Facts & Figures about the Hartford Circus Fire
Officers of the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows, Incorporated, at the time of the Hartford circus fire:
- President: Robert Ringling
- First Vice President: James A. Haley
- Vice President: Edith (Mrs. Charles) Ringling
- Vice President: Aubrey B. Haley
- Secretary-treasurer: William P. Dunn, Jr.
Five circus officials were arrested at the circus grounds on Friday, July 7, 1944.
- James A. Haley, 45, Sarasota, FL, Vice-President of the circus, bond set at $15,000
- George W. Smith, 51, Sarasota, FL, General Manager, bond set at $15,000
- Leonard Aylesworth, 52, Sarasota, FL, Circus Executive, bond set at $10,000
- Edward Versteeg, 44, Baldwin Park, CA, Chief Electrician, bond set at $10,000
- David W. Blanchfield, 57, no home, Chief Wagon Man, bond set at $10,000THC
The 1944 season began for the "second section" (outdoor venues under the big top) on June 5, 1944 in Philadelphia. The same big top that was used to start the season was used in Hartford and each stop in between.
700 employees with the show, not including performers. Includes truck drivers, canvas men, seat men, rigging men, ring stock, elephant men, side show personnel, ticket takers, and ushers. [James Haley testimony]
Circus records indicate three fires in the 1944 prior to the Hartford fire, none of which were on the canvas sidewalls and none threatened the tent.
The canvas sidewall is frequently charred by cigars or cigarettes during the season, but these never results in flame. Unless a flame is applied directly to the canvas a fire cannot be started. [RBBB motion for suspension of sentences, 3/23/1945]
- Philadelphia: A straw pile about 20-feet outside the stake line was set on fire by some boys playing. The fire was put out without getting anywhere near the big top.
- Portland, Maine: A fire in the grass at least 60-feet away from the tent.
- Providence, RI: A grass fire behind the elephants, about 40-feet from the menagerie sidewall, occurred on a non-performance day.
The canvas sidewall is frequently charred by cigars or cigarettes during the season, but these never results in flame. Unless a flame is applied directly to the canvas a fire cannot be started. [RBBB motion for suspension of sentences, 3/23/1945]
The canvas roof of the big top was given a paraffin treatment for waterproofing in May, 1944, before the season began. Paraffin wax was boiled and thinned with gasoline, then poured from watering cans and brushed into the canvas. RBBB boss canvasman Leonard Aylesworth was in charge of the process.
The big top had never been fireproofed. [RBBB general manager George W. Smith]
- 6,000 gallons of Texaco white gasoline
- 60 barrels of yellow paraffin wax, 300-pounds each, purchased from Standard Oil
The big top had never been fireproofed. [RBBB general manager George W. Smith]
The circus was held on the circus grounds until the morning of Saturday, July 15, 1944 when they circus train left for Sarasota, Florida. Only equipment that was immediately involved with the fire investigation was left behind, as well as approximately 33 employees who are still to be questioned by the state's attorney.THC
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus will leave its winter headquarters in Sarasota, Florida on Monday, July 31, 1944, for Akron, Ohio, where it will open at the Rubber Bowl on August 4, 1944. Future scheduled shows include University of Detroit Stadium, August 8 through 20, and Soldiers Field in Chicago, August 22 through September 4. The entire performance will be staged facing one direction because of increased room in stadiums and ball parks, all patrons will sit on one side. The circus train has been reduced from 79 cars to 67 because the tent and poles will no longer be needed.THC
- Municipal Hospital received its first call at 2:45pm from the police department requesting an ambulance at the circus grounds. By 2:55pm, a variety of vehicles began arriving at the hospital filled with victims from the scene. Municipal Hospital admitted 143 patients in the following 80 minutes; 5 of those were dead on arrival and 6 others were so severely burned that they died within an hour of admission. 48 patients were treated in the outpatient department and 76 were receiving treatment at 8pm on July 6. Twelve patients were transferred to Hartford Hospital and St. Francis Hospital. [Stanley B. Weld, MD]
- Municipal Hospital, with a bed capacity of 175, was the closet hospital to the fire scene and took most of the casualties. There was some confusion immediately following the fire when the hospital was deluged with patients, but the situation was quickly organized with help from the State Guard, Military Police, Social Services, and American Red Cross. [Dr. John J. Burke]
- Upon admission to Municipal Hospital, patients were given morphine subcutaneously. Plasma was administered intravenously, with considerable difficult on patients with badly burned skin and collapsed superficial veins. It was often necessary to cut down on the femoral veins. Gauze impregnated with Vaseline was applied to all burned areas without debridement, and covered with light plaster casts for even pressure, changed to Ace bandages the next day. Patients were tested for tetanus, and sulfonamides were administered during the first 14 hours with forced fluids by mouth if tolerated. Parenteral fluids were necessary for many patients with nausea. Those developing a fever on the second day were given penicillin liberally. [Stanley B. Weld, MD]
- Hartford Hospital received 40 patients from the fire scene, and later received 18 transfers from Municipal Hospital. [Dr. John J. Burke]
Patients at Hospitals as of Monday night, 7/10/44:
110 total
32 at St. Francis, one critical
21 at Municipal, all critical
57 at Hartford Hospital, 6 critical
110 total
32 at St. Francis, one critical
21 at Municipal, all critical
57 at Hartford Hospital, 6 critical
Patients at Hospitals as of Tuesday, 7/11/44:
113 total
32 at St. Francis, none critical
20 at Municipal Hospital, 19 critical
60 at Hartford Hospital, 6 critical
1 at East Hartford Hospital, not critical
113 total
32 at St. Francis, none critical
20 at Municipal Hospital, 19 critical
60 at Hartford Hospital, 6 critical
1 at East Hartford Hospital, not critical
Issuance of the Performance License:
Several months before the fire, William H. Cronin, Department Clerk for the City of Hartford, was visited by a Mr. Conway, representing the circus, to schedule dates for the circus. Conway inquired about July 5th & 6th, Cronin checked the record and told the him that those dates were alright. Conway signed a printed agreement form which he left with the city clerk to give to the circus business manager when he called for the license when the circus arrives in town.
At 11:30am on July 5, 1944, Cronin spoke with Hartford Police Chief Hallissey about the circus. Hallissey said that Mr. Brice, police chief for the circus, had called him to make arrangements for police protection on the circus lot.
At 12:30pm on July 5th, Cronin spoke with Miss Coughlin at the Mayor's Office, and she informed him that a representative from the circus had been at City Hall.
At 1:15pm on July 5th, the circus' business manager Mr. Herbert Duval visited Hartford Police Headquarters, and Cronin issued the license to him in Chief Hallissey's name. $300 was paid, representing the license fee for two days at $150 a day, and Cronin gave Duval a copy of the license, a receipt and the form previously left by Conway. Cronin recalls Duval handling this business for the past 3 or 4 years, and this manner of issuance of the license was the same as it had been in previous years since the function was turned over to the Chief of Police. Duval remarked to Cronin on July 5th that there would be no matinee show as the circus was late in arriving, and that he had a taxicab waiting for him as he left.
Several months before the fire, William H. Cronin, Department Clerk for the City of Hartford, was visited by a Mr. Conway, representing the circus, to schedule dates for the circus. Conway inquired about July 5th & 6th, Cronin checked the record and told the him that those dates were alright. Conway signed a printed agreement form which he left with the city clerk to give to the circus business manager when he called for the license when the circus arrives in town.
At 11:30am on July 5, 1944, Cronin spoke with Hartford Police Chief Hallissey about the circus. Hallissey said that Mr. Brice, police chief for the circus, had called him to make arrangements for police protection on the circus lot.
At 12:30pm on July 5th, Cronin spoke with Miss Coughlin at the Mayor's Office, and she informed him that a representative from the circus had been at City Hall.
At 1:15pm on July 5th, the circus' business manager Mr. Herbert Duval visited Hartford Police Headquarters, and Cronin issued the license to him in Chief Hallissey's name. $300 was paid, representing the license fee for two days at $150 a day, and Cronin gave Duval a copy of the license, a receipt and the form previously left by Conway. Cronin recalls Duval handling this business for the past 3 or 4 years, and this manner of issuance of the license was the same as it had been in previous years since the function was turned over to the Chief of Police. Duval remarked to Cronin on July 5th that there would be no matinee show as the circus was late in arriving, and that he had a taxicab waiting for him as he left.
State Police Commissioner Edward J. Hickey was on-scene during the fire, and took command. He directed the assembly of a temporary casualty station at the fire site where the dead were taken, while the injured were rushed to hospitals. Observing the number of dead, Hickey made arrangements for the State Armory on Broad Street to be used as a morgue. State Medical Examiner Dr. Walter Weissenborn and County Coroner Frank E. Healy authorized the removal of the deceased to the armory.
Inside the main entrance of the State Armory were 4 parallel rows of long tables:
- Row 1: approximately 12 clerks registering visitors in and getting the information about who they were looking for.
- Row 2: approximately 15 nurses to be assigned as escorts for individuals viewing the bodies.
- Row 3: Connecticut State Police officers to be assigned as escorts.
- Row 4: Red Cross canteen service
As the bodies arrived at the State Armory, Connecticut State Police Trooper William N. Menser, the assistant identification officer, attached State Police casualty tags to each one, bearing a four-digit number. The bodies were placed on cots, covered with blankets, and thoroughly examined by Dr. Weissenborn, Officer Menser, and Hartford dentist Dr. Edgar B. Butler. Notes were kept in a loose-leaf notebook for each body, indicating the approximate age of the victim, height, weight, sex, build, hair color, scars, dental work, and any clothing or jewelry found with the body.
Long lines of people waiting to view the dead had formed, and they were allowed to begin entering the armory at 5:00pm. Girls were stationed on the main floor of the armory recording all information that was being phoned in and registering those who came looking for a relative or a close friend. Upon registration, visitors would be taken in groups of 12 to view the bodies, each accompanied by a state trooper and a nurse. Bodies were sorted into groups by age and sex, and searchers would be taken to the section where they were mostly likely to find who they were looking for. Officer Menser observed that many people were reluctant to make positive identification due to the horrible conditions of the bodies, and many returned numerous times before professing satisfaction.
The skin on the hands of the victims was badly burned and no identifications were made by fingerprints. Any paper items on the bodies was burned, making identification by that method impossible. Rings, bracelets, and watches were helpful in making identifications, especially those with inscriptions.
All identifications were later cleared by the medical examiner, who signed the death certificates.
There were no fire alarms boxes or hydrants on the Barbour Street circus grounds lot. The nearest fire alarm box was approximately 600-feet from the lot entrance, at the corner of Barbour Street and Cleveland Avenue. There were two fire hydrants on Barbour Street, one directly in front of the circus grounds, about 300-feet from the Big Top, and one on the opposite side of the street approximately 175-feet south of the bus stop pole located directly opposite the circus lot entrance. --Hickey report
From the local fire marshal's office records, a list of brush and grass fires at the Barbour Street circus lot that required fire department response:
- 1939 - 5 alarms
- 1940 - 2 alarms
- 1941 - 2 alarms
- 1942 - 3 alarms
- 1943 - 3 alarms
- 1944 - 2 alarms (April 4, 1944 and April 30, 1944) --Hickey report
Local fire marshal Henry G. Thomas made no inspection of the circus grounds before the fire. There were no reports of any existing fire or casualty hazard at the circus grounds made by the local fire marshal to state fire marshal Edward J. Hickey. --Hickey report
Fire Apparatus Responding To Alarms
1st Alarm - Box 82 - Clark & Westland St. - 2:44 p.m.
#7 900' - 1" nozzle - hydrant front of lot on Barbour Street
3 hours, 17 min. Capt. McDonald - pumper worked.
#2 800' - 1 1/4" nozzle - hydrant front of lot on Barbour Street
2 hours, 5 min. Capt. Kirby - pump used.
#16 1000' - 1 1/4" nozzle - hydrant at 337 Barbour Street
2 hours, 46 min. Capt. Yacavone - pump used.
Truck #3 Lt. Curtin, assisted on lines and rescue work.
Truck #4 Lt. Connors, assisted on lines and rescue work.
2nd Alarm - Box 828 - Barbour Street & Cleveland Ave. - 2:44 p.m.
#14 800' - 1" nozzle - hydrant - off #7 pump in front of circus lot.
1 hour, 41 min. - Capt. Potter
#4 800' - 1" nozzle - off #7 pumper
1 hour, 40 min. - Lieut. Kelliher
#3 450' - 1" nozzle - hydrant 132 Cleveland Avenue
2 hours, 23 min. - Private E.M. Daley
Truck #1 Paul Wychodil - assisted on lines and rescue work - 56 min.
Sent by Headquarters on adjacent box - 2:49 p.m.
#5 1350' - 1" nozzle - hydrant 132 Cleveland Avenue.
2 hours, 27 min. Capt. Griffin.
[Report of the Municipal Board of Inquiry on the Circus Disaster, Nov. 1944]
1st Alarm - Box 82 - Clark & Westland St. - 2:44 p.m.
#7 900' - 1" nozzle - hydrant front of lot on Barbour Street
3 hours, 17 min. Capt. McDonald - pumper worked.
#2 800' - 1 1/4" nozzle - hydrant front of lot on Barbour Street
2 hours, 5 min. Capt. Kirby - pump used.
#16 1000' - 1 1/4" nozzle - hydrant at 337 Barbour Street
2 hours, 46 min. Capt. Yacavone - pump used.
Truck #3 Lt. Curtin, assisted on lines and rescue work.
Truck #4 Lt. Connors, assisted on lines and rescue work.
2nd Alarm - Box 828 - Barbour Street & Cleveland Ave. - 2:44 p.m.
#14 800' - 1" nozzle - hydrant - off #7 pump in front of circus lot.
1 hour, 41 min. - Capt. Potter
#4 800' - 1" nozzle - off #7 pumper
1 hour, 40 min. - Lieut. Kelliher
#3 450' - 1" nozzle - hydrant 132 Cleveland Avenue
2 hours, 23 min. - Private E.M. Daley
Truck #1 Paul Wychodil - assisted on lines and rescue work - 56 min.
Sent by Headquarters on adjacent box - 2:49 p.m.
#5 1350' - 1" nozzle - hydrant 132 Cleveland Avenue.
2 hours, 27 min. Capt. Griffin.
[Report of the Municipal Board of Inquiry on the Circus Disaster, Nov. 1944]
Circus-Owned Fire Equipment on Hand:
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Alert Fire Extinguisher, soda & acid - Truck and Blacksmith Dept.
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Sod-Acid Fyr-Fyter Extinguisher, soda & acid - Truck and Blacksmith Dept.
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Alert Fire Extinguisher, soda & acid - Truck and Blacksmith Dept.
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Phomene Fire Extinguisher. Taken from Giraffe Cage, south side of lot.
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Universal Fire Extinguisher, soda & acid. Taken from Wagon 169.
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Guardene Fire Extinguisher, soda & acid. Taken from near Giraffe Cage, south side of lot.
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Phomene Fire Extinguisher. Taken from near Giraffe Cage, south side of lot.
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Cambar Fire Extinguisher, soda & acid. Taken from Wagon 110.
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Cambar Fire Extinguisher, soda & acid. Taken from near Giraffe Cage, south side of lot.
1 - 3 gal. Duragarde Pump-Type Extinguisher. No ticket - about 1/2 full.
1 - 3 gal. Duragarde Pump-Type Extinguisher. No ticket - empty.
1 - 3 gal. Duragarde Pump-Type Extinguisher. No ticket.
1 - 3 gal. Duragarde Pump-Type Extinguisher. Taken from in front of Gorilla Cage near front entrance.
1 - 3 gal. Duragarde Pump-Type Extinguisher. Taken from Wagon 168.
1 - 3 gal. Duragarde Pump-Type Extinguisher. Taken from Wagon 168.
1 - 3 gal. Duragarde Pump-Type Extinguisher. Taken from Wagon 168.
1 - 3 gal. Pump-Type. No identification marks.
1 - 3 gal. Pump-Type. No identification marks.
27 Pyrene Extinguishers. 1 qt.
1 - 1 qt. Wilbur Fire Extinguisher.
8 - 12 qt. pails picked up inside tent area.
6 - 12 qt. pails picked up outside tent area. Two found full of water, one at southeast end and one about center way north side.
Others empty under seat sections.
4 Water Tanks trucks equipped with pump, 50' 2" hose, 1/2" nozzle coverage, 1000 gal capacity. On a test subsequent to fire, pitat reading at nozzle 57 lbs.
-- Report of the Municipal Board of Inquiry on the Circus Disaster, Nov. 1944
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Alert Fire Extinguisher, soda & acid - Truck and Blacksmith Dept.
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Sod-Acid Fyr-Fyter Extinguisher, soda & acid - Truck and Blacksmith Dept.
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Alert Fire Extinguisher, soda & acid - Truck and Blacksmith Dept.
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Phomene Fire Extinguisher. Taken from Giraffe Cage, south side of lot.
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Universal Fire Extinguisher, soda & acid. Taken from Wagon 169.
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Guardene Fire Extinguisher, soda & acid. Taken from near Giraffe Cage, south side of lot.
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Phomene Fire Extinguisher. Taken from near Giraffe Cage, south side of lot.
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Cambar Fire Extinguisher, soda & acid. Taken from Wagon 110.
1 - 2 1/2 gal. Cambar Fire Extinguisher, soda & acid. Taken from near Giraffe Cage, south side of lot.
1 - 3 gal. Duragarde Pump-Type Extinguisher. No ticket - about 1/2 full.
1 - 3 gal. Duragarde Pump-Type Extinguisher. No ticket - empty.
1 - 3 gal. Duragarde Pump-Type Extinguisher. No ticket.
1 - 3 gal. Duragarde Pump-Type Extinguisher. Taken from in front of Gorilla Cage near front entrance.
1 - 3 gal. Duragarde Pump-Type Extinguisher. Taken from Wagon 168.
1 - 3 gal. Duragarde Pump-Type Extinguisher. Taken from Wagon 168.
1 - 3 gal. Duragarde Pump-Type Extinguisher. Taken from Wagon 168.
1 - 3 gal. Pump-Type. No identification marks.
1 - 3 gal. Pump-Type. No identification marks.
27 Pyrene Extinguishers. 1 qt.
1 - 1 qt. Wilbur Fire Extinguisher.
8 - 12 qt. pails picked up inside tent area.
6 - 12 qt. pails picked up outside tent area. Two found full of water, one at southeast end and one about center way north side.
Others empty under seat sections.
4 Water Tanks trucks equipped with pump, 50' 2" hose, 1/2" nozzle coverage, 1000 gal capacity. On a test subsequent to fire, pitat reading at nozzle 57 lbs.
-- Report of the Municipal Board of Inquiry on the Circus Disaster, Nov. 1944
Mayor Mortensen announced a special five-man board of inquiry to investigate the performance of the city officials before, during and after the circus fire, comprised of:
- George C. Long, Jr., president of the Phoenix Insurance Company
- Attorney Solomon Eisner
- Walter S. Paine, manager of the engineering and inspection department of the Aetna Life Insurance Company
- Monsignor William H. Flynn, chancellor of the Hartford diocese
- W. Ross McCain, president of the Aetna Insurance Company [THC]
Police Court Prosecutor James F. Kennedy declared Friday, July 7, that his investigation had established the fact that three to four parts gasoline and one part paraffin had been used as waterproofing for the canvas tent, and that the preparation was applied to the main tent last April. Mayor Mortensen issued a similar statement about the waterproofing and announced that he determined that a waist-high steel runway for animals had closed off and obstructed exits. Approximately 60 bodies were found jammed against the runway.THC
"The circus could not get fireproof tents because the material was a war priority unless the Ringling circus agreed to play in military bases. John Ringling North I agreed, but the cousins protested. He gave in and stopped using fireproof material." -- as told by son, John Ringling North II in a ToledoBlade.com article, 8/7/2011.
The State Armory emergency center for identification of victims of the circus fire received some 10,000 calls during the first 24 hours after the disaster. -- War Administrator Henry B. Mosle, The Hartford Courant, 7/16/1944.
Partial list of lost articles picked up in the vicinity of the circus fire, held in the property room of the Hartford Police headquarters by orderof State's Attorney Hugh Alcorn, Jr.:THC
about 100 women's compacts of various sizes and shapes, many black with soot
a half-filled cigarette case, charred black
about 20 crucifixes, some tarnished, some bent out of shape
20 lipsticks
a pen knife
a half burned purse
a comb untouched by fire
a rabbit's foot attached to a key chain, and many other tokens of luck attached to key rings and chains
many eye-glasses and cases, some crushed, some burned
a torn pocket from a girl's coat with a Girl Scout pin
a partly burned umbrella with badly twisted framework
approximately 20 pairs of shoes, one a size 2, most in bad shape
The previous day's performance, which would have been the first in Hartford that year, had been cancelled because the circus tent was six hours late coming in from Providence, RI.
The canvas tent was 450 feet long and 200 feet wide, supported by six poles to a maximum of 75 feet. The canvas weighed 19 tons. Seating capacity was 12,000.
Merle Evans, the bandleader, saw the fire and signalled the band to play Stars and Stripes Forever, which was code to the circus employees that there was an emergency.
Flags on the State Capitol flew at half-staff on 7-7-1944 in a sorrowful fluttering tribute to the circus dead on order of Gov. Raymond E. Baldwin. (Manchester Evening Herald, 7/7/44)
John M. Carson, chief usher for the circus, estimated there were 6,000 people in the tent, approximately half of its capacity, when the blaze started. (The Hartford Courant, 7/7/44)
All bodies were removed from the grounds in approximately one and one-half hours.THC
The circus had been scheduled to visit Rochester, NY on July 19 and 20 at the Norman Street grounds, but would instead return to winter quarters at Sarasota, FL for repairs.
As word of the calamity spread through the city, the Southern New England Telephone Company's switchboards were flooded with the greatest number of calls since the hurricane of 1938. All afternoon and evening there were some 250 operators on duty as compared with a normal force of 150.THC
Nearly one-third of the victims were identified by dental charts. Marks from operations were also helpful, as two women were identified by their scars from Caesarian operations. Another victim was identified from a bad shoulder injury of several years prior. Jewelry was helpful, particularly in the case of wedding rings which bore initials. Clothing and shoes were recognized in a few cases.
Chart of Deaths by Place and Date, on file at Connecticut State Library, State Archives:
Chart of Casualties by Major Injury, on file at Connecticut State Library, State Archives:
Chart of Hospitalized Patients by Residence, on file at Connecticut State Library, State Archives:
Chart of Deaths, Resident and Non-Resident, By Age, Sex and Race, on file at Connecticut State Library, State Archives:
Chart of Circus Fire Casualties, Resident and Non-Resident, by Age and Sex:
- Lima State Hospital Psychological Report, 08/19/1950
- Dr. Buschong letter regarding Segee's mental examination, 10/31/1950
- Dr. Higley Psych Review
- Segee's drawings while institutionalized:
- Investigation Reports, OHIO
- Investigation Reports, CONNECTICUT
- Investigation Reports, MAINE
- Statements regarding Segee
- Segee Prison Records
- Segee school records from Maine