The Knickerbocker Storm

The Knickerbocker Storm of 1922

Marsha Brown , Stephen Northern, Chris Bond, Takerra Johnson

Resources

http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade20.html

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/2008/01/the_great_knickerbocker_snowst_1.html

http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/almanac/arc2012/alm12jan.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambassador_Theater_(Washington,_DC)

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/America_economy_1920s.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knickerbocker_Theatre_(Washington,_D.C.)

-http:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6DlQS68-tI

The Snowstorm

The Storm continues...

After the Storm

• The Knickerbocker Storm moved northeastward and carried moist air, strong winds, and snow accumulation to :

Snowstorm Travel

• The Snowstorm occurred in Washington D.C. and is ranked the largest in their history.
• The storm formed in the east of South Carolina (January 27) and moved north, east of Cape Hatteras (January 28), then drifted east northeast out to sea.

Snowfall Records

• By the morning of January 28th = 18 inches
• Mid Afternoon = 25 inches
• January 29th = 28 inches
• Highest Record = 33 inches in Rock Creek Park

Temperature Recorded was low to mid- 20s

After the Storm

• The Storm paralyzed Washington's economic activity for several days
• This directly effected Congressional Meetings because many representatives were unavailable to meet roll call
• The architect of the Knickerbocker theater, Reginald Geare, could no longer get clients, and later committed suicide, in 1927
• Ten years later Harry M. Crandall committed suicide due to bad business

New York

Massachusetts

Maryland

Pennsylvania

New Jersey

• Although there weren't any global effects from the storm, business in every stated lost money, workers , and customers
• Business did not go back to normal right after the storm of the clean up, so businesses struggled to get back on their feet and get everything back in order.
• Knickerbocker hotels were built in Chicago, Texas, and Wisconsin

Benefit : The Ambassador Theater was built, September 20, 1923 .

• Psychedelic Concert and Dance Hall inspired from San Francisco

Summary

• The Knickerbocker Storm lasted from January 27th- 28th
• Total Death: 98
• Total Injured: 133
• Hit Washington D.C, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania

Prior to the Storm - The 1920's

• This period was also called the " Roaring Twenties" or "Jazz Age"
• Henry Ford introduced mass production, one could buy a Ford for $290 dollars.
• America was in it's wealthiest state but this ended in 1929
• The 19th amendment had passed the year prior allowing women the right to vote in National Elections.
• Also a period of Prohibition and Crime
• "The Cultural Civil War" and increase Ku Klux Klan Activity

Effects of the Storm

The Knickerbocker Theater

• The Knickerbocker theater was designed by Reginald Geare and commissioned by Harry Crandall.
• It sat comfortably 1,700 people
• The day of the collapse the theater was showing a silent comedy "Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford"
• After the collapse the police rendered the use of arch girders rather than stone pillars to hold up the roof the reason the roof could not hold the weight of the snow.

• The Blizzard left around 3 feet of snowfall in several states
• the Knickerbocker Storm was named after Crandall's Knickerbocker Theater which had collapsed due to the weight of the Snowfall.
• The roof collapsing killed 98 people and left 133 injured
• A Local Streetcar Company needed sweepers and shovelers to clear tracks and employed 4,000 people for $3.50 per day. A total of 951 miles had to be shoveled.
• Every hospital in the area was filled with the injured. Many stores and houses served as short- term first aid stations. Hotels opened their doors to rescuers and the injured as well