[Americana] [New Jersey] Group of 16 Cabinet Cards of...

[Americana] [New Jersey]
Group of 16 Cabinet Cards of the Great Flood and Great Fire of Paterson, New Jersey
1902. Eight cabinet cards (from a set of 31) documenting the aftermath of the February 9, 1902 Great Fire, and eight cabinet cards (from an undetermined numbered set) of the March 2, 1902 Great Flood. From the Doremus Photography Studio, Paterson, New Jersey. Condition varies, scattered notation to versos, one image with pencil markings on recto.
Each card:10 x 12 in. (25 x 30cm).
Each image: Approxiametly 6 x 8 in. (15 x 20cm).

The Great Fire of 1902 started around midnight on February 8th and spread throughout a large portion of the city, ultimately destroying over 459 buildings, including City Hall and the Free Public Library (of which over 37,000 books were lost). Over 5,000 families lost their homes.

Later that month on February 28, 1902, the Passaic River began to overflow its embankments due to an increase in warm weather and the melting of snow from the nearby mountains, eventually casuing the Whippany Dam to burst. The resulting flood reached its peak height on March 2nd (depicted in these photographs), and was at the time the most destuctive flood since 1882.