, Pa. Air force records listed an alternate address of the Martins as route 2, Princeton, N.C.

“The transport crashed last Tuesday on a flight from Istres airfield, near Marseille, to Udine, Italy, in the Trieste area, where the army wives were scheduled to join their husbands.

“The crash of the Flying Fortress was attributed to the pilot’s desire to come in as close as possible to view the wreck he had sighted after three days of air searches.” (Altoona Mirror, PA. “Third Plane is Believed Lost in Alps Tragedy.” 1-31-1948, p. 1.)

Jan 31, UP: “Chateau Garnier, France, Jan. 31. (UP) – The bodies of 10 American victims of a dual Alpine air disaster, which took at least 21 lives were taken today to the chapel of this tiny Alpine village to lie in state under the flags of two nations. The bodies of two Army wives, five children and three U.S. fliers who died Tuesday night in the crash of a two-engined U.S. transport plane were enshrined briefly here under the banners of France and America before removal to the nearby town of Digne.

“At Digne are the bodies of nine American bomber crewmen who died in the search for the lost C-47 transport. The sole survivor of the two crashes, T-Sgt, Anthony LaSalle of Des Moines, Ia., was reported in “fair” condition today in the hospital at Digne. He was a member of the bomber’s crew.

“Rescue workers who toiled all night through deep snow to reach the wrecked transport at the rugged peak of White Horse Mountain said they had been unable to find the bodies of another woman, a child and a fourth crewman – indicating for the first time that there may have been 13 persons on the ill-fated C-47, rather than 12 as earlier reported.

FRENCH PLANE MISSING

“Meanwhile, French authorities reported that French plane from the base at Istres, 25 miles northwest of Marseille, had failed to return from the search for the wrecked C-47, and it was feared that the Alpine peaks had claimed a third victim.

“Skiers’ reports that a wrecked plane had been sighted near Barcelonnet, about 30 miles northeast of here, had not been confirmed.

“A rescue worker said that the wreckage of the C-47 was strewn over a 100-yard radius near the crest of the mountain, in snow 10 feet deep, the plane’s two engines were buried in the snow 30 yards from each other, he reported.

“The rescue teams — U.S. Army patrols, aided by a special detail of French Alpine troops and volunteer villagers — reached the wreckage of the four-engined B-17 bomber yesterday and rescued La Salle.

VICTIMS IDENTIFIED

“U.S. Air Force authorities in Frankfort today identified the passengers of the transport as

Mrs. Rosaline Moak, Worcester, N.Y., wife of Chief Warrant Officer Gifford Moak, and their three children, Gifford Jr., 5, Mary, 2, and Verna, 1;

Mrs. Garnette B. Sanders, Memphis, Tenn., wife of S-Sgt. Welch Sanders, and their son, William;

Mrs. Shirley G. Martin, Princeton, N.C., wife of T-Sgt. Benjamin Martin and their son, Benjamin, 1.

“The dependent wives and children were on their way to Trieste to join their husbands.

“The transport was manned by

1^st Lt. Earl E. Baskin, Florence, S.C., pilot;

2nd Lt. Terrell H. Trexler, Dunn, N.C., co-pilot;

S-Sgt. Donald L. Cimmers, Dumont, La., crew chief, and

Sgt. Robert M. Hermanski, Nanticoke. Pa., radio operator.”

(Oakland Tribune, CA. “Bodies Removed From U.S. Plane.” 2-1-1948, p. 9.)

Jan 31, AP: “Digne, France, Jan. 31. – (AP) – A German prisoner of war was credited today with saving an Iowa flier, Sgt. Angelo LaSalle, only survivor of 22 Americans on two U.S. planes that crashed high in the Alps. “Flung clear when his plane hit and burned, LaSalle was freezing in the snow. He was found by Horst Kupski, former German Air Force pilot, working for a French farmer on the mountain. ‘The German wrapped a blanket around me’, LaSalle said at a hospital. ‘My shoes were torn. He took off his own shoes and put them on me.’ The German also took off his overcoat and hat and put them on LaSalle, and helped carry the American down the mountainside.

“LaSalle, whose home is in Des Moines, was one of 10 crewmen on a Flying Fortress that crashed near the summit of 6600-foot Mount Cheval Blanc. The Fortress had just found what it had been hunting for — the wreckage of a DC-3 which crashed January 27. Twelve Americans died aboard it. ‘We were circling the wreck,’ LaSalle said. ‘I told the pilot not to go too low. But just then our left wing tip scraped the mountain. I don’t know what happened, exactly. I was flung around; somehow I was thrown out. I had the feeling of sliding down the mountain for hundreds yards. I saw fires burning close around me from the plane’s gasoline. I tried to get up and run, but passed out. Then sometime later, the German found me.’ Doctors said LaSalle’s condition is fair. He will be flown to the American Army hospital in Frankfurt Germany, when his condition improves.

“Searchers said another Flying Fortress crewman, a major, lived through the crash, but died en route to the Digne Hospital.” (Oakland Tribune, CA. “One U.S. Air Crewman’s Life Saved by Ex-German Flier.” 2-1-1948, p. 9.)

Feb 2, AP: “Digne, France, Feb. 2. – (AP) — French skiers today found the bodies of Mrs. Shirley G. Martin of Princeton, N.C., and her year-old son, Benjamin. They were killed with 10 others Tuesday when a U.S. Army C-47 transport crashed in the French Alps. Their bodies were in the snow near the wreckage. Two other women, four more children and 13 Army fliers were killed in crashes of the transport and a Flying Fortress that was hunting for it.

“The bodies of 16 of the victims were flown to Frankfurt this morning for removal to the United States. The women and children were dependents of U.S. troops in the Trieste occupation zone….

(Oakland Tribune CA. “Two Missing Crash Victims’ Bodies Found.” 2-2-‘48, 6.)

Feb 2, S&S: “Digne, France, Feb. 2 (S&S) – ‘The last thing I heard the pilot say was, ‘I’ve got to get some altitude’.’ The words are those of S/Sgt. Angelo A. LaSalle, lone survivor of two American plane crashes in the French Alps near here which claimed the lives of 21 persons. ‘We turned to the left,’ continued LaSalle, ‘but s we passed over the peak, a downdraft caught us and out left wingtip dragged. I saw it and tried to kick a hole in the plexiglass window so I could jump. Then the plane cartwheeled…’

“Nine men died in the crash of the B17, on which LaSalle had been assistant engineer. It smashed on the crest of White Horse Mountain…while on a rescue mission…it had just circled above the wreckage of the C47 it been hunting….LaSalle is in the hospital here with three broken ribs, a punctured lung, severe scalp cuts and bruises….” (European Stars and Stripes, Germany. “`I’ve Got to Get Altitude’.” 2-3-1948, p. 1.)

Sources

Altoona Mirror, PA. “Third Plane is Believed Lost in Alps Tragedy.” 1-31-1948, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=73992842

Aviation Safety Network. Accident description. United States Air Force Douglas C-47, 27 Jan 1948, Montagne du Cheval-Blanc. 11-27-2011. At: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19480127-1

Baugher, Joseph F. 1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-70255 to 44-83885). Nov 6, 2011 revision. Accessed 12-29-2011 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1944_5.html

European Stars and Stripes, Darmstadt, Germany. “C47 Believed ‘Fixed’ AF to Search Alps Today.” 1-30-1948, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=133377774

European Stars and Stripes, Darmstadt, Germany. “`I’ve Got to Get Altitude’.” 2-3-1948, p.1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=133377733

European Stars and Stripes, Darmstadt, Germany. “Ski Team Climbed 17 Hours to Reach C47 Wreckage.” 2-3-1948, p. 4. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=133377730

Oakland Tribune, CA. “Bodies Removed From U.S. Plane.” 2-1-1948, p. 9. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=46783856

Oakland Tribune, CA. “One U.S. Air Crewman’s Life Saved by Ex-German Flier.” 2-1-1948, 9. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=46783856

Oakland Tribune, CA. “Two Missing Crash Victims’ Bodies Found.” 2-2-1948, p. 6. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=43151710

[1] About 50 feet below the mountain’s crest. (European Stars and Stripes, Darmstadt, Germany. “Ski Team Climbed 17 Hours to Reach C47 Wreckage.” 2-3-1948, p. 4.)

[2] Cites as source: Chroniques de Haute-Provence n° 354 (2005, 125e année), p 83-167.

Text content

20th Century

1948 — Jan 23-26, Sleet and snowstorms and cold-wave, South to Ohio to Northeast –42-44

lornajarrettblanchard January 23, 1948

— 60 AP. “New Cold Wave on Way: 60 Dead.” Indiana Evening Gazette, PA. 1-26-1948, p.1.

–42-44 Blanchard Tally based on State breakouts below.

— >40 AP. “40 Persons Die During Blizzard Over Country.” Somerset American, PA. 1-26-1948, 1.

— >23 AP. “Deep South Also Shivers.” Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH, 1-26-1948, p. 1.

Summary of State Breakouts Below

Georgia ( 1)

Kentucky ( 8)

Louisiana ( 2)

Maryland ( 4)

Mississippi ( 1)

New York ( 3)

North Carolina ( 1)

Ohio ( 6)

Pennsylvania (12-14)

South Carolina ( 2)

Tennessee ( 2)

Total 42-44

Breakout of Winter Weather-Related Deaths by States (and localities where noted)

Georgia ( 1)

–1 Jan 25. Freezing.[1]

Kentucky ( 8)

–9 UP. “Death Toll Rises to 9 as Mercury in Ky. Drops.” Daily Middlesboro News, KY. 1-26-1948, p.1.

–8 Blanchard tally from locality breakouts below.[2]

–3 AP. “Winter Spreads Snow Mantle Over the South. Ten Dead…” Florence…News, SC, 1-25-1948, 1.

Blanchard tally from locality breakouts below.

–1 Burrhead. Fire caused by overheated furnace; Isaac N. Mills, 87.[3]

–1 Clark County. Found frozen in snowdrift; Perry McIntosh, 48.[4]

–2 Franklin. Found “frozen to death…in a car;” Dorothy Calvert, 17 and Victor [unclear], 23.[5]

–2 Lebanon Junction area. CO poisoning; car in snowdrift; Mary Christine Lee, 20, Joseph Randal Booth, 24.[6]

–1 Lexington. Apparent exposure. Howard Jackson, 78, found dead at home.[7]

–1 Lexington. Smothered from blanket covering from cold; Marsha Elizabeth Vanpity (sp.), 2 mo.[8]

Louisiana ( 2)

–2 AP. “Winter Spreads Snow Mantle Over the South. Ten Dead…” Florence…News, SC, 1-25-1948, 1.

Maryland ( 4)

–4 Baltimore, Curtis Bay area, Jan 24. US Coast Guard plane goes down during snow storm.[9]

Mississippi ( 1)

–1 AP. “Winter Spreads Snow Mantle Over the South. Ten Dead…” Florence…News, SC, 1-25-1948, 1.

–1 Jackson, Jan 23. Exposure/hypothermia. Mark Turner, 44, of Atlanta.[10]

New York ( 3)

–3 NYC, Bowery section.[11] “Three deaths in New York City were attributed to the cold.”[12]

North Carolina ( 1)

–6 AP. “40 Persons Die During Blizzard Over Country.” Somerset American, PA. 1-26-1948, 1.[13]

–1 Elizabeth City, Jan 24. High winds blew Joseph Ethridge Upton, Sr., 58, from bridge into water.[14]

Ohio ( 6)

–6 State. AP. “Ohio Counts Toll of Storm.” Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH, 1-26-1948, p. 1.

–1 Cincinnati. Hypothermia. Robert Chenault, 60, “froze to death in his shanty.”[15]

–1 Mount Vernon area, Jan 24. Cars collide on slippery road; Mrs. Flora G. Wyker.[16]

–1 Portsmouth area. Farmer Vaughn Jones, 40, heart ailment “probably caused by the extreme cold.”[17]

–2 Wolfhurst, Jan 24/25. Home fire; Mrs. Joseph Stropski, 63, grand-daughter, Jaqueline Hasper, 18.[18]

–1 Youngstown, Jan 24. Apparent heart attack; male, 41, while shoveling snow at home.[19]

Pennsylvania (12-14)

–14 Blanchard tally from locality breakouts below.

–12 Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Temperature Falls to Six Below…” 1-26-1948, pp. 1 and 9.[20]

Breakouts of Pennsylvania winter weather-related deaths (where noted):

–1 Boyertown area, Jan 24-25, Heart attack shoveling snow; David D. Dotterrer, 59.[21]

–1 Carbondale, Jan 24-25. Heart attack while shoveling snow; Nathan A. Kennedy, 51.[22]

–1 Connellsville, Jan 26. Partially frozen body of Mrs. Florence Nicholson, 36, found in snowbank.[23]

–1 Dalton, Jan 24-25. Heart attack while shoveling snow; Raymond A Rosenkraus, 65.[24]

–1 Johnstown, Jan 25. Hypothermia after collapse in snow on way home, Louis Antoniotti, 55.[25]

–1 Juniata, Jan 24 or 25. Home fire; Shirley Osborne, 13.[26]

–1 Lebanon, Jan 25. From blood clot on brain, from slip and fall on ice earlier.[27]

–1 Lewistown, Jan 24. Overheated home furnace explodes; Shirley Osborne, 13.[28]

–1 Morrisdale, Jan 24. Boy, 10, when his snow sled went into a street and was hit by a truck.[29]

–1 North East, Erie Co., Jan 24. Vehicles collide in snow storm; Helen Louise Lake, 3.[30]

–2 Philadelphia, Jan 24 or 25. Apt. house fire; Mrs. Lina Bachrach, 82, and Vincent Grady, 21.[31]

–1 Pittsburgh, Ohio Riv, Jan 24 or 25. Drowning; Gilbert Speer, 40 “slipped from an icy dock.”[32]

–1 Wilkes-Barre, Jan 24 or 25; Coal stove explodes while being stoked; Albert P. Nat, 18.[33]

South Carolina ( 2)

–2 AP. “No Relief in Sight for Area.” Indiana Evening Gazette, PA, 1-26-1948, p. 2.

Tennessee ( 2)

–2 Blanchard tally from locality breakouts below.

–1 AP. “Winter Spreads Snow Mantle Over the South. Ten Dead…” Florence…News, SC, 1-25-1948, 1.

–1 Lawrenceburg, Jan 23. Automobile skids out of control on icy road, hits/kills pedestrian.[34]

–1 Memphis, Jan 23. Hypothermia; Mack Moore, 41, in unheated room.[35]

Narrative Information

Jan 23: “The mercury tumbled to a frigid five degrees above zero at 7 o’clock this morning in Fayetteville, and Weather Observer Charles Ford said it was unlikely that today’s high would be more than 24. But unlike many parts of the Midwest where snow accompanied the new cold wave, Northwest Arkansas was enjoying clear, sunny weather today and appeared likely to do so tomorrow.

“This morning’s five degree low was the coldest weather to hit Fayetteville this winter. The precious low — las Saturday — was seven above zero. Tonight will probably see a new low, Ford said, with the mercury hovering around zero….

“The cold wave caused a 42-degree drop in temperature in less than 24 hours, the mercury falling from 47 at noon yesterday to five this morning.

“The Associated Press reported that the icy blasts of the cold wave have whipped across the country from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic seaboard and crept toward the Gulf Coast and the Carolinas.” (Northwest Arkansas Times, Fayetteville. “Zero Weather Here Tonight is Predicted.” 1-23-1948, p. 1.)

Jan 24: “A snow and sleet storm which the weatherman said might be the worst of the Winter swept north-easterly out of Dixie today across the Ohio River Valley toward the Atlantic seaboard and New England. As it blew out of the South the storm left icy pavements and patches of sleet and snow over most of the southern states from New Orleans to Georgia. This morning, its northernmost edge was creeping over Louisville, Cleveland, and Columbus, O., as it headed into West Virginia. The storm dropped five inches of snow on Bowling Green, KY. Below zero temperatures were reported throughout Western Pennsylvania as the severe cold wave moved to the East. The Automobile Club of Pittsburgh (AAA) warned that violent snow flurries made driving hazardous throughout Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.” (United Press. “Snow Covers Area; Storm Moves East.” Daily News, Huntingdon, PA. 1-24-1948, p. 1.)

Jan 24: “One of the heaviest snows in recent years covered Coshocton county [OH] today. At noon, an unofficial measurement showed four and one-half inches and it was still snowing. State, county and city crews had their hands full today keeping streets and roads in shape for motorists as the wind blew drifts and made driving hazardous. The state highway department reported that it had snowplows out but the wind was playing havoc with their work. Some county roads, it was believed, would be impassable if the wind and snow continued.

“The temperature stayed at eight above zero all morning have and made it all the more uncomfortable outside. The low temperature reading fro the past 24 hours was six at midnight and the high was 14 at 3 p.m. yesterday.” (Coshocton Tribune, OH. “Prolonged Cold Wave Brings Record Snowfall.” 1-24-1948, p. 1.)

Jan 24: “Baltimore, Jan 24 (AP)–The storm-swept Eastern Seaboard hid the fate tonight of five men[36] aboard a two-engine coast guard plane which lost contact with military and civilian communications stations in the gale.

“The Lockheed Lodestar, used by Secretary of Treasury Snyder. Led police authorities and personnel of air communications point a wild chase throughout the day in their effort to advise of possible landing sites. Snyder was not aboard.

“Contact with the plane, believed to be carrying four men and with Lt. Bill Schuh as the pilot, was lost by the Baltimore Municipal Airport about 68 o’clock this morning. Visibility was about zero. In late afternoon, State Police and Coast Guard stations lacked any definite information on the craft’s whereabouts.

The Baltimore airport cleared the plane for a landing at 8:36 a.m. at the height of the storm, but the pilot reported he could cot come down and went on. Reports that the plane passed over Rockville, Md.; Fredericksburg, Va., and other points flowed in, but the plane still was missing. The Naval Air Station at Patuxent, Md., said it believed it had noted the plane in its radar scope about noon, but was unable to make direct contact.

“Maryland State Police at Pikesville alerted all detachments to be on the lookout for the storm-plagued craft which left Newark, N.J. early this morning.

“The plane tried to land at Washington first, but was directed to attempt it at Baltimore.

“At 2 p.m. the Coast Guard communication headquarters in Washington assumed that the plane had come down by that time because the fuel supply was sufficient to last only to 12:30 p.m.” (Associated Press. “State Alerted for Five Men Aboard Plane.” Sunday Times, Cumberland, MD. 1-25-1948, p. 2.)

Jan 25: “At least 40 persons were counted as weather victims Sunday [Jan 25] in the cold wave which held much of the east in a frigid grip and promised new cold and snow for the midwest by Monday. The wintry weather didn’t spare the south either. The temperature dropped to 11 below zero at Harrisburg, Va., Saturday night, one of the lowest marks in state history. Six persons died in North Carolina as a result of the weather. Georgia had one death by freezing.

“In Chicago, a return to zero temperatures was forecast for Monday night with snow beginning Monday afternoon when cold weather from the Rockies moves into the area….

“The U.S. weather bureau predicted sharpened cold in the wake of the snow over New York and New England with temperatures in the zero range Sunday night and Monday morning….” (AP. “40 Persons Die During Blizzard Over Country.” Somerset American, PA. 1-26-1948, p. 1.)

Jan 25: “Columbus, O., Jan. 25–(AP)–Ohio’s worst winter storm in four years blew itself out today after causing six deaths, plummeting temperatures in spots to 20 below zero and spilling as much as 17 inches of snow in some areas. Only scattered light snow was in prospect tonight and tomorrow for the state which was blanketed over the week-end to a depth of six inches in the southern section and increasing to 17 inches in the Youngstown area, heaviest there since 1901. Toledo had only 3 inches and other cities varying depths. Tomorrow will be a little warmer, the forecast said.

“Two women burned to death at Wolfhurst, near Bellaire, in a fire which destroyed four homes and drove 17 other persons into sub-zero cold. The victims were Mrs. Joseph Stropski, 63, and her grand-daughter, Jacqueline Hasper, 18, of Detroit. Stanley Stropski, 30, Mrs. Stropski’s son and his wife, Anna, 22, leaped from second story window’s to safety.

“Sixty-year-old Robert Chenault froze to death in his shanty in Cincinnati’s westend. At Youngstown, Metro Temnick, 61 collapsed and died while shoveling snow. Highway patrolmen blamed the storm for the death of Mrs. Flora G. Wyker, 565, of Mount Vernon, in a traffic accident on Route 13 near that city. Coroner Virgil Fowler of Portsmouth said farmer Vaughn Jones, 40, died of a heart ailment ‘probably caused by the extreme cold.’

“Temperatures climbed today but the highest reported was 21 degrees at Cincinnati. Toledo recorded 19 degrees, Cleveland 17 and Columbus 12.

“A state highway department bulletin reported all roads snow-covered and slippery, although plows and cinder crews continued to relieve hazardous driving conditions. Motorists were urged to stay home ‘unless absolutely necessary.’ The department said the mercury skidded to 20 below zero last night near Cleveland and ranged to 10 above elsewhere over the state. Cleveland proper reported a zero reading during the night. Toledo -5, Columbus -3 and Cincinnati three above.” (Associated Press. “Ohio Counts Toll of Storm.” Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH, 1-26-1948, p. 1.)

Jan 26: “The bottom of the thermometer fell out again on Ohio this morning as the state became the nation’s ‘icebox.’ Promised a little improvement in last night’s midnight forecast after a week-end of frozen auto radiators and fuel lines and the deepest snow in years, Ohioans awoke to find the mercury had pulled another reverse. Temperatures ranged from minus 35 at the little town of Cannelville, 12 miles southeast of Zanesville and long priding itself as the ‘icebox of southeastern Ohio,’ to a mild five above at Cleveland. At Toledo a 100 percent curtailment of gas service to industries caused the lay-off of 1,100 workers. In Detroit, it was feared that the cold might force officials to extend a one-day shutdown of gas to industry which idled 100,000 workers Monday [Jan 26]. One of the Brooklyn’s [OH] three gas companies limited 1,275 families using its service to cooking only. Those who normally used gas for heating either shivered in cold flats or made hast conversions to other types of fuel.

“The number of deaths attributed directly or indirectly to the weather during the last two weeks rose to 156 today in the nation.[37] The total included 107 dead from fires, mostly from overheated stoves; 22 dead from freezing, and 27 miscellaneous causes. Two skiers were reported dead Monday in Colorado….” (Lima News, OH. “Ohio Becomes U.S. ‘Icebox’ Early Monday.” 1-26-1948, p. 1.)

Jan 26: “Most of the eastern half of the nation had bitterly cold weather Sunday [Jan 25] as a swath of new snow fell from southern Louisiana to New England, reaching a maximum depth of 13 inches at Albany, N.Y. The U.S. Weather Bureau predicted sharpened cold in the wake of the snow over New York and New England with temperatures in the zero range Sunday night and Monday morning.

“At least 23 deaths were attributed to the cold wave.

“Slight relief was in prospect Sunday night for the southeast where Richmond, Va., reported an early Sunday zero reading. The Gulf area, where Mobile, Ala., shivered with a 22, had another subfreezing night forecast before warmer weather comes Monday.

“Exception to the rule of cold in the southeast was Florida where Miami’s lowest Sunday morning temperature was 63, while Tampa had a low of 45 and Jacksonville, 41.

“The southern snow belt stretched northeastward from Lake Charles, La., which had two inches and a low temperature of 25 degrees. New Orleans reported a low temperature of 29. Snow fell in Mississippi, Northern Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and most of New England.

“Temperatures reached lows of 12 below zero at Columbus, O., where six inches of snow fell, and 10 below at Huntington, W. Va. where four inches of additional snow brought the ground depth to eight inches.

“Northerly and northeast winds whipped the snow into drifts at New York City where 6.3 inches fell at La Guardia field and 4.6 inches were measured in Battery Park. New York City’s minimum temperature early Sunday was 15 above zero, but a low of 5 to 10 degrees was forecast for Sunday night.” (Associated Press. “Deep South Also Shivers.” Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH, 1-26-1948, p1.)

March 16: “Baltimore, March 16 (AP) — A body found floating in the lower harbor today was identified tentatively as that of one of the four crew members of a Coast Guard plane which disappeared in a snow storm January 24. Police said papers in the pockets bore the name of Aviation Radioman 1C Rudolph H. Schoening, 40, of Temple, Pa. The body was found off the Curtis Bay area of the harbor by the crew of a tugboat. It was clad in a service flying jacket.

“The twin-engined plane was on a flight from Newark, N.J. to Washington when caught by the snowstorm. It was last heard from when it acknowledged a signal to land at the Baltimore municipal airport.” (Assoc. Press. “Body Recovered.” The News, Frederick, MD, 3-17, 1948, 2.)

Sources

Associated Press. “40 Persons Die During Blizzard Over Country.” Somerset Daily American, PA. 1-26-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-19-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/somerset-daily-american-jan-26-1948-p-1/

Associated Press. “Body Recovered.” The News, Frederick, MD, 3-17, 1948, p. 2. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/news-mar-17-1948-p-10/

Associated Press. “Deep South Also Shivers.” Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH, 1-26-1948, p. 1.

Accessed 9-19-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/zanesville-times-recorder-jan-26-1948-p-1/

Associated Press. “New Cold Wave on Way: 60 Dead.” Indiana Evening Gazette, PA. 1-26-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/indiana-evening-gazette-jan-26-1948-p-1/

Associated Press. “No Relief in Sight for Area.” Indiana Evening Gazette, Indiana, PA, 1-26-1948, p. 2. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/indiana-evening-gazette-jan-26-1948-p-1/

Associated Press. “Ohio Counts Toll of Storm.” Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH, 1-26-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-10-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/zanesville-times-recorder-jan-26-1948-p-1/

Associated Press. “Second Sub-Zero Wave of Week Hits New York.” Salamanca Republican, NY, 1-24, 1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/salamanca-republican-press-jan-24-1948-p-1/

Associated Press. “Snarled Traffic on Frozen Highway Blamed for Death.” Delta Democrat-Times, Greenville, MS, 1-25-1948, p. 2. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/greenville-delta-democrat-times-jan-25-1948-p-2/

Associated Press. “State Alerted for Five Men Aboard Plane.” Sunday Times, Cumberland, MD. 1-25-1948, p. 2. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/cumberland-times-jan-25-1948-p-2/

Associated Press. “Storm Takes Five Pa. Lives.” Gettysburg Times, 1-26, 1948, p. 2. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/gettysburg-times-jan-26-1948-p-2/

Associated Press. “Winter Spreads Snow Mantle Over the South. Ten Dead in Sudden Icy Storm.” Florence Daily News, SC, 1-25-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/florence-morning-news-jan-25-1948-p-1/

Check-Six.com. Fatal Coast Guard Aircraft Accidents. 3-26-2018 update. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: http://www.check-six.com/lib/Coast_Guard_Aviation_Casualties.htm

Coshocton Tribune, OH. “Prolonged Cold Wave Brings Record Snowfall.” 1-24-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-19-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/coshocton-tribune-jan-24-1948-p-1/

Daily Courier, Connellsville, PA. “Mrs. Edwin Penn Dies in Snowbank in Sight of Home.” 1-25-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/connellsville-daily-courier-jan-26-1948-p-1/

Daily News, Huntingdon and Mount Union, PA. “Child Burns to Death at Lewistown.” 1-24-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-19-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/huntingdon-daily-news-jan-24-1948-p-1/

Indiana Evening Gazette, PA. “Dog Keeps Vigil by Frozen Master.” 1-26-1948, p. 2. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/indiana-evening-gazette-jan-26-1948-p-2/

Indiana Evening Gazette, Indiana, PA. “Lad Killed Sled Riding.” 1-24-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-19-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/indiana-evening-gazette-jan-24-1948-p-2/

Kingsport Times-News, TN. “Weather,” 1-25-1948, p. 7A. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/kingsport-times-news-jan-25-1948-p-7/

Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Altar Boy Dies Last Evening Result of Fall.” 1-26-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lebanon-daily-news-jan-26-1948-p-1/

Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Temperature Falls to Six Below as Heavy Snow Blankets County.” 1-26-1948, pp. 1 and 9. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lebanon-daily-news-jan-26-1948-p-1/

Lima News, OH. “5-inch Snow Hits Lima; Gas Low.” 1-25-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-19-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lima-news-jan-25-1948-p-1/

Lima News, OH. “Ohio Becomes U.S. ‘Icebox’ Early Monday.” 1-26-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-19-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lima-news-jan-26-1948-p-1/

Lima News, OH. “Road Crews Fight Drifts.” 1-25-1948, p. 2. Accessed 9-19-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lima-news-jan-25-1948-p-2/

Northwest Arkansas Times, Fayetteville. “Zero Weather Here Tonight is Predicted.” 1-23-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/northwest-arkansas-times-jan-23-1948-p-1/

Statesville Daily Record, NC. “Weather and Violence Bring Death to Eight.” 1-26-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/statesville-daily-record-jan-26-1948-p-1/

United Press. “Death Toll Rises to 9 as Mercury in Ky. Drops.” Daily Middlesboro News, KY. 1-26-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-20-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/middlesboro-daily-news-jan-26-1948-p-1/

United Press. “Snow Covers Area; Storm Moves East.” Daily News, Huntingdon, PA. 1-24-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-19-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/huntingdon-daily-news-jan-24-1948-p-1/

[1] Associated Press. “40 Persons Die During Blizzard Over Country.” Somerset American, PA. 1-26-1948, p. 1.

[2] We do not include a ninth death from an automobile accident on the 23^rd.

[3] United Press. “Death Toll Rises to 9 as Mercury in Ky. Drops.” Daily Middlesboro News, KY. 1-26-1948, p. 1.

[4] United Press. “Death Toll Rises to 9 as Mercury in Ky. Drops.” Daily Middlesboro News, KY. 1-26-1948, p. 1.

[5] United Press. “Death Toll Rises to 9 as Mercury in Ky. Drops.” Daily Middlesboro News, KY. 1-26-1948, p. 1.

[6] United Press. “Death Toll Rises to 9 as Mercury in Ky. Drops.” Daily Middlesboro News, KY. 1-26-1948, p. 1.

[7] United Press. “Death Toll Rises to 9 as Mercury in Ky. Drops.” Daily Middlesboro News, KY. 1-26-1948, p. 1.

[8] United Press. “Death Toll Rises to 9 as Mercury in Ky. Drops.” Daily Middlesboro News, KY. 1-26-1948, p. 1.

[9] Associated Press. “Body Recovered.” The News, Frederick, MD, 3-17, 1948, p. 2.

[10] “Snarled traffic on a frozen highway was blamed by police here [Jackson] today…” A Jackson man was asked to drive Turner to a hospital by the driver of one of the vans involved in the accident “because he ws ‘about frozen to death’.” (Associated Press. “Snarled Traffic on Frozen Highway Blamed for Death.” Delta Democrat-Times, Greenville, MS, 1-25-1948, p. 2.)

[11] Assoc. Press. “Second Sub-Zero Wave of Week Hits New York.” Salamanca Republican, NY, 1-24, 1948, p. 1. Cites police for stating “the cold was partly responsible.”

[12] Lima News, OH. “Road Crews Fight Drifts.” 1-25-1948, p. 2. Noted elsewhere cause of death was exposure.

[13] Another source (Statesman Daily Record) notes eight “weather and violence” deaths, only one appears to be definitely weather-related.

[14] Statesville Daily Record, NC. “Weather and Violence Bring Death to Eight.” 1-26-1948, p. 1.

[15] Associated Press. “Ohio Counts Toll of Storm.” Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH, 1-26-1948, p. 1.

[16] Lima News, OH. “5-inch Snow Hits Lima; Gas Low.” 1-25-1948, p. 1.

[17] AP. “Ohio Counts Toll of Storm.” Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH, 1-26-1948, p. 1. Quote is from Coroner.

[18] Associated Press. “Ohio Counts Toll of Storm.” Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH, 1-26-1948, p. 1.

[19] Lima News, OH. “5-inch Snow Hits Lima; Gas Low.” 1-25-1948, p. 1.

[20] “At least 12 deaths were reported due to the freeze and the snowfall which swept the State over the week-end. Winds of 40-mile-an hour…buffeted sections of the Keystone State in Saturday’s [Jan 24] bringing snowfall.”

[21] Associated Press. “Storm Takes Five Pa. Lives.” Gettysburg Times, 1-26, 1948, p. 2.

[22] Associated Press. “Storm Takes Five Pa. Lives.” Gettysburg Times, 1-26, 1948, p. 2.

[23] Daily Courier, Connellsville, PA. “Mrs. Edwin Penn Dies in Snowbank in Sight of Home.” 1-25-1948, p. 1. Notes cause of death “believed to have …[been] exposure.”

[24] Associated Press. “Storm Takes Five Pa. Lives.” Gettysburg Times, 1-26, 1948, p. 2.

[25] Indiana Evening Gazette, PA. “Dog Keeps Vigil by Frozen Master.” 1-26-1948, p. 2. Notes the Bethlehem Steel Co. worked “collapsed in the snow on the way home” on a night when the temperature dropped to five below zero.

[26] Associated Press. “Storm Takes Five Pa. Lives.” Gettysburg Times, 1-26, 1948, p. 2.

[27] Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Altar Boy Dies Last Evening Result of Fall.” 1-26-1948, p. 1. Victim identified as Anthony Remlinger, 9.

[28] Daily News, Huntingdon and Mount Union, PA. “Child Burns to Death at Lewistown.” 1-24-1948, p. 1.

[29] Indiana Evening Gazette, Indiana, PA. “Lad Killed Sled Riding.” 1-24-1948, p. 1.

[30] Associated Press. “Storm Takes Five Pa. Lives.” Gettysburg Times, 1-26, 1948, p. 2.

[31] Associated Press. “Storm Takes Five Pa. Lives.” Gettysburg Times, 1-26, 1948, p. 2.

[32] Associated Press. “Storm Takes Five Pa. Lives.” Gettysburg Times, 1-26, 1948, p. 2.

[33] Associated Press. “Storm Takes Five Pa. Lives.” Gettysburg Times, 1-26, 1948, p. 2.

[34] Kingsport Times-News, TN. “Weather,” 1-25-1948, p. 7A. Identifies victim as Edward M. Williams, 72.

[35] Kingsport Times-News, TN. “Weather,” 1-25-1948, p. 7A. Died on way to hospital after being found unconscious.

[36] According to March 16, 1948 AP report noted herein, and to Check-six.com, the plane carried four men. According to Check-six, “The plane was finally located after the body of one of the crewmen was found in mid-March off Wagner’s Point near Baltimore.”

[37] We have a separated listing and file for a Jan 1-2 winter ice, sleet and snow event from the Great Plains to New England, which took an estimated 21-36 lives.

20th Century

1948 – Typhoid Fever (205), code 040 and Paratyphoid fever (28), code 041 — 233

lornajarrettblanchard January 11, 1948

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard Oct 1, 2023 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–233 Public Health Service. Vital Statistics…[US] 1948, Part II…Mortality Data…, p. 133.

Narrative Information

McCarthy on Typhoid: “Typhoid is a virulent micro-organism that attacks the intestinal tract. It can be contracted by hand to hand contact or contaminated food, but in most cases the disease spreads when the excreta of an ill person get into the water supply. The disease is hard-hitting: patients usually experience vomiting and diarrhea that can cause serious dehydration, which in turn can lead to seizures and comas. Fevers as high as 106 degrees also contribute to the complications that in severe cases are fatal. Children were considered more susceptible, but it was by no means only a childhood disease….” (McCarthy, M. P. Typhoid and the Politics of Public Health in Nineteenth-Century Philadelphia. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1987.)

Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fever: “Typhoid fever and paratyphoid fever are life-threatening illnesses caused by Salmonella serotype Typhi and Salmonella serotype Paratyphi, respectively. Most people in the United States with typhoid fever or paratyphoid fever become infected while traveling abroad, most often to countries where these diseases are common….” (Centers for Disease Control. Typhoid Fever and Paratyphoid Fever. Page last reviewed 8-22-2018.)

Typhoid Fever: “Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection of the intestinal tract (bowels/gut) and occasionally the bloodstream caused by the Salmonella Typhi bacteria. This strain of bacteria lives only in humans….People with typhoid fever carry the bacteria in their bloodstream and intestinal tract (bowels/gut). In addition, a small number of people, called carriers, recover from typhoid fever but continue to carry the bacteria. Both ill persons and carriers shed Salmonella Typhi in their feces (poop). You can get typhoid fever if you eat food or drink beverages that have been handled by a person who is shedding Salmonella Typhi or if sewage contaminated with Salmonella Typhi bacteria gets into the water you use for drinking or washing food. Therefore, typhoid fever is more common in areas of the world where hand-washing is less frequent and water is more likely to be contaminated with sewage….

“Symptoms may be mild or severe and may include fever, headache, constipation or diarrhea (loose stool/poop), rose-colored spots on the trunk of the body, and an enlarged spleen and liver. It is common for symptoms to go away and then appear again. Death occurs in less than 1 percent of those who get antibiotic treatment. Symptoms generally appear one to two weeks after exposure to the bacteria….

“Typhoid fever is treated with antibiotics. Resistance to multiple antibiotics is increasing among the Salmonella bacteria that cause typhoid fever, complicating treatment of infections. People who do not get treatment may continue to have fever for weeks or months, and as many as 20% may die from complications of the infection.

“Most infected people may return to work or school when they have recovered, if they carefully wash hands after using the toilet. Children in daycare and health care workers must obtain the approval of the local or state health department before returning to their routine activities. Food handlers may not return to work until three consecutive negative stool cultures are confirmed….

“People can be reinfected if they come into contact with the bacteria again….

“A vaccine is available for people traveling to developing countries where significant exposure may occur. For more information about vaccination, speak to your health care provider. It is equally important to pay strict attention to food and water precautions while traveling to countries where typhoid is common. When drinking water in a developing country, you should buy it in a sealed bottle, boil it, or chemically treat it. When eating foods, avoid raw fruits and vegetables that cannot be peeled and washed, undercooked foods, and foods from street vendors. Additionally, food handlers may not work while sick with typhoid.” (New York State Department of Health. “Typhoid Fever,” Sep 2017 last review.)

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Typhoid Fever and Paratyphoid Fever. Page last reviewed 8-22-2018. Accessed 8-7-2019 at: https://www.cdc.gov/typhoid-fever/index.html )

McCarthy, Michael P. Typhoid and the Politics of Public Health in Nineteenth-Century Philadelphia. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1987. Partially Google digitized at:

http://books.google.com/books?id=GAuEpdBXH3QC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

New York State Department of Health. “Typhoid Fever,” Sep 2017 last review. Accessed 6-26-2018 at: https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/typhoid_fever/fact_sheet.htm

Public Health Service, Federal Security Agency. Vital Statistics of the United States 1948. Part I, Natality and Mortality Data for the United States Tabulated by Place of Occurrence... Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1950. Accessed 10-1-2023 at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsus/VSUS_1948_1.pdf

20th Century

1948 — Jan 7, Coastal Air Lines charter stalls/dives/crashes, 10M ENE Savannah, GA– 18

lornajarrettblanchard January 7, 1948

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard Sep 29, 2023 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–18 Aviation Safety Network, Database, 1948. Coastal Air Lines, 7 Jan 1948.

–18 Civil Aeronautics Board. AIR. Coastal Air Lines, Inc. – Savannah, GA – Jan 7, 1948.

Narrative Information

Civil Aeronautics Board Accident Investigation Report (SA-160; File No. 1-001):

“The Accident

“A Douglas DC-3C, owned and operated by Coastal Air Lines, Inc., a nonscheduled air carrier crashed approximately 10 miles east-northeast of Savannah, Georgia, at 0745, 1 January 7, 1948. Aldino A. Antonioli, captain, and 17 of the 25 passengers were fatally injured; Raymond Eick, co-pilot, and 8 passengers were seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

“History of the Flight

“NC-60331 departed from Newark, New Jersey, for Miami, Florida, at 2159, January 6, with 23 passengers and a crew of two. The first stop was at the Northeast Airport, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 2246, where 2 additional passengers were taken aboard. Departure from this point was made at 0237, January 7, and 2 hours and 39 minutes later the flight arrived at the Raleigh-Durham Airport, Raleigh, North Carolina.

“After refueling to 600 gallons of gasoline, the flight departed at 0553 on an instrument flight plan to Miami, via Airway Amber 7, at an altitude of 2,000 feet. The crew reported over the Florence, South Carolina, range station at 0643 at an altitude of 2,000 feet. At 0716 they reported over Charleston, South Carolina, at an altitude of 2,000 feet, and estimated their arrival over Savannah at 0744. This was the last communication received from the flight.

“Between Charleston and Savannah, Co-pilot Eick left the cockpit to obtain navigational charts, during which time he heard one or both of the engines run roughly. By the time he returned to his seat, however, both engines were again operating normally. A few minutes later both engines stopped, and the fuel pressure gauges were observed to be at zero. The wobble pump was used, different positions of the fuel tank selector valves were tried, the cross-feed valves were turned to the on position, but no fuel pressure could be obtained.

“When it became apparent that the engines could not be restarted, Captain Antonioli informed the co-pilot that it would be necessary to make a forced landing in a nearby marsh, and instructed him to see that the passengers were secured by safety belts. Co-pilot Eick proceeded immediately to the cabin where he buckled the safety belts of 4 or 5 passengers. Then he felt the airplane turning steeply, and he attempted to return to the cockpit. By the time he reached the radio compartment passageway between the passenger cabin and the cockpit he was forced to the floor by centrifugal force. The aircraft shuddered as though in a stall, and crashed.

“Witnesses on a nearby barge saw the aircraft approaching from a north-westerly direction at an altitude estimated to be 1,000 feet, descending without audible engine noise. It was observed to enter a gliding turn to the left which was continued for about one and one-half revolutions, until the airplane crashed into a marsh and burst into flames.

“Investigation

….

“Fire started almost immediately after the crash and destroyed the remains of the forward portion of the fuselage, and the center section….

“Several aircraft and engine log sheets were found to be missing from the company maintenance records. In some instances it appeared that no written record was made of pilot aircraft operation reports, and that such reports were, instead, given verbally to maintenance personnel. With the exception of pilot preflight inspection, no regular procedure had been instituted for aircraft inspections at intervals less than the 100-hour inspection unless such inspections were specifically requested by the company….

“Discussion

“Testimony of Co-pilot Eick to the effect that the fuel pressure for both engines dropped to zero at or about the time that the engines stopped firing, limits the possible causes of engine failure to the fuel system. Many parts of the fuel system and the fuel lines were consumed by fire, and it was accordingly impossible to determine directly from an examination of the wreckage the cause of the loss of fuel pressure and the resulting failure of both engines. However, the known circumstances and conditions of flight…were sufficiently complete to afford a reasonable basis from which to deduce the probable cause of power failure.

“Fuel consumption was computed by the crew during the course of this flight to be 84 gallons per hour, 42 gallons per engine per hour, which was a normal rate of consumption for the R-1839092 engines installed in this aircraft. Had each engine been operated from its own main or auxiliary tank during the entire course of the flight, no fuel exhaustion would have been possible. The main tanks at take-off contained 210 gallons each and the auxiliary tanks 100 gallons each. Thus, the fuel supply in any one tank was more than ample to supply the needs of either one of the two engines for more than one hour and 52 minutes of flight. Therefore, only two possibilities of total power failure remain. Either both engines were operated from only one tank until the contents were drained, or a rupture in a line occurred in the fuel system.

“The Safety Bureau has on record no case in which a ruptured fuel line has been the cause of engine failure in DC-3 type aircraft. The possibility of a broke or ruptured fuel line is extremely remote, and it would seem more likely that the loss of fuel pressure was due to operating two engines from one tank until the fuel supply in the tank was exhausted. Fuel found in the fuel lines, pumps, and carburetors at the scene of the accident may have flowed into these parts of the system after engine stoppage and after the many adjustments had been made in the fuel selector valve controls. It was not necessarily a sufficient amount for engine operation.

“Had both engines been operated from one auxiliary tank which contained 100 gallons during the entire course of the flight, the tank would have been emptied in approximately one hour and 20 minutes of engine operation and fuel exhaustion would have been experienced prior to the time that it actually was. Had both engines been operated from one main tank which contained 210 gallons, fuel exhaustion would have been experienced only after 2:25 hours of flying. These estimates do not include fuel which would have been used in engine warm-up, taxiing, and take-off. It is highly possible, however, that the engines were operated from their respective main tanks until all flight and engine controls were adjusted for cruise. Then, the fuel selector valves were inadvertently positioned so that both engines were supplied fuel from only one of the auxiliary tanks until the fuel in the tank was exhausted. Sush a theory is largely supposition, but it logically accounts for the events known to have occurred during flight….

“After considering all possibilities and known circumstances of flight it appears that the most probable cause of total power failure was, that one fuel tank was used to operate both engines until its contents were drained, and that the pilot then placed the cross-feed valve in the on position before changing the position of either of the fuel selector valves. The steep turn and stall which the co-pilot described as occurring just before the crash and the fact that the airplane struck the ground when in a steep turning attitude indicated that the pilot lost control of the airplane during the descent. Had the co-pilot been in his seat where he could have assisted either in the manipulation of the flight controls or in the attempts that were made to restore power, the aircraft could have undoubtedly been flown to a normal crash landing on the marsh. Therefore, the complete destruction of the airplane and the resulting fatalities that occurred in this case can be attributed in a large part to the lack of crew coordination and proper cockpit procedure.” ….

“Probable Cause

“The Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the lack of fuel management which caused engine failure and resulted in a forced landing during which control was lost of the aircraft.” (Civil Aeronautics Board. AIR. Coastal Air Lines, Inc. – Savannah, GA – Jan 7, 1948.)

Newspaper

Jan 8, UP: “Savannah, Ga., Jan. 8. (UP) – Authorities today investigated claims of survivors that they had tried unsuccessfully to cancel their reservations on a chartered DC-3 airliner that crashed near here yesterday, killing 17 persons and injuring nine. The concerted army C-47, en route from Newark, N.J., to Puerto Rico, crashed and burned in swampy marshes near the mouth of the Savannah River.

“Of the dead, 14 were Puerto Ricans from the New York area making a pilgrimage to their homeland. Another was plane Capt. Aldioni Atoniolli. Two other bodies, burned to a crisp were said to be those of U.S. internal revenue agents picked up in Philadelphia. They were burned so badly that they were not immediately identifiable. The nine injured survivors were taken to a hospital here where most of them were in serious condition.

“Two Puerto Rican survivors charged from their hospital beds that the plane, operated by Coastal Airlines of Teterboro, N.J., had not been fully converted for civilian use. They said it still had bucket seats for passengers. Pinol Octavio and Pilar Diaz, both of New York, said they were dissatisfied with the plane when they first saw it at Newark Airport. They claimed all the passengers tried to get their $57 refunded from Travel Agent Manuel Cassiano of New York who arranged the trip. They said the agent sent his son to the airport to inspect the plane and he told them they would have to take the plane or lose their money.

“It was the second crash in less than six months involving Puerto Ricans flying in chartered planes to their homeland. Eighteen Puerto Ricans were among 21 killed when another chartered was surplus DC-3 crashed near Melbourne, Fla., on July 13, 1947….” (United Press. “Crash Survivors Tried to Cancel Fatal Flight.” Wichita Daily Times, TX. 1-8-1948, p. 1.)

Sources

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1948. Coastal Air Lines DC-3 crash 10 mls NNE of Savannah GA, 7 January 1948. Accessed 9-29-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19480107-0

Civil Aeronautics Board. Accident Investigation Report. Coastal Air Lines, Inc. – Savannah, Georgia – January 7, 1948. Washington, DC: CAB, May 17, 1948. Accessed 9-29-2023 at: https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/33325

United Press. “Crash Survivors Tried to Cancel Fatal Flight.” Wichita Daily Times, TX. 1-8-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-29-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/wichita-daily-times-jan-08-1948-p-1/

Text content

20th Century

1948 — Jan 1-2, Winter Ice, Sleet and Snow Storms, Great Plains to New England –21-36

lornajarrettblanchard January 1, 1948

–27-36 Blanchard tally based on State breakouts below.

–21-36 Blanchard estimated range.[1]

— >26 Middletown Times Herald, NY. “Storm Death Toll…Reaches 26.” 1-3-1948, p. 1.[2]

— >24 Schmidlin and Schmidlin. Thunder in the Heartland…Weather…in Ohio. 1996, p. 34.

— 21 Blanchard tally of locality and/or cause of death breakouts.

— >16 AP. “New York to Get Respite…” Kingston Daily Freeman, NY 1-3-1948, p. 1.

— >14 (New England). Lowell Sun, MA. “New Storm Threat for Next Week.” 1-3-1948, p. 3.[3]

Connecticut ( 4-5)

–5 State. Middletown Times Herald, NY. “Storm Death Toll…Reaches 26.” 1-3-1948, p. 1

–4 State. Bridgeport Post, CT. “City Escapes Storm…Four Die in State.” 1-3-1948, p. 1.

–4 Blanchard tally from locality breakouts below.

–1 Hartford. Auto accident attributed to weather; Miss Jonnie, H. Makasowicz (unclear), 21.[4]

–1 Waterbury. Auto Accident attributed to weather; Miss Cecily Stamaielo (unclear), 39.[5]

–1 Waterbury. Heart attack after shoveling snow; Charles E. Hurlbut, retired policeman.[6]

–1 Waterbury. Heart attack after shoveling snow; Angelo Lovallo, 56.[7]

Massachusetts (9-10)

–10 Assoc. Press. “New York to Get Respite…” Kingston Daily Freeman, NY 1-3-1948, p. 1.[8]

— 9 Middletown Times Herald, NY. “Storm Death Toll…Reaches 26.” 1-3-1948, p. 1.

Michigan (2-9)

— 9 UP. “Michigan Digging Out…Crippling Storm.” Holland Evening Sentinel, MI, 1-3-1948, p1.

–7 “…seven traffic deaths were reported during the storm period…

–2 “…two persons died from over-exertion in shoveling snow.”

— 5 State. Middletown Times Herald, NY. “Storm Death Toll…Reaches 26.” 1-3-1948, p. 1

–>4 State. AP. “Sleet Glaze Covers Most of Michigan.” Escanaba Daily Press, 1-2-1948, p. 1.

— 2 Perry area, M-78, Jan 2. Car-truck collision; Eli J. Banavich of Flint, and wife, Betty, 22.[9]

Missouri ( 2)

–2 State. Middletown Times Herald, NY. “Storm Death Toll…Reaches 26.” 1-3-1948, p. 1

New Jersey ( 1)

–1 State. AP. “New York to Get Respite…” Kingston Daily Freeman, NY 1-3-1948, p. 1.

New York ( 6)

–6 Blanchard tally based on locality breakouts below.

–4 State. Middletown Times Herald, NY. “Storm Death Toll…Reaches 26.” 1-3-1948, p. 1

–1 Assoc. Press. “New York to Get Respite…” Kingston Daily Freeman, NY 1-3-1948, p. 1.

–1 Canandaigua, Jan 2. Heart attack while shoveling snow off walk at home.[10]

–1 Syracuse, Jan 3. Apparent heart attack while shoveling snow; Cecil W. Hunt.[11]

–3 NYC. UP. “Fuel Shortages Threaten Gotham.” Holland Evening Sentinel, NY, 1-3-1948, 1.

–1 Utica, Jan 2 or 3. Heart attack (Thomas Stafford); “collapsed waling through heavy snow.”[12]

Pennsylvania ( 1)

–1 State. Middletown Times Herald, NY. “Storm Death Toll…Reaches 26.” 1-3-1948, p. 1

Wisconsin ( 2)

–1 Milwaukee, Jan 1. John Dollhoff, 13, “after shoveling…walks around…south side home.”[13]

–1 Milwaukee, Jan 1. Apparent heart attack; after working to get car out of a snowdrift.[14]

Narrative Information

Schmidlin and Schmidlin: “1 January 1948 New Year’s Ice Storm. A strong low pressure storm center drifted slowly from Arkansas to Indiana on Thursday, 1 January 1948 and spread a variety of severe weather across Ohio and other states. More than twenty people were killed by tornadoes in southern states,[15] and at least twenty-four died in the snow and ice storm in the northern states. Ohio was at the middle of the stormy mix….” (Schmidlin and Schmidlin. Thunder in the Heartland: A Chronicle of Outstanding Weather Events in Ohio. 1996, p. 34.

Newspapers

Jan 1: “Kansas City, Mo., Jan 1.–Snow, sleet and winds of gale force hit a vast expanse of the Great Plains today in a New Year’s storm which weather observers believed might develop into ‘the worst blizzard in several years’ at some points. From eastern Colorado and western Kansas eastward through Missouri, Arkansas, and north to the Great Lakes area, highways were treacherous with ice or were expected to become so in a few hours.

Snow blanketed the northern half of Oklahoma, measuring six inches at Oklahoma City.

“A freak wind storm riding above the snow and sleet front dipped to hit the Kansas City area in a blast which roared across the city at velocities ranging from 60 to 80 miles per hours. Winds of more than 54 miles per hour constitute gale force, weather observers pointed ot. Police said ‘hundreds of windows’ in the downtown area were blasted out, trolley lines went down, and trees snapped off. ‘It was so bad,’ said a police dispatcher, ‘that we lost contact with patrol cars and it was every officer for himself and the neighborhood he happened to be in.’ Several airplanes grounded at the municipal airport here and at Fairfax airport at Kansas City, Kan., were reported damaged….

“Pittsburg, Kan., hit by ‘the worst sleet storm in years’ had been without light or power since about 7:15 p.m. New Year’s eve. Authorities said early today that they had no idea when service could be restored. Police and commercial radio stations were off the air. Mount Carmel hospital, lacking emergency power facilities, was without lights but attendants said there had been no emergency cases. They were gathering additional supplies of battery-powered lights.

“Snow mixed with sleet generally ranged in depth from two to three inches throughout eastern and central Kansas and into western Missouri….” (United Press. “Icy Highways Bring Danger to Travelers.” Lubbock Evening Journal, TX, 1-1-1948, p. 1.)

Jan 2, MI: “The worst storm in years held Michigan fast in the grip of ice and snow today. At least four persons were dead. Milan, Romulus, Manchester, Fennville and Saugatuck were isolated from telephone contact with the world. A thousand telephone wires were down in Detroit. Over 100 telephone poles in Southeastern Michigan toppled under the weight of ice. The Detroit Edison Co. called it the worst storm since 1939 in the Detroit area. Some sources labeled it the worst in 35 years.

“The Automobile Club of Michigan asked motorists to stay off highways except for ‘most urgent travelling.’ It reported a three to four inch coat of ice generally. Detroit residents were warned that their lives were at stake if they ventured near countless fallen live wires

“Michigan Bell Telephone Co. said Adrian was isolated except for one direct wire circuit and an emergency line to Jackson. Flat Rock was in contact with Trenton only by an emergency line. The power failed at Ypsilanti during the night but emergency systems kept the city in contact with the outside. Power was restored to normal today….

“The northern part of western Michigan escaped the worst of the storm but snow was five inches deep at Traverse City and Cadillac, six inches at Muskegon and 12 inches at Grand Rapids….” (Assoc. Press. “Sleet Glaze Covers Most of Michigan.” Escanaba Daily Press, 1-2-1948, p. 1.)

Jan 2, NY: “New York, Jan. 2 (UP)–A freezing rain lashed the New York metropolitan area today, crippling communications and power transmission and disrupting commuter service for an estimated 2,000,000 workers. Live wires, torn down by heavy coatings of ice, fell across the streets of suburban areas and police warned residents to stay home until electricians could repair the lines. City Transit Commissioner Sidney Bingham said the ice storm–following last week’s record 25.8-inch snowfall–had caused the worst transit conditions in 33 years.

“A freight train derailment at Peekskill, N.Y., blocked the four main lines of the New York Central railroad. The Long Island railroad reported a fallen tree and icing were causing a severe disruption of service. Other railroads reported trains running up to four hours late.

“Airplane flights in and out of New York were halted and bus schedules were cancelled as many highways leading into the city were closed by fallen trees and floods of icy slush….

“All private automobiles were banned from the streets, as police struggled to clear the way for fuel trucks to make deliveries to hundreds of heatless homes and apartments….” (Lowell Sun, MA. “Ice Storm Adds New Woe in New York.” 1-2-1948, p. 1.)

Jan 2, WI: “The new year stormed into Wisconsin yesterday, buffeting the southeastern part of the state with a nine inch snowfall, whipped by 35 to 40 mile an hour winds into drifts that snarled transportation throughout the area.

“In Milwaukee, apparently the hardest hit, at least two deaths were credited to the storm. A 13-year-old boy, John Dollhoff, collapsed and died of a heart attack last night after shoveling the walks around his south side home, and Edgar Orth, Veteran Milwaukee Sentinel artist, died of apparently the same cause while thanking a motorist who had pushed his stalled car out of a drift as he was en route to work.

“Milwaukee officials thanked their lucky stars yesterday was a holiday. Few persons were abroad during the afternoon and early evening when the storm was at its height, in contrast to the thousands who would have been attempting to reach home had it been an ordinary workday. Transportation was tangled, but nowhere near as badly as in the 18-inch snowfall last January. Motorists, particularly those without chains, became stuck easily and contributed to the traffic snarl, which jammed all major intersections throughout the city before the snow gradually eased off shortly before midnight.

“Two and three foot drifts ere common in the area and automobiles, streetcars, bus, rail, air and carferry facilities were hindered and in many cases stopped entirely.

“Telephone switchboards were swamped with calls as stranded persons in the area tried to tell their whereabouts to their families….

“At Racine, the county highway department reported main roads through the county were almost impassable last night. Automobiles were stalled in heavy drifts through the county and the snow was reported deeper in the western areas.

“All airlines cancelled flights in and out of Milwaukee and all Carferries were ordered to remain in port. Trains arrived from three to four hours late. Most Milwaukee taxicab companies began pulling their cars off the streets early last night….

“J. A. Stansky, Milwaukee division engineer of the state highway commission, said the work of state crews was hampered by drifts which formed as fast as plows could clear them. He said the situation was similar as far north as Fond du Lac….” (Associated Press. “Lower Part of Wisconsin Hit.” Ironwood Daily Globe, MI. 1-2-1948, p. 1.)

Jan 3: “Boston, Jan 3. (AP)–Cold weather moved into New England today to lock highways in perilous ice in the wake of a fierce rain, sleet and snow storm that deposited as much as 10 inches in inland areas and claimed at least 14 lives.

“The northeaster, the third of serious proportions in 10 days, interrupted air transportation, delayed railroad service, blocked many highways, knocked out power and communication service in some areas and left state highway crews with an immense task of clearing roads already ice caked.

“Most of the deaths were attributed to heart attacks from over-exertion by persons either plowing through the wet-heavy snow or shoveling. Several died in highway accidents.

“As in the two Christmas-week storms, the Cape Cod area was drenched by rain. Snow fell in practically all other sections with the exception of the northern tip of Maine.

“Highways and cellars were flooded in communities north and south of Boston as surf, whipped by 50 mile an hour gusts, crashed over seawalls.

“The 10,000 ton New Orleans collier Milton B. Mendary escaped with only slight damage when she was lashed across Weymouth-Fore River channel against the Edison docks in Quincy, smashing wharf pilings.

“The storm created a fire hazard in several communities. Firemen were assigned to extra duty when snow-blocked roads threatened to impede apparatus in the event of calls.

“Temperatures were expected to range from five above in northern New England to 15 in southern sections today.

“State police reported highway conditions hazardous in many sections last night and recommended the use of chains and only emergency driving. The weather bureau said driving conditions ‘will be hazardous for the next 12 to 24 hours,’ particularly between Boston and New York.” (Lowell Sun, MA. “New Storm Threat for Next Week.” 1-3-1948, p. 3.)

Jan 3: “….Governor Alfred E. Driscoll proclaimed a state of emergency in New Jersey and opened 18 armories in the northern part of the state to shelter those without heat or light in their homes. The Bell Telephone company said 25,000 telephones were out in New Jersey….” (United Press. “Fuel Shortages Threaten Gotham.” Holland Evening Sentinel, NY, 1-3-1948, p. 1.)

Jan 3: “New York, Jan 3 (AP)–Tens of thousands of New Yorkers, shivering in cold and darkness, were promised relief today from a series of rain, sleet and snowfalls that swept the New York city area in the wake of last week’s paralyzing snowstorm. No snow in sight over the weekend, the weather bureau forecast, promised the harried region a respite from weather woes which had buried its streets and highways under a record 25.8-inch blanket of snow followed by a crippling ice siege.

“A combination of rain, sleet and snow buffeted the populous northeastern states yesterday leaving at least 16 persons dead. Massachusetts counted 10 victims, Connecticut 4 and New York and New Jersey one each.

“Still groggy from the impact of the record snow, New Yorkers found increased misery in the thick coating of ice which gripped the city and its environs since Thursday [Jan 1]. The new peril darkened homes and snarled heating systems as glaze-coated branches and trees collapsed, felling thousands of power lines. Ice on third rails and overhead wires caused new disruptions in commuter rail traffic and frozen runways curtailed air travel.

“New Jersey was so hard hit Gov. Alfred E. Driscoll proclaimed a statewide emergency. Cots, beds and blankets were placed in 18 state armories in the stricken northern section to shelter families, left without heat or light, and travelers unable to negotiate hazardous highways.

“Most roads as well as through highways leading into New York city were sheets of ice. The American Automobile Association warned that attempting a lengthy trip over them would be ‘suicidal.’

“The Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc., estimated late yesterday that 15,000 of its customers in four city boroughs had their electricity cut off by the storm. Another New York utility, the Staten Island and Edison Corp., reported that at least 1,000 consumers were without service in ‘the worst sleet storm in years.’….

“Snow and sleet also plagued the entire New England area except for the northern tip of Maine. The storm was the third in 11 days and added to the thick snow blanket already covering the section. Most highways there were reported passable but ‘extremely hazardous.’ All planes were grounded.

“In upstate New York, light scattered snow flurries were predicted for today. The heaviest snowfall was reported in the eastern Adirondacks area where up to 26 inches crusted the ground.” (Associated Press. “New York to Get Respite With No New Snow Forecast.” Kingston Daily Freeman, NY 1-3-1948, p. 1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Lower Part of Wisconsin Hit.” Ironwood Daily Globe, MI. 1-2-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-18-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/daily-globe-jan-02-1948-p-1/

Associated Press. “New York to Get Respite With No New Snow Forecast.” Kingston Daily Freeman, NY 1-3-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-17-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/kingston-daily-freeman-jan-03-1948-p-1/

Associated Press. “Sleet Glaze Covers Most of Michigan.” Escanaba Daily Press, 1-2-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-18-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/escanaba-daily-press-jan-02-1948-p-1/

Bridgeport Post, CT. “City Escapes Storm…Four Die in State.” 1-3-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-18-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/bridgeport-telegram-jan-03-1948-p-19/

Daily Messenger, Canandaigua, NY. “Train is Derailed, 1 Man Dies While Clearing Sidewalk.” 1-2-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-18-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/canandaigua-daily-messenger-jan-02-1948-p-1/

East Hampton News, CT. “Blizzard Results in One Death Here…” 1-2-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-18-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/east-hampton-news-jan-02-1948-p-1/

Grazulis, Thomas P. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, VE: Environmental Films, 1993, p. 933.

Lowell Sun, MA. “Ice Storm Adds New Woe in New York.” 1-2-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-18-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lowell-sun-jan-02-1948-p-24/

Lowell Sun, MA. “New Storm Threat for Next Week.” 1-3-1948, p. 3. Accessed 9-18-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lowell-sun-jan-03-1948-p-3/

Middletown Times Herald, NY. “Storm Death Toll in 16 States Reaches 26.” 1-3-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-18-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/middletown-times-herald-jan-03-1948-p-1/

Schmidlin, Thomas W. and Jeanne Appelhans Schmidlin. Thunder in the Heartland: A Chronicle of Outstanding Weather Events in Ohio. Kent State University Press, 1996, 362 pages.

Syracuse Herald-Journal, NY. “Dies While Shoveling.” 1-3-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-18-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/syracuse-herald-journal-jan-03-1948-p-1/

Syracuse Herald-Journal, NY. “Storm Fatal.” 1-3-1948, p. 2. Accessed 9-18-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/syracuse-herald-journal-jan-03-1948-p-2/

United Press. “Fuel Shortages Threaten Gotham.” Holland Evening Sentinel, NY, 1-3-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-18-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/holland-evening-sentinel-jan-03-1948-p-1/

United Press. “Icy Highways Bring Danger to Travelers.” Lubbock Evening Journal, TX, 1-1-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-17-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/evening-journal-jan-01-1948-p-1/

United Press. “Michigan Digging Out After Crippling Storm.” Holland Evening Sentinel, MI, 1-3-1948, p. 1. Accessed 9-18-2018 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/holland-evening-sentinel-jan-03-1948-p-1/

[1] While we show a range of 27-36 deaths based on State breakouts, we have not been able to substantiate such numbers by breakouts with more specific information (such details tally to twenty-one).

[2] “At least twenty-six persons died as result of the vast storm which whipped across the sixteen northeastern states…this week…The twenty-six dead did not include the twenty-five persons who lost their lives in tornadoes born of the same storm condition when it passed over Louisiana and Arkansas, nor fourteen others killed in a train wreck when sleet knocked out the Missouri Pacific Railroad’s block system near Otterville, Mo.”

[3] “Boston, Jan 3. (AP)–Cold weather moved into New England…to lock highways in perilous ice in the wake of a fierce rain, sleet and snow storm that deposited as much as 10 inches in inland areas and claimed at least 14 lives.”

[4] Bridgeport Post, CT. “City Escapes Storm…Four Die in State.” 1-3-1948, p. 1.

[5] Bridgeport Post, CT. “City Escapes Storm…Four Die in State.” 1-3-1948, p. 1.

[6] Bridgeport Post, CT. “City Escapes Storm…Four Die in State.” 1-3-1948, p. 1.

[7] Bridgeport Post, CT. “City Escapes Storm…Four Die in State.” 1-3-1948, p. 1.

[8] I cannot corroborate nine-ten deaths. Speculate the inclusion of deaths from fires and traffic accidents.

[9] Associated Press. “Sleet Glaze Covers Most of Michigan.” Escanaba Daily Press, 1-2-1948, p. 1.

[10] Daily Messenger, Canandaigua, NY. “Train is Derailed, 1 Man Dies While Clearing Sidewalk.” 1-2-1948, p. 1.

[11] Syracuse Herald-Journal, NY. “Dies While Shoveling.” 1-3-1948, p. 1.

[12] Syracuse Herald-Journal, NY. “Storm Fatal.” 1-3-1948, p. 2.

[13] Associated Press. “Lower Part of Wisconsin Hit.” Ironwood Daily Globe, MI. 1-2-1948, p. 1. (Heart attack.)

[14] AP. “Lower Part of Wisconsin Hit.” Ironwood Daily Globe, MI. 1-2-1948, p. 1. Victim identified as Edgar Orth.

[15] We are aware of 1 tornado death in Attala, MS on Jan 1. We note in a separate entry and listing eighteen deaths in Louisiana counties on December 31.

20th Century

1948 — Hunger or Thirst, 1948 ICD code 189 — 35

lornajarrettblanchard January 1, 1948

–35 Public Health Service. Vital Statistics…[US] 1948, Part I…Mortality Data…, p. 166.^[1]

Source

Public Health Service, Federal Security Agency. Vital Statistics of the United States 1948. Part I, Natality and Mortality Data for the United States Tabulated by Place of Occurrence... Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1950. Accessed 10-2-2023 at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsus/VSUS_1948_1.pdf

[1] In 1948 the World Health Organization (WHO) took over the International Classification of Disease (ICD) system. Thus the new ICD system was labeled ICD-1. National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information. Accessed at: PMC PubMed Central.

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