When a seismograph in Denver picks up a explosion on the southern coast of Texas, you know someone screwed up. Or someones. A lot of someones. This boWhen a seismograph in Denver picks up a explosion on the southern coast of Texas, you know someone screwed up. Or someones. A lot of someones. This book stirred up memories of the Halifax disaster. Different substance, pretty much same result. The book is a greatly covered account. The writing style is different as far as layout. Kinda reminded me of book reports in school where you break it down into sections. But it is easy to read and follow. The second chapter will give you a run down of the substances involved and their composition and hazards, as well as a general run down of the industrial use and it safety preparations(or lack there of). It's actually pretty interesting and helps you to understand how the explosion came to be. After that, strictly business about the disaster. Appropriately titled book....this was a major disaster. Not super detailed but more than enough to give you a clear picture of what went down. I just hope that if I'm ever involved in one of these events, that I'm the guy that lands a mile away with minor damage. Not the one that is never seen again because, well......there is nothing left to see....more
Not bad. Living in the woods out in timber country in Jones county Georgia, this is one of my biggest fears. The first half of the book mostly covers Not bad. Living in the woods out in timber country in Jones county Georgia, this is one of my biggest fears. The first half of the book mostly covers the fires and the towns effected by them. Not really detailed but a good account and interesting read. The second half deals mostly with the court cases pressed against the railroads.(The fires were mostly started by sparks from passing trains) Not my cup o' tea. Overall a good book. I just hope I'm never in one of these books!!...more
Politics, politics and more politics. What a disappointment. Only about a quarter of this book is about the North Butte mining disaster. You know, THEPolitics, politics and more politics. What a disappointment. Only about a quarter of this book is about the North Butte mining disaster. You know, THE TITLE OF THE BOOK. Union politics. Labor politics. Montana politics and ending with country politics. I get it. Politicians and mega wealthy corporations have always screwed the general public. They are self serving and greedy pieces of filth. I know. I don't need to read about it in a book that was supposed to be about something else. Yeah, I have a big problem with misleading titles. I feel ripped off. Never would have spent my money on this book had I known. Whelp, off to the next....more
Overall a good read. Kind of a matter of fact writing style. Doesn't really jump off the pages but keeps you interested. Not super detailed but enoughOverall a good read. Kind of a matter of fact writing style. Doesn't really jump off the pages but keeps you interested. Not super detailed but enough to give you a pretty good understanding. One things for sure, this book pissed me off!! The scumbags responsible(politicians and wealthy business men) skated off Scott-free. Yup, NO ONE was held accountable. Some things never change....more
This book took way longer to read than it should have. I can't put my finger on it, but something about this book just never got me going. I read 2-4 This book took way longer to read than it should have. I can't put my finger on it, but something about this book just never got me going. I read 2-4 pages every time I picked it up and either fell asleep or lost interest. It's a fairly good and informative book, I just couldn't get into it. Maybe it was the writing style. Maybe it was the extensive use of street names or areas I have no clue about. I'm not sure. I can see why others found the book enjoyable, but I just wanted to get it over with. ...more
Pretty good book. Stays true to the title. It briefly covers San Francisco history and the actual earthquake, then it focuses on the fire. My only proPretty good book. Stays true to the title. It briefly covers San Francisco history and the actual earthquake, then it focuses on the fire. My only problem was the writing style. Uses a lot of names and then gives you a brief history of those people and a lot of them weren't really necessary. This is my second attempt on a book about the 1906 earthquake, the first book was horrible, this one was decent. I figure there has to be a book out there that really brings this event to life, but I doubt I'll bother to read a third book on the subject. Not bad though, I would give it 3 and a half stars, if I could....more
One thing I can say is... This books jumps right into it!! No time spent with explaining things in the beginning. It starts at the fire and explains tOne thing I can say is... This books jumps right into it!! No time spent with explaining things in the beginning. It starts at the fire and explains the backgrounds and details of the people involved as it tells you their fate. Different approach from the other fire related books I've read but it kept things rolling and broke things up. I liked it. A lot of times authors will go through all those details early in a book, then when you get to the fire it's hard to remember who was who. Not here. Most of the book is about the fire. The last part of the book covers the aftermath and the half hearted attempt to figure out why or how it happened. Over all a good book. Keep in mind, fire books can be hard to read at times. Dying from burning or hitting a sidewalk from 10 stories can be a tough read. As horrible as it is... You can also learn a lot about what to do(or not do) in this kind of situation. Well researched and well written book. Definitely deserves at least 4 stars....more
Fire books are sad. And scary. This particular fire was a natural phenomenon. If you have studied on major wildfires you know they are capable of creaFire books are sad. And scary. This particular fire was a natural phenomenon. If you have studied on major wildfires you know they are capable of creating their own weather. Rain, wind.... Tornados. The firestorm that struck Peshtigo, Wisconsin the same night as the Great Chicago fire was a rare event of almost unimaginable destruction. Trees were ripped out of the ground, not just burned. Buildings blasted from their foundations. People reduced to ash . Even the earth itself, the soil, was burnt several feet deep. These tales are as heart breaking as they are mind blowing. And kind of like old stories of hurricanes, small towns that took years to create could be erased in hours. As I say in most of my reviews on fires books... Not for the faint of heart. But it will teach you to have a great respect for the destructive powers of fire. Even though no one really knows exactly how this fire started..... I'll be willing to bet that if you read this book, the next time you go camping you'll make SURE you put your fire out COMPLETELY!...more
I had never heard of the Halifax disaster. After reading this book I can't imagine why. This is an event of catastrophic consequence. To imagine the pI had never heard of the Halifax disaster. After reading this book I can't imagine why. This is an event of catastrophic consequence. To imagine the power of 2,925 tons of TNT exploding.... the results of which are unimaginable to anyone that was not there. But this author does a amazing job of putting you there!!! This book was incredible. The Halifax disaster is truly a tragic yet amazing event. No matter what you like to read.... this book should be good to anyone and everyone. Plus I noticed most of the poor reviews mention their disliking of the description of the carnage created by the blast. What did you expect? A couple boo boos and a bruise, or maybe a bump on the head? Almost 3000 TONS of dynamite exploded!! I'm sure the descriptions of injuries in this book could have been much worse than it was. Here's a bit of advice... If you don't like to read about people being hurt, DON'T READ DISASTER BOOKS. Fires, hurricanes, explosions, tornados, floods, blizzards, earthquakes, etc. kill people. So these would be subjects to avoid if you dislike carnage. If you're curious to know what kind of damage almost 3000 tons of dynamite would do, this book will tell you....more
I give this book 5 stars because I had NO interest in mining history or stories about mines. But I read this book to try something new and am SO glad I give this book 5 stars because I had NO interest in mining history or stories about mines. But I read this book to try something new and am SO glad I did. Great book. Very well researched and written. This book brings life in a 1909 mining town to life. Gives you a clear perspective of the way these people and places functioned. A truly tragic event.. but one that deserves to not be forgotten. I'm truly happy that someone took the time to research and write about this event and the people involved. I think anyone that likes a well told story about true historical events would be very pleased....more
This was the first book on fires that I ever read. I never knew much about the dynamics of large fires or the power they possessed. They create their This was the first book on fires that I ever read. I never knew much about the dynamics of large fires or the power they possessed. They create their own weather!! Boiling hot rain, flame tornado's, high winds...... Despite my mild interest and lack of knowledge this book was incredible. I will never look at large scale fires the same. This is an amazing story and it definitely opened a whole new genre of books for me. I have read several books on fires now.... thanks to this book. Even if fires aren't your thing, like me, this may spark your interest as it has mine. If you like history, natural disasters, non-fiction, tragedy.... or just a good book, you should find this book very interesting....more
Amazing book!! Very sad. Very tragic. This book is extremely well written. Easy to follow and very well researched. Even though there is a lot of infoAmazing book!! Very sad. Very tragic. This book is extremely well written. Easy to follow and very well researched. Even though there is a lot of information it is easily absorbed and it reads like you are watching a movie. The balance of pre-fire, the actual event and the aftermath is perfect. No unnecessary information or fading off the subject. And the search for the cause is almost as gripping as the fire itself. This is a horrific event!! If you are a very sensitive or soft hearted person... this book might be hard to read. The fire is painful to read. The author does such an amazing job describing the event you almost feel like you were there. I literally felt drained after reading about the events on that tragic day. With that said, this book is one of the best I've ever read. ...more
This is a great book. Very tragic. I wanted to give it 4 and half stars. Sometimes tragedies are waiting to happen. This was a matter of many elementsThis is a great book. Very tragic. I wanted to give it 4 and half stars. Sometimes tragedies are waiting to happen. This was a matter of many elements combining to create a hazard. It took one spark to set off a disastrous chain of events. Most likely the flick of a cigarette or match cost many their lives. This book is very well written and sticks to the story. I love a book that reads so well, so smoothly that you almost feel like you're watching it instead of reading it. This book accomplishes that. It is disturbing... a very sad story. But very well told...more
Not a bad read... but not what I was looking for. This book spends A LOT of time discussing Tammany politics in New York, immigration, the waist coat Not a bad read... but not what I was looking for. This book spends A LOT of time discussing Tammany politics in New York, immigration, the waist coat labor strikes.... in other words, not the fire. Though the fire is well covered.. it takes a LONG time getting there. Then it spends a LONG time on the aftermath... more politics and labor wars. If your looking for a good book on the Triangle FIRE..... there may be a better one out there....more
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