April 15, 1847. Two elephants were drowned in the Delaware River in attempting to swim from Greenwich Point to Gloucester Point, New Jersey.
April 23, 1861. Whale caught in the Delaware opposite the city.
1864. Large unfinished building at northwest corner of Eighth and Vine Streets, falls down.
December 26, 1864. Serious riots among coal heavers, Port Richmond.
January 28, 1865. Delaware River frozen over; people crossed over to New Jersey.
March 8, 1870. Tremendous hailstorm; hail fell for twenty minutes, some of the hailstones larger than hen eggs; great destruction of windows.
July 17, 1871. Three boys, Cornelius Ryan, Samuel Glass and William Galvin, drowned in a brick pond at Seventeenth and Reed Streets.
September 21, 1872. International Cricket Match between the English gentlemen 12 and 22 Philadelphia picked cricketers on the grounds of the Germantown Club, closed September 24th with the following score: Philadelphia, 22, first inning, 63; second inning, 74. English 12 first inning, 105; second inning, 34, with four wickets to go down.
October 28, 1872. The "epizooty," or horse disease, made its appearance in Philadelphia. It continued its ravages for about a month; during that time almost every horse in the city was affected. Two of the passenger railway companies during this period suspended the running of cars for six days; others suspended on Sundays, and ran but few cars on weekdays. The transportation of goods and other articles almost ceased for some days, and wagons and carts were drawn through the streets by men.
August 6, 1873. Justice Beuislay ascended from Smith's Island (in the center of the Delaware River, opposite Chestnut Street) on a trapeze attached to a balloon expanded with hot air, which fell into the river Delaware shortly afterward, being carried a considerable distance before Beuislay was rescued from the water.
February 27, 1874. First demonstration made against taverns and lager beer saloons in imitation of proceedings in Ohio and other Western States. About twenty women visited three or four saloons in the neighborhood of Susquehanna Avenue and Fifth Street, Sang hymns in front of these places and delivered prayers. None of the saloons closed.
August 25, 1875. Signor Pedanto made a balloon ascension from Windmill Island. At the office of the Pennsylvania Railroad, Fourth Street and Willings Alley, the aerostat struck a flagpole on the top of the building, which tore a hole in the balloon, causing the gas to escape. The balloon descended rapidly, whereby the persons in the car were injured.
October 27, 1875. F.H. G. Brotherton concluded, at 806 Green Street, the pedestrian feat of walking 1000 half-miles in 1000 half-hours, being 1000 half-hours of consecutive hours, which effort was commenced on October 6.
July 16, 1877. Trial of the transmission of sound through Edison's vocal telephone at the Permanent Exhibition Building. Vocal music at the Central Station telegraph office, at Fifth and Chestnut Streets, was transmitted over the wires, and heard with great clearness at the Exhibition Building.
December 3, 1881. Chestnut Street first illuminated with the electric light (forty-nine lamps) from the Delaware to the Schuylkill.
posted by Liza 20.7.03