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Read more about the article The great oil fires of Wickham, NSW
View from Bank Corner of the 1939 oil tank fire at Wickham. Photo by Russ Hughes.

The great oil fires of Wickham, NSW

Wickham residents were startled by a loud explosion at about 2pm on Saturday, December 16, 1939. Within moments the cause was clear: one of the huge fuel storage tanks owned by Commonwealth Oil Refineries near the waterfront had caught fire and was burning ferociously, sending huge black smoke clouds into the sky. Those who recalled the suburb's earlier scare with the fire on the oil tanker British Honour in 1930 scrambled to get their families and belongings out and away from the danger zone. A signalman - J. Sommers - at the Hannell Street railway box…

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Read more about the article Capper’s hardware store fire, Maitland, 1971

Capper’s hardware store fire, Maitland, 1971

Cappers was once a household name in Maitland, NSW, synonymous with hardware. The store had deep roots in the town, having been established in High Street in 1888 by Edward Capper, the British-born son of Birmingham hardware seller Walter William Capper. What began as a very small affair soon grew into a sizeable emporium, packed with hardware, homewares, furniture and other goods from all over the world. Naturally the building grew with the business, and by the time the store shifted to a new address in 1963 the Cappers building was a solid landmark in Maitland's…

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Read more about the article This week in old newspapers: February 16 to 22.
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, creator of "The New Deal" and subject of an assassination attempt in 1933.

This week in old newspapers: February 16 to 22.

A round-up of news and other items plucked from the Trove website. Click the red headings to visit the stories on Trove. *************************************************************************************************************** February 16, 1933: The Newcastle Sun A would-be assassin fired five shots at US President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt in Miami, Florida. Guiseppe Zangara The bullets missed the President-elect but wounded one of his bodyguards and also the Mayor of Chicago, Anton Cermak. Roosevelt was the architect of the "New Deal" which aimed to tackle the Great Depression in a variety of ways, including restoring power to trade unions, putting spending power back in…

Continue ReadingThis week in old newspapers: February 16 to 22.
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