The Storm. With an upcoming Washington, D.C. winter in the air, I shuddered through this short photographic history, "The Knickerbocker Snowstorm" (2013). The book focuses on the largest single snowstorm in the city's history, the Knickerbocker Snowstorm of 1922, but it describes other large blizzards and storms over the years as well. The author, Kevin Ambrose, is a computer engineer who has written a great deal on winter weather and on storm chasing. This book is part of the "Images of America" series of local photographic histories.
The Knickerbocker Snowstorm occurred on January 27 -- 28, 1922, with 28 inches of snow, still a Washington, D.C. record. On the evening of January 27, hundreds of people braved to storm to go to the Knickerbocker Theater and watch a movie. At about 9:00 p.m., the entire roof over the theater auditorium collapsed at once under the weight of the accumulated snow. The result was 98 dead and 133 injured. It was the worst disaster in Washington, D.C. history. A January 29, 1922, newspaper article reported:
"An eye witness to the catastrophe, a man who had just entered the theater and who barely escaped with his life, said that a hearty peal of laughter preceded the falling of the roof. 'Great God' he exclaimed. 'It was the most heart-rending thing I ever want to witness.'"
Ambrose offers a good pictorial and textual account of the Knickerbocker disaster. He offers photographs of the theater, before and after, of the mass of debris that fell inside, estimated at weighing between two and ten tons, and of the rescue efforts by local citizens, police and firemen, and the military. A young Colonel, George S Patton, participated in the rescue. Ambrose also tells many human interest stories of the lives and deaths of those caught in the destruction, with photos of some of the victims, and a listing of those who died. The families of several of the victims brought lawsuits. The attribution of fault proved difficult and none of the lawsuits were successful. The book also describes the adjacent neighborhoods to the theater and the efforts people made to help. Homes and businesses served as makeshift hospitals and as sources of food and coffee for the rescue workers.
The book also includes many photographs of the 1922 storm separate from the Knickerbocker disaster. Besides showing a heavy snow, these photographs show the streets, businesses, and homes in the nation's capital of 90 years. ago. The book offered the opportunity to see changes over the time in the character of the city where I have lived most of my life. I enjoyed particularly the photos of the snowbound old streetcars that once were a feature of the city's streets.
Within a month of the Knickerbocker Snowstorm, a small book of photographs and commentary appeared, titled simply "The Storm". Ambrose offers several photographs from this historic early collection. More photos from "The Storm" would have been welcome.
A final chapter of the book covers briefly other large Washington, D.C. snowstorms. Some of these brought back memories. Ambrose describes the famous "Snowmageddon" of February, 2010 together with large storms in 2009, 2003, 1979, and 1996 that I remember, if only vaguely. He also discusses another famous snow disaster, second only to the Knickerbocker. On January 13, 1982, an Air Florida plane crashed into the icy waters of the Potomac River just after takeoff, resulting in 78 deaths. Many will remember the heroic rescue efforts of that cold, grim day. In addition to the photographs, the book includes short meteorological information about the factors leading to Washington, D.C. snowstorms together with statistical information about the ten largest individual snows and about the ten snowiest years in Washington, D.C. history.
I could feel the chill of winter and snow in reading this book. The book taught me about an important event in local Washington, D.C. history, the Knickerbocker Theater disaster. It reminded me of many a snowy day.
