| Address |
| 4 Commercial St, Rochester, NY 14614, USA (Rochester, New York)
|
| |
| Information |
The Steam Gauge & Lantern Company Fire
The Steam Gauge & Lantern Company was housed in a seven story building overlooking the High Falls gorge from 1881 to 1888. The company had previously existed in Buffalo, NY as the Buffalo Steam Gauge and Lantern Company. On November 9, 1888, a fire started on the first floor in the shipping area. The fire spread quickly upwards, trapping male employees (some were children) in the upper floors with no escape. In all, 41 died from smoke inhalation, burns and jumping from the upper floors in desperate bids to escape burning to death. A memorial to the victims of Rochester's most fatal fire sits in Mount Hope Cemetery.
The company relocated to Syracuse following the fire. The building was rebuilt and renamed the Gorsline Building. It has been known as the High Falls Building since the 1980s. The building was rebuilt using the first two floors of the original building as its foundation.
Terrace Park
A portion of the former Gorsline Building became what is now Terrace Park. It provides an overlook for the High Falls. It is also a creepy window into Rochester's past. The terrace has a balcony called "The Leap" that provides the view that daredevil Sam Patch had just before his fatal last jump. There is also a large open area where visitors can peer down into the depths of a former saw mill. The view is a 3 to 4 story drop into dark decrepit ruins. Water from the Genessee flows through a portion of the former first floor and drops in a miniature waterfall down into the old water wheel pit and finally runs out a cavernous hole in the side. |
| |
| GPS Interface |
Save Waypoint to Garmin Device.
|
|
| |
| User Trips |
| There are no user trips associated with this location. |
| |
| Related Sites |
Center at High Falls
Web site for the Center at High Falls in Rochester, New York. |
RocWiki: High Falls
The Rochester Wiki's entry for the High Falls in Rochester, New York. |
Wikipedia: Sam Patch
Wikipedia entry for doomed daredevil Sam Patch. |
| |
| Similar Destinations |
| Pompeii |
| The Rochester Naphtha Explosions of 1887 |
| Las Vegas, Nevada |
| |
| See Also on TheCabinet.com |
| There are no other pages on this site associated with this location. |
| |
| Available from Amazon.com |
| There are no further resources for this location. |
| |
