On This Day: German boats burn at New Jersey docks

Four German boats burned at the docks in Hoboken, NJ On This Day in 1900. Over 300 people were killed in the incident. The fire could be seen by all in the New York City area.

The four ships were the Saale, the Bremen, the Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse, and the Main. The Saale was the first to go down. Many of her crew drowned, not knowing how to swim. The fire spread to 27 ships in all, the shore and local businesses.

The wooden pier was rebuilt using steel.

Source:

This Day in History. History.com. 30 June 1900.

On This Day is a prompt to further explore historical events.

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