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Thread: Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire

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    Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire

    *If this topic has been posted, please forgive me. My brain is warped from too much studying.*
    In the 1930s, this nightspot got its start in Northern Kentucky and was called the Beverly Hills Country Club. Gambling was a booming business and there were alleged mob ties, so it closed for awhile and re-opened later with different owners.
    By the time the 1970s rolled around, the Schilling family owned the casino/restaurant which was now called the Beverly Hills Supper Club. It was billed as the Showplace of the Nation. Basically, anyone you could see in Las Vegas appeared there. Patrons could take in a show and have dinner and drinks in an affordable package.
    The patriarch of the Schilling family made several additions to the club. Unfortunately, not all of these plans were approved by architects, etc. for safety and the place was well-known for having hallways that were like winding mazes. Some hallways dead-ended and exit signs weren't always clearly visible.
    A large chandelier hanging in front of an open stairway was supposed to be a showpiece of sorts. The building had mirrors on the wall, red carpeting, flocked wallpaper, more chandeliers, fancy upholstered furniture and a wall papered to look like rosewood.
    There were two show areas, the largest being the Cabaret Room which was designed to hold about 800 people. The room had an area known as "the Pit" where the most expensive seats of the house were located. The tables were right beside the stage. Patrons often dressed in tuxedos and ballgowns for this area. Tables were closely set together.
    An area above the pit and another set of tables or booths behind that area made up the rest of the seating with bar areas to the right and left of the room.
    Big doors opened into the Cabaret Room and patrons would go down some steps to reach the area located close to the Pit and the Pit itself.
    Generally, people dressed in elegant clothes to attend shows, although dress requirements were a bit less stringent and men could wear sportcoats instead of tuxedos. Still, according to those who went regularly, it was the place to be, a real hot spot in the Cincinnati/Covington/Southgate, KY area.
    An upstairs area, the Crystal Room, held space for clubs to have dinners and dressing rooms were included for fashion shows. A service elevator was upstairs and an exit, although the doors were usually locked. The upstairs was reached via the winding staircase beside the chandelier that I mentioned earlier.
    Last edited by Alanwench; 03-19-2011 at 11:26 PM.
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

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    The club had been the site of two fires, but unbelievably, no sprinklers were installed in the Beverly Hills. Staff members had no training in how to get patrons out in case of fire. This was, as many later stated, a disaster waiting to happen.
    Recently, a former busboy and two other employees wanted the Governor of Kentucky to reopen the case. They claimed that two men came in to work on the afternoon of Saturday, May 28 1977. Supposedly, the men told the workers that they were working on the air conditioning vent or unit in the Zebra Room, located at the front of the club.
    There was one problem, there was no air conditioning vent in the ceiling where a worker allegedly saw the men working. A waitress claimed that she saw two men in pinstriped suits talking to one of the members of the Schilling family, wanting to buy the club. When the men were informed that the club was not for sale, one of the men allegedly said that the club might not be around very long. This happened a few days before the fire. The same waitress also claimed that she saw men working in the Zebra Room and they appeared to be wiping or spreading something ( a flammable liquid?) on the walls on the afternoon of May 28, 1977.
    The governor and a panel looked over the evidence, but felt that there was insufficient proof to reopen this case. The official cause of the fire still remains as faulty aluminum wiring.
    Last edited by Alanwench; 03-19-2011 at 11:24 PM.
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

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    Saturday, May 28, 1977 was a very muggy, unseasonably warm and sunny day. People were, believe it or not, clamoring to see John Davidson in concert. The toothy performer was very popular and his two shows were sold out.
    Earlier in the evening, a wedding party complained to a waitress that the temperature in the Zebra Room was very uncomfortable and guests left the room to continue the celebration elsewhere.
    Women interviewed after the fire, who were there to see the Davidson show, remarked that the wall in the bathroom, which was beside the Zebra Room, was very hot and one woman said that she burned her hand on a faucet while washing her hands.
    The Beverly Hills was packed with two or three clubs meeting in the Crystal Room, plus the overflow of folks who came for dinner and those who hoped in vain that they could be squeezed into the Cabaret Room for John Davidson's later show.
    The Cabaret Room was filled in advance for both shows. There were chairs in the aisles and patrons were packed in like sardines. Some estimate that 1000-plus people were in the room at the time of the fire.
    Before Davidson's second show began, comedians were doing a show with puppets made to look like Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon. Meanwhile, a waitress noticed smoke coming from under the crack of a door to the Zebra Room. This was about 8 or 8:30 p.m.
    She opened the door and was horrified to see the basement instead of the floor and the entire room was ablaze. The waitress yelled for help and another employee tried to battle the blaze with a fire extinguisher. Opening the door gave the fire more oxygen and the extinguisher did absolutely no good.
    Smoke was soon billowing out of the room. There was a major disaster in the making. While the smoke was beginning to filter upstairs, a young busboy, Walter Bailey, made a very gutsy decision for a teenager.
    Bailey decided to walk into the Cabaret Room, wondering how he was going to tell the audience how to evacuate the building without causing panic. If the fire proved to be small, he could be out of a job, but he took the chance.
    Walter walked onstage and asked for the microphone. One of the comedians handed him a mic. Bailey told patrons to turn around and look at the main entrance, then look to his right and left. Those were the exits. He then told the people there was a small fire and to calmly exit the building.
    Some people took Bailey's advice while others thought he was part of the show. All too soon, the smoke and gases combined to blow the doors open and a big fireball shot through the door.
    Last edited by Alanwench; 03-19-2011 at 11:24 PM.
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

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    While people were exiting the room, the conditions grew chaotic as the lights flickered and went out. Before the electricity went, one survivor remembered a man "running across the tables like a squirrel jumping from tree to tree." People were trampled and others got bottlenecked into the main entrance door and doors that exited to the right and left. They were piled high like cordwood, according to a firefighter.
    The toxic, thick smoke killed more victims than the actual flames did. Some people would find their ways out of the building, only to collapse and die moments later.
    Bodies were laid out on the lawn and their faces were covered with napkins or bodies were covered with tablecloths. Local newspapers had macabre shots of corpses in dress clothes appearing to be asleep on the lawn near a fountain and a chapel used for weddings.
    A reporter for a Cincinnati-based newspaper heard the news on a scanner and went to cover the story. He helped carry oxygen bottles for firefighters and was engrossed in his work until he tripped over what he thought was a curb. The man had tripped over one of the bodies in the grass.
    One man was seen cradling the body of his dead, pregnant wife. Other patrons had headed down the winding driveway, drinks still in hand. Firefighters were called from Cincinnati and most of the Southgate/Covington area. They didn't realize how bad the fire was until they saw flames shooting several feet into the air. The hillside appeared to be ablaze and the fire blazed all night, lighting the sky with a reddish glow.
    Media workers quickly realized that a major disaster was happening when the National Guard unit in Southgate sent three Army trucks to haul away the bodies. A news reporter broke down on the air when he realized just how many people had been killed. For awhile, it was rumored that at least 1000 people died.
    Some people were found unburned, but asphyxiated. Others were so badly charred that the F.B.I. had to be called in to help in the identification process. There were six charred corpses still sitting at a table in the Cabaret Room after the fire was finally extinguished and firefighters were working to recover remains the following day.
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

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    The club was a total loss, nothing remained but the outer shell of the building. Corpses were taken to the Fort Campbell, Kentucky Armory. Most were victims of smoke inhalation and were cleaned before the relatives were allowed in to claim the bodies. A steady stream of hearses ferried the dead to funeral homes.
    Other badly burned victims were stored in refrigerated trucks donated by the Kroger supermarket chain. There were about 10 that had to be taken in and out of the truck until their identities were established.
    Children were orphaned overnight, and many lost one parent. One school lost five teachers. Laws were enacted for establishments to have clearly marked exits, sprinklers and to use flame retardant materials. After an extensive trial, companies such as G.E. were sued and the cause was determined to be aluminum wiring that was improperly installed and grounded.
    The area on the hill has never been rebuilt, but a large cross supplied by former employee Wayne Dammert and his sons and a roadside historic marker now mark the site of the disaster. A large sign or plaque is reported to be in the works.
    This story probably made me a death hag at the age of 12. I was watching The Carol Burnette Show when a news bulletin interrupted the show to include footage of flames shooting high into the air.
    What I didn't realize at the time, was that my cousins had planned to attend the Davidson performance. Their lives were saved, oddly enough, by the death of my great-grandfather who was living with my great-uncle in Cincinnati. When I asked my cousin and his wife if they still had the tickets, they had no idea, but were very relieved that they didn't go to the show.
    There were so many victims to embalm, that Cincinnati literally ran out of embalming fluid and more was flown in gratis via TWA. A local undertaker had to drive to Cincinnati to claim and then embalm my great-grandfather's body due to the lack of embalming fluid. A weird bit of trivia: George Clooney rode with his dad, Nick Clooney, a TV news reporter, and was stuck at the scene while his dad did TV coverage of the disaster.
    That spring, every time my mom would see a Kroger truck, she said she just pictured all those bodies piled up inside. In reality there were only 10, but the rumor at the time was that hundreds of bodies were packed into the trucks.
    Last edited by Alanwench; 05-27-2011 at 09:23 PM.
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

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    Great read...know of any pics?
    "Go to Heaven for the climate - Hell for the company" - Mark Twain

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    lol...i spoke too late.....
    "Go to Heaven for the climate - Hell for the company" - Mark Twain

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    Do you know what happened to the busboy, Walter Bailey? Did he get out or die in the fire?

    Cool pics, alan.

    I wonder if the mob was behind it all, or if it was just a fluke thing.
    "Go to Heaven for the climate - Hell for the company" - Mark Twain

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    Thanks, Jrwzeigle. It's hard to say if there were mob connections or not. Either version of what caused the fire could be believed.
    Walter Bailey survived and was an instant celebrity for a bit. He was given an appointment to West Point, but went to college in Kentucky, majoring in business. He's now a stock broker in Flower Mound, Texas.
    A good book about the fire is by Ron Elliott and Wayne Dammert, Inside the Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire. Dammert was a Serving Captain and managed to save several people when he was working in the Crystal Room upstairs. He regretted not being able to save two women who were participating in a fashion show and apparently died in the dressing room. Their bodies were found two days after the fire.
    Mr. Dammert also prayed over the bodies of victims. He and his son erected the enormous cross on the hillside site of the fire.
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

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    I forgot to mention in the story that the Cabaret Room was at the rear of the massive club. The fire was literally, according to survivors, "roaring down the hallway" with the toxic smoke seeming to chase people down the hall.
    John Davidson lost his manager in the blaze. He still refuses to speak of the events of May 28, 1977. Survival meant the difference of turning left or right at a certain exit. A pile of bodies was found that led to a storage area. The entire place went up in a matter of minutes.
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

  14. #14
    Charlotte Guest
    Thank you, Alan. What a tragic event. Considering the conditions, it's amazing that even more people were not killed. I'm was glad to read that the quick thinking Walter Bailey survived the fire.

    And I don't want in any way to imply that your great grandfather's death was a good thing but if it was his time then how fortunate that his time came when it did so that your cousins didn't end up using their tickets to the show that night. I hope that came out right.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Charlotte View Post
    Thank you, Alan. What a tragic event. Considering the conditions, it's amazing that even more people were not killed. I'm was glad to read that the quick thinking Walter Bailey survived the fire.

    And I don't want in any way to imply that your great grandfather's death was a good thing but if it was his time then how fortunate that his time came when it did so that your cousins didn't end up using their tickets to the show that night. I hope that came out right.
    That came out just fine, Charlotte. I understand what you mean. It was his time, he was 96 and had been in very poor health.
    My cousin and his wife went to the Beverly Hills quite a bit and were familiar with the layout. Even so, they said they got lost on several occasions. At the time of the fire, they had two little boys. Kind of ironic, I guess, but one son is a firefighter.
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

  16. #16
    Charlotte Guest
    Breathing a sigh of relief because I didn't want that to sound wrong.

    It is kind of ironic that one of their sons is a firefighter. I can't imagine how horrible it must have been for the firefighters the night of the fire. I've read in the past about nightclub fires and I always check out the various exits when I first get to a new club. My friends think I'm so morbid when I start babbling about club fires but I'm thinking I'm the one they'll follow if heaven forbid something happens!

    Thanks again for sharing this story.

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    You're welcome, Charlotte. One firefighter, Bruce Rath, was a celebrity for awhile because he refused to stop resuscitating a woman that a doctor had pronounced dead. The woman lived and wrote a very touching letter to him.
    He spoke at the 30th anniversary gathering and said that he had horrible memories of that night that will never go away. I'm just like you, Charlotte, and I look for exits in a building first thing. It pays to be safe.
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

  18. #18
    RogerV Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Jrwzeigle View Post
    Do you know what happened to the busboy, Walter Bailey? Did he get out or die in the fire?

    I remember this disaster happening. The busboy was hailed as a hero (which he actually was), but he was uncomfortable with the attention it brought him. He felt that some of the attention he received should have been given to other club employees who helped people get out.

    I'm writing from memory here, but it seems to me that there was some weird legal loophole... something to the effect that the Fire Marshall couldn't actually ENFORCE fire regulations... only make suggestions. I'm kind of vague on that, unfortunately.

    It seems I also remember that the club was in a location served by a volunteer fire department which was overwhelmed by the size of the fire and the scope of the tragedy.

    Here is a link to a lot of detailed information about the disaster, including diagrams of the building:

    http://www.enquirer.com/beverlyhills/index2.html

  19. #19
    pattykad Guest
    Great read! Thanks.

  20. #20
    Hag1 Guest
    I actually know someone whose mother died in that fire. I had just about forgotten about how horrible this was. Thanks for the post.

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    I don't remember ever hearing about that one. It happened on my 17th birthday! I mean,,,my 7th birthday. yea, thats it.
    thanks for the post!

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    For everyone who thanked me for posting this story, you're welcome. It's macabre, but one woman's identity was established because medical examiners found a tampon inside the body. Until the victim's daughter told one of the examiners that her mother was having her period, even with dental records, they didn't have 100% confirmation of identity.
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

  23. #23
    More Cheese Please Guest
    Thanks for the thread Alan, great read... here's is a video with stories from survivors etc....

    Beverly Hills Supper Club Fire

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsCTBHn2KIc
    Last edited by More Cheese Please; 04-11-2009 at 02:22 PM.

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    Thanks, Morecheese, I didn't know the video existed. One correction for my posting, John Davidson't music director died, not his manager.
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

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    Walter Bailey in 1977

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  26. 04-11-2009, 03:52 PM

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    Dazed survivors

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    Survivors watch blaze

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    Corpses on the lawn

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    Last edited by Alanwench; 04-11-2009 at 03:56 PM. Reason: Needed more info
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    Firefighters remove victim

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  31. 04-11-2009, 03:58 PM
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    Interior after fire is out

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    Front of Beverly Hills. Zebra Room is small open space

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    Corpses in Fort Thomas Armory, waiting to be identified.

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    Boy Scouts help search for bodies

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    Raging inferno on hillside

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  37. #35
    pattykad Guest
    Great photos and video. I can't believe I don't remember this
    happening. I guess I was too busy with my high school graduation.

    That poor woman who lost her mother and sisters....

  38. #36
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    thanks for the update on Walter Bailey.
    and some really cool pics and info....
    it is a sad story....but so damn interesting....
    "Go to Heaven for the climate - Hell for the company" - Mark Twain

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    Thanks, Jrwzeigle. Yes, it's sad, but I agree, the story is interesting. I have no idea what Walter looks like now, but he's married and the father of four children.
    One reporter at the scene saw a woman in a white evening gown with perfectly coiffed blonde hair. When her body was removed from a pile of bodies, he saw to his absolute horror that the other side of her was completely charred.
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

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    Reporter remembers panic, horror



    By Randy Allen • rallen@enquirer.com • May 29, 2007
    Post a CommentRecommend PrintShareThis • Type: A A Click-2-Listen
    Nature has softened the blow.
    Man-made visages have finally surrendered to a greenery of obscurity.
    Only a new memorial cross prominently thrusts it from the past.
    But the memories endure.
    It was the night fire ruled.
    The epitome of area 1970s nightlife perched on a Northern Kentucky hilltop was as regal - if not gaudy - as ever. The sticky Ohio Valley spring weather threatened customers' tight ties and polyester coats.

    [SIZE=2]• Beverly Hills special section
    Photo gallery of Monday's service
    Service mixes guilt, comfort
    [/SIZE]
    Patrons were celebrating joyous doings such as weddings and anniversaries, plus the usual foray by the elite.
    Shortly after 9 p.m., my ever-present police/fire radio monitor exploded into frantic calls, the like of which I'd never heard.
    I hit Interstate 75 that Saturday in my new Camaro, straining all horsepower from the 350 engine.
    Spinning to a stop near the driveway, at first it seemed just some sort of power outage hit the Beverly Hills Supper Club. But I immediately saw towering flames of a size that dwarfed the sprawling club just 20 minutes into the fire.
    I sprinted up, catching sight of my editor, who had come from his nearby home, racing bottles of air to firefighters. My God, I thought, this must be extraordinary for him to take leave of his usual professional demeanor.
    And it was. I had already been at many fires in my young career, but this one was unlike any other.
    The giant flames danced to new heights at a different venue no matter how much water the determined firefighters used to douse it.
    But it was the smoke that so distinguished it.
    It draped rather than wafted - so thick it seemed almost viscous, laden with who knows how many chemicals from the abundance of plastics inside.
    The fire had quickly exploded into a fireball to be a classic "backdraft" in which a sudden rush of oxygen ignites superheated gases. Customers, some on fire, ran for exits that were often poorly marked over tables jammed together, investigations would find.
    I had been there many times to cover political gatherings and social events. Frequently making my way back to the room I'd just left was difficult because the place was so vast and the décor of hallways seemed to blur as one. I could well imagine the panic of patrons trying to escape in the dark.
    I gingerly made my way across the outside front of the club toward the flickering emergency lights in back. But I kept stumbling over what seemed very rough terrain. No one walked there, I thought, so they probably didn't maintain it.
    Only after I crossed, a spotlight played on just where I'd been. There in the overgrown grass were the bodies of dozens.
    Just then the cry went out among police and emergency workers. "They're robbing bodies, get over there." Several were arrested.
    An officer with a police dog looped a number of leashes together, and standing in the middle of the bodies, let his canine roam the perimeter.
    At some doors, firefighters and police were slamming their bodies to no avail into some doors; later evidence would show they were chained. In frustration, I kicked one out with heavy boots on the hot metal and got some give. Emergency workers with sledge hammers appeared and smashed it open.
    Some bodies tumbled out. Stacked deep, they were like cordwood. No chance to get out.
    One striking woman, her blond hair perfectly coiffed, lay partly on her side in a long white evening gown. But as she was pulled away, the other side was charred.
    The enormity of it all finally sank in for me. "Get everyone here, everyone," I shouted into my portable radio to my city desk.
    In and near the wedding chapel in back, triage was being done. I'd never heard that word before - triage, to prioritize who would be treated as on the battlefield. As the victim toll overwhelmed responders, decisions had to be made: Who could be saved and who had a poor or no chance.
    Full-time emergency workers were by that time arriving in greater numbers from 20 miles away and farther. Even Cincinnati police and fire units crossed the river.
    Off-duty medical personnel from around the region rushed in after seeing the disaster on television news.
    That Sunday morning Kentucky Gov. Julian Carroll would lead National Guard troops to assist while the club still smoldered.
    The charges and recriminations would reverberate for years to come.
    Only the dead knew peace from the fire now. For the rest of us who were there, we can come to terms with the madness but never forget.
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

  41. #39
    pattykad Guest
    It's interesting that they are still talking arson...I've got to read
    through all of that. But, why wouldn't they have figured that
    out 30 years ago? And if it was arson, why torch it with all those
    people in it?

  42. #40
    STORMIE Guest
    Thanks for posting this Alanwench. Great read and great pics. Extremely interesting!

  43. #41
    STsFirstmate Guest
    My Mom was a waitress and had been offered a job at the BHSC. She turned it down because it involved crossing the bridge traffic from Cincy to Ky everyday and she had a horrible feeling about the long concrete tunnel servers had to carry the food along between the kitchen and the club. So glad she trusted her instincts.
    Just a couple of other bits. Laws concerning the use of aluminum wiring were changed in the wake of the fire. Aluminum wiring was used extensively in the club.
    John Davidson's arranger and pianist did not make it out. He was behind John and tried to go back for their arrangements.
    Most of the emergency lighting went out or was not visable from the smoke and as a consequense people pilled up against the windows which they could not break. There were various volunteer fire fighters having dinner there and one who survived talked about beating on the windows with a chair and they still didn't break.
    That land is still vacant I think at this point.
    It changed my behavior I know. I now immediately locate exits in theaters, or clubs and the Station fire just reenforced this behavior for me.
    I never felt it was arson. Not even the mob would pick Memorial Day as crowded as the place was to do the deed.
    I think it was cheap shoddy barely legal wiring and the results of several different renovations over the years that buried the wiring in several drop and false ceilings. As an earlier poster said it was a classic backdraft. By all accounts the zebra room smoldered for hours.
    What a shame for all concerned!
    Regards,
    Mary

  44. #42
    STsFirstmate Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Alanwench View Post
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    Imagine this happening today! I don't think so!
    Regards,
    Mary

  45. #43
    Long Gone Day Guest
    What a tragedy! I can't believe they didn't have sprinklers installed after the first two fires and some kind of exit and safety plans - especially with the strange design of the place. So very sad for all. What a great thread, Alanwench! The pictures are just so tragic.

  46. #44
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Broomfield,Colorado. Originally from Meriden, CT.
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    1,085
    Oh yes, another story that brought out the Death Hag in me! I was 9 years old when this happened. The pictures and story even made it to my local newspaper in CT.
    Here's a picture I have of the club. Excuse it's condition. It is from an old book about disasters.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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    "So many faces in and out of my life. Some will last, some will just be now and then. Life is a series of Hellos and Goodbyes, I'm afraid it's time for Goodbye again. "

  47. #45
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Connecticut, You know home of ESPN
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    9,165
    Quote Originally Posted by "What Tha....?" View Post
    Oh yes, another story that brought out the Death Hag in me! I was 9 years old when this happened. The pictures and story even made it to my local newspaper in CT.
    Here's a picture I have of the club. Excuse it's condition. It is from an old book about disasters.

    That is awesome!!!!
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

    "I will be buried in a spring loaded casket filled with confetti, and a future archaeologist will have one awesome day at work."

  48. #46
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Connecticut, You know home of ESPN
    Posts
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    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

    "I will be buried in a spring loaded casket filled with confetti, and a future archaeologist will have one awesome day at work."

  49. #47
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    4,652
    Quote Originally Posted by pattykad View Post
    It's interesting that they are still talking arson...I've got to read
    through all of that. But, why wouldn't they have figured that
    out 30 years ago? And if it was arson, why torch it with all those
    people in it?
    If it was arson and there was a link to the mob, maybe the people who torched it wanted to destroy the club with people inside as a way to make the Schillings pay for not selling the club to them.
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

  50. #48
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    4,652
    Quote Originally Posted by STsFirstmate View Post
    My Mom was a waitress and had been offered a job at the BHSC. She turned it down because it involved crossing the bridge traffic from Cincy to Ky everyday and she had a horrible feeling about the long concrete tunnel servers had to carry the food along between the kitchen and the club. So glad she trusted her instincts.
    Just a couple of other bits. Laws concerning the use of aluminum wiring were changed in the wake of the fire. Aluminum wiring was used extensively in the club.
    John Davidson's arranger and pianist did not make it out. He was behind John and tried to go back for their arrangements.
    Most of the emergency lighting went out or was not visable from the smoke and as a consequense people pilled up against the windows which they could not break. There were various volunteer fire fighters having dinner there and one who survived talked about beating on the windows with a chair and they still didn't break.
    That land is still vacant I think at this point.
    It changed my behavior I know. I now immediately locate exits in theaters, or clubs and the Station fire just reenforced this behavior for me.
    I never felt it was arson. Not even the mob would pick Memorial Day as crowded as the place was to do the deed.
    I think it was cheap shoddy barely legal wiring and the results of several different renovations over the years that buried the wiring in several drop and false ceilings. As an earlier poster said it was a classic backdraft. By all accounts the zebra room smoldered for hours.
    What a shame for all concerned!
    Regards,
    Mary
    Thank God your mom didn't take that job.
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

  51. #49
    STsFirstmate Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Alanwench View Post
    Thank God your mom didn't take that job.
    Alanwrench that was her second close call. She worked at McIntosh's Steak and Kettle in Cincinnati and it was her night off when the big tornado of 74 (I think) came through and leveled the place killing two customers and injuring several people!
    She was a lucky lady. One of the cooks survived by wedging himself between two freezers that were bolted to the concrete floor. He told my Mom he just looked up and saw sky instead of roof!
    I hope I have her luck!
    regards,
    Mary

  52. #50
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Ohio
    Posts
    4,652
    Yep, there was a major tornado outbreak in 1974. Xenia got hammered. Your mom is super lucky!
    "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's really all about?" Jimmy Buffett

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