June 30, 1900: The Hoboken Docks Fire

June 30, 1900: A fire breaks out on piers owned by Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL), a German shipping company, on the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey. It kills at least 326 people.

The fire began when cotton bales stored on NDL's southernmost wharf caught fire, and winds carried the flames to nearby barrels of volatile liquids, such as turpentine and oil, which exploded in rapid succession. It burned NDL's Hoboken piers to the waterline, consumed or gutted nearby warehouses, gutted 3 of NDL's major transatlantic liners, and damaged or destroyed nearly two dozen smaller craft. Most of the victims were seamen and other workers, but included women visiting one of the ships.

The piers were at the foot of 3rd and 4th Streets, across the Hudson from West 12th Street in Manhattan, New York City. Pier C Park is on the site today. This is 5 blocks north of where the Hoboken Terminal of the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad was built in 1907, now serving New Jersey Transit and the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) system. 

NDL survived World War I, and barely survived World War II, with one remaining ship. It rebuilt, restored its place in international commerce, and merged with the Hamburg America Line (HAPAG) in 1970, forming Hapag-Lloyd AG.

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June 30, 1900 was a Saturday. These games were played in baseball's National League:

* The New York Giants lost to the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-1 at League Park (later renamed Robison Field) in St. Louis.

* The Brooklyn Superbas lost to the Chicago Orphans, 8-1 at West Side Park in Chicago. The Superbas were managed by Ned Hanlon, and were named after a popular circus troupe of the era, Hanlon's Superbas. They were renamed the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1911. The Reds played in several ballparks on the site of League Park from 1884 to 1970, the last of these being Crosley Field, starting in 1912.

The Chicago team, formerly known as the White Stockings and, for their youth, as the Colts, had long been led by 1st baseman and manager Adrian Constantine Anson. He was known as "Cap," for "Captain," until he got older, and became known as "Pop." He retired after the 1897 season, and the team became known as the "Orphans," because "they missed their Pop." They were renamed the Chicago Cubs in 1903.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-3 at Exposition Park in Pittsburgh.

* And the Cincinnati Reds beat the Boston Beaneaters, 4-0 at League Park in Cincinnati. The Beaneaters went through a few name changed before becoming the Boston Braves in 1912.