The Pickwick Club Disaster

Summary

Morbid Podcast: The Pickwick Club Disaster

Hosts: Ash Kelley & Alaina Urquhart
Episode Date: June 15, 2026

---

Episode Overview

In this episode, Ash and Alaina dive into the little-known story of the Pickwick Club Disaster—an early 20th-century nightclub tragedy in Boston that resulted in 44 deaths. Mixing their signature blend of research, humor, and historical context, the hosts explore the origins of the club, its notorious reputation, the shocking collapse, and the tragic aftermath, all while highlighting the lack of memorialization for the victims.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why the Pickwick Club Disaster Matters

• The Pickwick Club Disaster is an overlooked chapter in Boston’s history, even among locals.
• There is no memorial or plaque marking the site, despite the high death toll ([04:15], [04:25]).
  • Elena: “There’s no plaque or memorial for this.” ([04:25])
  • The hosts express a desire to advocate for a memorial.

2. The Pickwick Club’s Seedy Origins

• Originally Café Dreyfus (1924), later taken over by Timothy Barry, who had rumored ties to organized crime ([05:03]–[06:59]).
  • Elena: “He was a man of power strongly suspected of having ties to organized crime.” ([06:58])
• The club operated as a “social club” but was essentially a Prohibition-era speakeasy, flouting membership rules and serving anyone “in the know.” ([06:59]–[07:27])

3. Speakeasy Culture and Boston in the 1920s

• The hosts riff on the nostalgia and problematic aspects of 1920s speakeasy life, fashion, and culture.
  • They note the dangers and glamorous aesthetic while emphasizing a wish for modern inclusivity. ([07:38]–[08:47])

4. Escalating Violence and Police Attention

• The Pickwick gained a reputation for crime and rowdiness, featuring multiple police raids, bar fights, riots, and even a stabbing. ([09:19]–[13:03])
  • Elena: “It’s just pure chicanery.” ([12:28])
• Its notoriety was both celebrated and feared, even described as an “underworld social center” ([13:33]–[13:38]).

5. The Disastrous Night: July 3-4, 1925

• On Independence Day eve, the club was packed for a dance event, buoyed by the Charleston fad. ([20:16]–[23:10])
• Atmosphere described as festive and uncharacteristically genial. ([21:59]–[22:19])

6. The Collapse

• Just before closing, witnesses notice dust and sand drifting from the ceiling, quickly followed by a catastrophic floor and building collapse. ([23:18], [23:49])
  • Billy Glennon: “In a couple of seconds there was a ripping, tearing noise and I saw the ceilings start to fall in…” ([24:13])
• Survivors describe chaos, people falling into a chasm, and a haunting silence after the collapse. ([24:39]–[26:44])
  • Billy Glennon: “After the thing went down, there was absolute silence… no yelling or anything… It was just as still as if the place was shut up. That’s a nightmare.” ([26:44])

7. Rescue Efforts and Aftermath

• Immediate and heroic rescue attempts. Emergency workers, doctors, and volunteers dig through rubble by hand in near-darkness. ([27:51]–[31:41])
• Harrowing rescues include in-situ amputations by Dr. Garrity in total darkness. ([32:19]–[32:44])
  • Elena: “Dr. Garrity crawled into the rubble and safely performed an amputation… in 1925, in total darkness.” ([32:39])
• Recovery of survivors slows as the hours tick by; by morning, dozens remain trapped or dead. The final death toll: 44. ([34:00]–[48:28])

8. Blame, Investigation, and Jury Trials

• Competing theories arise: dancing the Charleston (mechanical resonance), overcrowding, and most notably, structural failure caused by loss of support when the neighboring building was demolished. ([39:18]–[44:26])
• It is determined shoddy concrete piers (hurriedly installed after the adjacent building's demolition) were to blame, failing under the rhythmic stress of heavy dancing. ([46:14]–[47:20])
• Despite grand jury indictments and a highly publicized trial, no one is convicted—so many failures contributed that responsibility is diffuse. ([47:33]–[48:27])
  • Judge Loomis: “There never was sufficient evidence that these defendants had been willfully, recklessly, or wantonly negligent.” ([47:56])

9. The Aftermath – Justice and Memory

• Families received modest settlements, about $1,000 per life lost (~$40,000 total). ([48:38])
• The site later housed a cabaret, then a parking garage, with no memorial to the victims. ([48:50]–[49:03])
  • Elena: “As of now, there is no plaque or memorial to indicate the 44 people whose lives were lost that night.” ([48:56])
• The hosts vow to start a petition for a memorial. ([51:05]–[51:36])
  • Elena: “I think we are going to try to petition to do this. I just think it’s right.” ([51:15])

10. Victims Remembered

• Elena reads all 44 victims’ names to honor their memory. ([49:19]–[50:21])

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Elena, on lack of memorial:
  “There’s no plaque or memorial for this… we need to try to make that happen.” ([04:25])
• On the chaos of the Pickwick Club:
  “The Pickwick goes crazy… The Pickwick does not fuck around.” ([12:09]–[12:11])
• Ash, on the survivor accounts:
  “That’s a nightmare. Isn’t that bone chilling?” ([26:44])
• Elena, on the scene after the collapse:
  “After the thing went down, there was absolute silence. That was one of the darndest things about it. No yelling or anything. After the place settled, we knew there must be a lot of people in there, but none of them let out a yip.” ([26:44])
• On rescue efforts:
  “Dr. Garrity crawled into the rubble and safely performed an amputation… in 1925, in total darkness.” ([32:39])
• On the unjust recompense to victims’ families:
  “The plaintiffs eventually settled for around $40,000 or $1,000 per life lost at the Pickwick Club.” ([48:38])
• Ash, after reading victims’ names:
  “So sad that that many people lost their lives… It’s just, it’s really getting to me that there’s no memorial. That’s nuts.” ([50:21]–[50:25])
• Pledge:
  “We’re gonna see what we can do to petition… Hopefully update you next episode.” ([51:34]–[51:46])

---

Important Timestamps

• [04:15–04:41]: Introduction to the Pickwick Club Disaster and absence of memorial
• [06:58]: Timothy Barry’s organized crime connections
• [09:19–13:33]: Pickwick’s violent reputation and police raids
• [20:16]: Setting the scene for the disaster night
• [23:49]: Description of the collapse, survivor accounts
• [26:44]: The chilling silence after disaster
• [31:41]: Rescue efforts and heroic medical interventions
• [39:18]: Survivor and investigator theories about cause of collapse
• [44:26]: Party wall failure & indictments
• [47:33–48:27]: Not-guilty verdicts & reflection on trial
• [49:19–50:21]: Elena reads the victims’ names
• [51:05–51:46]: Call to action for memorial petition

---

Tone & Style Notes

• Conversational, macabre humor balanced with empathy for victims
• Boston pride, local color, and emotional investment in the story
• Use of direct survivor quotations for realism and intensity

---

Final Thoughts

This episode is a poignant blend of true crime, historical context, and advocacy. Ash and Alaina use their trademark banter and thorough research to resurrect the memory of the Pickwick Club Disaster, urging listeners to help memorialize the forgotten victims. Anyone interested in Boston history, disaster studies, or justice for the overlooked will find this episode both entertaining and moving.

---

If you’re passionate about making sure history’s tragedies aren’t forgotten, listen in—and consider joining the hosts’ campaign for a Pickwick Club memorial.

Transcript

[Ad Voice]

Need a boost? Sometimes all it takes is tapping into your inner cool. Icebreaker's gum helps you unleash the confidence within. Each chew releases a rush of icy flavor powered by cooling flavor crystals, sending a wave of refreshment to reinvigorate all your senses. Icebreaker's convenient pack fits everywhere from car cup holders to backpack pockets, so you can find your cool wherever you go. Grab Icebreaker's gum online or at a store near you.

[Movie Trailer Narrator]

Leviticus is this summer's horror discovery of immense power that critics are hailing as haunting and heartbreaking. You see any. Anything that looks like me?

[Ash]

Don't go near it.

[Movie Trailer Narrator]

When a curse is inflicted on two teenage boys, they must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most. Each other.

[Elena]

It's not you.

[Movie Trailer Narrator]

Critics are raving that it is a bone chilling horror that's biblically scary.

[Morbid Co-host]

It's gonna kill him.

[Movie Trailer Narrator]

Leviticus. Rated R. In theaters Friday.

[Ash]

Every good detective needs a partner to support them on important cases. They think of a State Farm agent like your sidekick, there to help you along the way in your search for coverage. State Farm can help you choose the coverage you need, whether it's for your home, car, boat, or even rv. With so many options, it's nice knowing you have help finding what fits for you so you can get back to solving all of life's bigger cases. Go to statefarm.com or use the award winning app to connect with a local agent and get a quote like a good neighbor. State Farm is there.

[Elena]

Hey, weirdos. I'm Elena.

[Ash]

I'm Ash.

[Elena]

And this is morbid. Yay. And you know what's crazy? We don't have any business. No business? No. Real business. No.

[Morbid Co-host]

And I sound more like a real person this time. You know, somebody literally said, who narrated the last moment?

[Elena]

And the thing is, this is why you need to listen to the beginning of the episode. Because I told you, this is where we tell you if one of us is sick, we might sound a little weird. Or like, you know, I just love

[Morbid Co-host]

that somebody was like, who the fuck was that? It's like, I'm sorry. Okay.

[Elena]

I know.

[Morbid Co-host]

I don't know what to tell you.

[Elena]

And I think somebody else was like, what happened to Ash's voice? And I was like, if you listen to the beginning, we said it.

[Morbid Co-host]

Well, my babes, only so many things can happen.

[Elena]

Yeah, I don't know.

[Morbid Co-host]

Ursula visited me in the night and took it like, what?

[Elena]

Just listen to the beginning. I promise. It's just us chatting with you.

[Morbid Co-host]

It's us trying to catch up with you.

[Elena]

That's all it is. Just going on, trying to connect, but that's all.

[Morbid Co-host]

We won't connect this time because there's no business. I'm not sick.

[Elena]

No.

[Morbid Co-host]

Anymore. Just hot.

[Elena]

The only thing I can say is get tickets to the live show while they're available. While they're hot. Radio City Music Hall, June 27.

[Morbid Co-host]

For some reason, I keep saying, like, get it while it's hot. And I keep thinking of the Sex in the City thing.

[Elena]

Get it while it's hot.

[Morbid Co-host]

And it's one of the most cringy

[Elena]

clips ever because it's when she's dressed in the.

[Morbid Co-host]

Like a Parisian and is she holding the. The McDonald's.

[Elena]

McDonald's. Right.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah. Get it while it's hot. I don't know why. It's been like my vocal stimp lately.

[Elena]

I love that a lot.

[Morbid Co-host]

So get them while they're hot and picture us embracing.

[Elena]

Yeah, do that. And pre order the Butcher Legacy.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah. Get that while it's hot.

[Elena]

While it's hot. Do it. It's great. It's. I promise. I. That's my guarantee is that it's great.

[Morbid Co-host]

Guaranteed great.

[Elena]

It's a great.

[Morbid Co-host]

You should put that on the COVID

[Elena]

Little period to the trilogy. I like it. So. So go for it.

[Ash]

Not an ellipses.

[Elena]

A period.

[Morbid Co-host]

Okay.

[Elena]

Trilogy.

[Morbid Co-host]

Okay.

[Elena]

Didn't say to the series. Okay. The trilogy. All right.

[Ash]

I see what you're doing.

[Elena]

It's its own little story.

[Morbid Co-host]

I like that.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Morbid Co-host]

All right.

[Elena]

But that's it. So here we are. We're going to start.

[Ash]

All right.

[Elena]

Today we're going to talk about something that I think needs to be taught to more people. This thing that happened. Especially people in Massachusetts. Because, like, I didn't know about this. And I was like, hi, born and raised.

[Morbid Co-host]

Am I going to know about this?

[Elena]

What? No. Absolutely not. Okay. Because, like, I don't think most people don't know.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah.

[Elena]

Because the other thing about this, we're talking about the Pickwick Club disaster. And there's also what I found out at the end was there's no plaque or memorial for this.

[Morbid Co-host]

What the hell?

[Elena]

Yeah. So I think we need to, like, try to make that happen, because I feel like it needs to happen.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah.

[Elena]

A lot of people.

[Morbid Co-host]

Because even you're saying that I don't think I've heard of that.

[Elena]

And I think that's why a lot of people don't know about it, is because there's nothing to show Memorial. Nobody existed at all.

[Morbid Co-host]

That's really shitty.

[Elena]

So we need to make that happen. Yeah. I love you, Boston. Let's do this.

[Morbid Co-host]

Let's do it. Damn.

[Elena]

We'll try for the coconut grow from a fire. Yeah. There is a memorial. Yeah.

[Morbid Co-host]

And, like, if you take a duck tour, they talk about the Coconut Grove, but I don't think they talk about the Pickwick.

[Elena]

We need one for the Pickwick. There was a lot of people who died in this, and it was pretty rough.

[Morbid Co-host]

Oh, no. Yeah. Again, I have not heard of this.

[Elena]

Yeah. So let's begin, shall we? On beach street in Boston's Theater district theater. In 1924, Hyman Bloomberg found himself trying to sell off a now defunct Cafe Dreyfus.

[Morbid Co-host]

What's a Cafe Dreyfus? The.

[Elena]

So the Cafe Dreyfus was a club. It was like a place where you could gather in 1924. Okay. It was actually kind of like a speakeasy, ish kind of thing.

[Morbid Co-host]

I love that.

[Elena]

In the twenties. And it had closed amidst, like, kind of skin doll I love and some legal issues.

[Ash]

I don't love legal issues.

[Elena]

Stuff going on. So after finding trouble, anyone to bite at the building, a man named Timothy Barry expressed interest. He said, I want to rent the first floor, this place. And Barry told Bloomberg he and several of his investors were interested in opening a new social club. Social club. Social club. A club where you chat, where you become social and have a little drink. And they were only waiting on the city to approve their charter, so they wanted the building. And desperate for a tenant, Bloomberg wasn't in the position to turn anyone away. So he was like, hell, yeah, you can take that space.

[Ash]

Okay.

[Elena]

Now the Pickwick Club Social Club opened in April and occupied the first floor again, what had once been Cafe Dreyfus. It's unknown whether Hyman Bloomberg knew anything about his new tenant before he offered Barry the lease.

[Morbid Co-host]

Oh, no.

[Elena]

But if he did, he probably wouldn't have been so eager, perhaps. In 1924, Timothy Berry was, according to author John Keefe, known as, quote, a man who had many friends in Boston political, legal, and newspaper circles. In other words, he was a man of power strongly suspected of having ties to organized crime.

[Ash]

Oh.

[Elena]

Now, opening the business at the height of the prohibition era, the Pickwick was officially a social club, quote, unquote. Because those were, like, official things. Okay. But in truth, it was really a speakeasy. Okay. Like it was a speakeasy. Yeah. In fact, as a social club, the Pickwick, like, by definition as a social club, was supposed to have strict rules for membership. That's What a social club had.

[Morbid Co-host]

I'm obsessed.

[Elena]

But in reality, anyone could get in.

[Ash]

I love that.

[Elena]

As long as they knew what to say to the man at the door, Stop it. Which is speakeasy.

[Morbid Co-host]

I'm so obsessed with that. Have you ever been to a speakeasy?

[Elena]

Yes.

[Morbid Co-host]

So much fun. It's just. It's got such a vibe.

[Elena]

That's the thing. Like, it feels dangerous. We're like, not great for women and, like, not great for, like, many people. Not great. The vibe, though. The aesthetic.

[Morbid Co-host]

The aesthetic, honey.

[Elena]

That's all I say when I say I love the 20s. I don't want to be there. No, I want to visit. I want us.

[Morbid Co-host]

I want us to, like, dress like we're in the 20s again. And for places to look like we're in the 20s.

[Elena]

That's what I want.

[Morbid Co-host]

But to have modern day respect and understanding of community and culture.

[Elena]

I want what we. That. That's exactly what I want. I want what we thought the. The 2000 and 20s was gonna be. Remember when we all entered 2020 and we said, it's the Roarin 20s, you

[Ash]

sent a shiver down my spine.

[Elena]

And we all said, I'm so excited. It's the roaring twenties back again.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah.

[Elena]

And then all of a sudden, Covid was like, fuck y'. All.

[Morbid Co-host]

Literally.

[Elena]

I want to do that. I want to do the original thing that we want. Because that sucked.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah.

[Elena]

But yeah, twenties, the aesthetic is just, Bar none, chef's kiss the best. Like the dress and the hairstyles, the way men dressed.

[Morbid Co-host]

Oh, my God. I know.

[Elena]

I can't get over.

[Morbid Co-host]

I love it. I don't love the makeup. I will say it depends.

[Elena]

I don't hate it.

[Morbid Co-host]

I don't like the eyebrows.

[Elena]

The eyebrows leave something to be desired.

[Morbid Co-host]

I really don't like the eyebrows.

[Elena]

But for someone with really light eyebrows like that are, like, sparse. I think I would do okay. All right. Because I really have to fill mine in.

[Morbid Co-host]

You have good eyebrows.

[Elena]

So I feel like I thank you. I fill them in.

[Morbid Co-host]

But they look good.

[Elena]

I wouldn't have to in the twenties.

[Morbid Co-host]

That's true.

[Elena]

Draw a line.

[Morbid Co-host]

It's literally just a line, which.

[Elena]

So easy.

[Morbid Co-host]

And it expands a lot of your forehead. Hell yeah.

[Elena]

Now, at first, the Pickwick garnered little attention from anyone outside of the neighborhood. Then in January 1925, the club appeared in the headlines for the first time when a police raid turned up dozens of cases of rum, whiskey, and gin hidden in the basement.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yikes.

[Elena]

They arrested the bartender, Max Malmat, and shut the place down for a Few days. But by early February, Max got off with a small fine and the Pickwick opened its doors for business again. Now, the Pickwick and I feel like that probably gave it like a little bit of like a, like, yeah, dust off your shoulder kind of thing. It was like, oh, okay. The Pickwick Club wasn't that different from the countless other speakeasies in Boston at the time. But after having been raided and found to be serving alcohol, all of a sudden, they jumped very quickly to the top of the Boston Police and Licensing Commission's list of establishments to keep a nice little eye on for that year.

[Morbid Co-host]

But doesn't that guy have a little connection?

[Elena]

He does all right. He sure does. Now, in fact, just hours after Max paid his fine at the courthouse, the Boston police arrived at the Pickwick to undertake another raid.

[Ash]

Oh, that's not cool.

[Elena]

That isn't cool. He just paid. Give him a second, all right, Let him live. This time, though, things would not go as smoothly as they had on the previous occasion. When they entered the club and announced themselves, the entire room erupted into chaos. By the time the whole thing came to an end, nine men were arrested on charges of public drunkenness. And one man, 29 year old William Fitzhenry, was arrested for assaulting an officer.

[Morbid Co-host]

Damn. Of course, William Fitzhenry was arrested for assaulting a William Fitzhenry in Boston days.

[Elena]

Assaulting a police officer.

[Morbid Co-host]

He's assaulting a police officer.

[Elena]

To this day, he's so Boston.

[Morbid Co-host]

Fitzhenry is the most fucking Irish name Boston name I could ever hear.

[Elena]

Now, according to the Boston Globe, when the police quote, dropped in unexpectedly at the club, there was considerable excitement. And that while the excitement was at its height, Fitzhenry struck the officer, knocking him down and almost rendering him unconscious.

[Morbid Co-host]

If there's one thing Fitzhenry's gonna do, it's knock your ass out.

[Elena]

That's one thing. Now, less than a month later, the Pickwick was back on the front pages when a group of drunk young men led police on a two mile car chase through Boston's narrow, winding streets until the pursuing officers managed to force the car off the road and take them into custody. They had all been drinking at the Pickwick prior to getting in the car. And a few days after that, police were called to the club, to the club, when a fight broke out.

[Morbid Co-host]

They said, everybody in the club is fighting.

[Elena]

They are now. The police had been called by a nurse from the Haymarket relief station after she treated a man who told her he. He'd been stabbed in the leg during A brawl at the Pickwick.

[Morbid Co-host]

Tim, the Pickwick is nuts.

[Elena]

The Pickwick goes crazy.

[Morbid Co-host]

The Pickwick does not fuck around.

[Elena]

When the officers arrived at the Pickwick, they entered to find a room full of drunk and very belligerent. I don't know why this is.

[Morbid Co-host]

It just is. Because it's so fucking Boston. It's just so Boston.

[Elena]

Like this part is funny because it's just chaos.

[Morbid Co-host]

Just everybody drank it.

[Elena]

Yeah. It's just pure. Just chicanery.

[Ash]

I love it.

[Elena]

So they come in, they find a bunch of drug belligerent men who are no mood to see, much less talk to the police. According to the police report, one of the officers told the men to beat it, but no one made an attempt to leave. They all just stared at him. They were like, I said, you beat it. You beat it while you in here, you beat it. Frustrated, one of the officers attempted to arrest one of the drunk men, which is when the scene just exploded into what the press described as, quote, a small riot in the Pickwick Club.

[Morbid Co-host]

Oh, no.

[Elena]

As one of the officers grappled with the drunk men, the other ran down the street to the nearest precinct for reinforcements. And the scene was brought into order a short time later.

[Morbid Co-host]

Damn.

[Elena]

But with so many incidents in less than a year. Yeah, this is all less than a year.

[Morbid Co-host]

That's the craziest thing.

[Elena]

The Pickwick had started to gain a reputation with the public as maybe a little seedy.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah. Maybe a little tough spot.

[Elena]

Ill repute, you know, maybe.

[Morbid Co-host]

I don't know, whatever, what have you.

[Elena]

One reporter wrote, many people have regarded it as sort of an underworld social center.

[Morbid Co-host]

Obsessed.

[Elena]

A place where bandits and their girlfriends might gather after the evening's work was over.

[Morbid Co-host]

Sign me the up, I said, are

[Elena]

you trying to keep people away?

[Morbid Co-host]

Sign me up.

[Elena]

You might be. Might be.

[Morbid Co-host]

Bandits and their girlfriends. Here's the thing. When I was like 12 years old, I literally wanted to be a mob wife. I used to watch Mob Wives and I said, someday I will grow up and be Drita Davanzo.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Morbid Co-host]

So back then.

[Elena]

Oh, yeah.

[Morbid Co-host]

Before my frontal lobe was developed.

[Elena]

Before your frontal lobe is developed. And you realize what that.

[Morbid Co-host]

But back then. Oh, I would have loved this.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Morbid Co-host]

I would have been a bandit's girlfriend.

[Elena]

Now, some of this reputation definitely came from the numerous times that the club's name had appeared in the papers.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah.

[Elena]

With arrests and criminal activity. But at least a small portion of it was likely the result of the rumors of Timothy and Daniel Berry's connections to organized crime figures as well. Whatever the case, Though the reputation and the frequent visits from the BPD started to take a toll on the Pickwick's profits. And in March, Barry announced the club was going to be shutting its doors, for good or no. Now, the Pickwick Club did, in fact, shut down in March, but the entire closure kind of looks like it was like a little bit of theater.

[Morbid Co-host]

Was it a ruse?

[Elena]

It looks like it was a little bit of theater.

[Morbid Co-host]

Oh.

[Elena]

In the theater district as well. In the theater district, maybe. To rehab the club's image and kind of like, rebuff the attention of local law enforcement. Okay. Just a few weeks after the club supposedly closed for good, a new establishment, the Greenwich Village Club, opened in its place.

[Morbid Co-host]

Okay.

[Elena]

With a large number of invitations going out to prominent members of the community. In reality, this was just a facade to hide the fact that the Pickwick Club had simply moved to the second floor, and guests who appeared to be visiting the Greenwich Village Club were, in fact, going to the Pickwick Club.

[Morbid Co-host]

I'm so obsessed with that.

[Elena]

Like, it's. It's so shady.

[Ash]

I love a ruse.

[Elena]

Now, unfortunately for the patrons of the new Pickwick Club, the second floor of the building had no restrooms, so club goers had to either go to the first or third floor to go to the bathroom. Okay. And at some point in late March, a fire broke out at the tailor shop that was on the third floor. Oh, no. The fire caused a lot of damage to the upper floors and required about 3,000 gallons of water to put out.

[Morbid Co-host]

Holy shit.

[Elena]

Fortunately, the first and second floors of the building were relatively unharmed, so the Pickwick Club was able to remain open. Okay. That said, the firefighters had to chop large holes. I almost. Because we're talking about Boston, I feel like my sold. I almost just said lodge holes, large holes. But I've. I've curbed it for this podcast. Like, I feel like talking. I know I've trained myself not to be, like, full, but you can. That. This one feels like I'm like, chop large holes. You have to.

[Morbid Co-host]

It's. It's the ambiance.

[Elena]

It just feels right. The firefighters had to chop large holes.

[Morbid Co-host]

They just did.

[Elena]

In various parts of the floor just to allow the water to drain properly into the basement. Okay. A few weeks later, Timothy Berry hired a carpenter to just patch over the holes so the club could reopen.

[Morbid Co-host]

I feel like we could have done better than that.

[Elena]

Now, the Greenwich Village Club never reopened after the fire, and the tailor, whose shop had started the fire, had moved elsewhere, leaving the Pickwick Club the only business in the building in the summer, which is like, all right, let's go. Yeah. The next time the club appeared in the press, it was to be for far more shocking reasons than a small fire or a quote unquote, small riot.

[Morbid Co-host]

Oh, no. Traditional home security only alerts you after a break in has already happened. And that's too late. But Simplisafe is changing that. Using advanced AI alerts, SimpliSafe's US based live agents identify threats on your property and help deter them so the intruder never gets into your house. The crime is stopped before it even starts. Using the outdoor camera Series 2 and advanced AI alerts, SimpliSafe's US based live agents identify threats on your property and help deter them. So stopping crime before it starts, that's real peace of mind. I've been a customer of SimpliSafe for

[Ash]

years at this point and I am

[Morbid Co-host]

such a big fan of the system. I love how customizable it is. First of all, it is literally built for any home because you pick what you'd like, the window sensors, the cameras, whatever have you and whatever you want. It's perfect experience, greater peace of mind with SimpliSafe now available with an exclusive discount for our listeners. Right now you can get 50% off your new system by visiting simplisafe.commorbid that's half [e-mail] there's no safe like SimpliSafe.

[Ash]

This is a paid ad by BetterHelp. There have been times in my life where I have been work, work, work and nothing else, but that simply doesn't work for me. So I feel like the older I've gotten, I've really gotten much better at taking a step back, being able to prioritize a work life balance that works for me. Not everybody thrives when life gets busy. You might catch yourself feeling drained even during things that you usually enjoy, or realize that you've been pushing yourself more than you need to. It's important to take care of yourself when things get busy by resting, recharging, and saying no when you need to. Therapy can also be a great way to get out of autopilot and get a solid reset. Therapy with better help may help you understand your needs, feel more confident setting boundaries, and create a rhythm that feels sustainable. BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform. Just take a short questionnaire to identify your needs and Preferences and BetterHelp will handle the initial therapist matching work for you. You can also feel confident knowing that BetterHelp therapists work according to a strict code of conduct and are fully qualified. Take a pause. With therapy, BetterHelp can help life feel manageable again. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com morbid that's betterhelp H-E-L-P.com morbid Chilling crime cases are mysterious, but finding coverage shouldn't be. With the State Farm Personal Price plan, you have options and can personalize your plan to help create an affordable price so you can get back to cracking all of life's bigger cases. Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can choose to bundle and save with the personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Head to statefarm.com to get a quote. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer availability, amount of discounts and savings and eligibility vary by state.

[Elena]

Now, on the evening of July 4th, it was like July 3rd into July 4th, 1925, the Pickwick Club opened its doors for the before the fourth dance. Okay. Being held that evening in celebration of, you guessed it, Independence Day, Amarika's birthday. Yeah. Marika having hired a five piece orchestra and freshly decorated for the occasion.

[Morbid Co-host]

That doesn't sound seedy at all.

[Elena]

No. Barry expected a large crowd that evening and once the evening got going, his expectations were exceeded.

[Morbid Co-host]

Okay.

[Elena]

It was just to the gills bustling. Now, that evening, 29 year old may Lawson was out on a date with John Owen and things were going well.

[Morbid Co-host]

Hell yeah.

[Elena]

What John told reporters later was Mrs. Lawson had recently separated from her husband. They hadn't been married very long and she was brokenhearted and I knew she liked to dance and I urged her to accompany me to the club. Oh, no. Now, John wasn't much of a dancer himself, so he had no objections when another man came over to the table and asked me to dance. He said, sure, you can dance. Oh, that's a. That's a man, right?

[Morbid Co-host]

That's nice.

[Elena]

It was after midnight and the band had just begun playing 12th Street Rag, a song perfectly suited for the Charleston, which was the most popular dance.

[Ash]

I love the Charleston.

[Elena]

Everybody do the Charleston real quick.

[Morbid Co-host]

Obsessed.

[Elena]

Now, as the band wound up, couples from every corner of the room were going to the floor. The room was shaking with the enthusiasm of so many people. Jumping, moving, dancing, doing the same moves. So the same jumps, the same stomps, all at the same time. No, John Owen recalled later, it was pretty wild in there. Horns and rattles and firecrackers too. Firecrackers People had been lighting and throwing them all night inside.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah, you guys are right.

[Elena]

No, no. The light hearted mood in the Pickwick that night was kind of uncommon for this place.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah.

[Elena]

As I'm sure you can tell, because

[Morbid Co-host]

usually people were just like fighting, like

[Elena]

gregarious, just like jaunty, enthusiastic, jaunty kind of mood. Since the first raid in January, there was always the potential for the police or some other city authority to come by anytime and break up a party. So things were generally fairly chill before this. But that night everyone was in good spirits. There was no sign of the police anywhere. And a raid was kind of like the furthest thing from anyone's mind. They were busy, you know, they were having fun. It sounds like it was a great time. Now, the party was scheduled to shut down at 4:00am Damn, that's a party.

[Morbid Co-host]

I was gonna say Boston doesn't do that anymore.

[Elena]

No, they do not.

[Morbid Co-host]

You get out of there at 1.

[Elena]

Yep. Now. So around 3:30am, the orchestra leader, Billy Glennon, which of course, Billy Glennon.

[Morbid Co-host]

I think I knew him.

[Elena]

Yeah, I was gonna say, I think I knew Billy Glennon. Who doesn't? He started looking through his sheet music for one last song to send everybody on their way. Nice. He later said, I was just about to pick out the last piece we were going to play when Rocco yelled at me that the lights looked dim. I said, gee, yeah, they do. Then the porter said to me, look at the sand coming down from the ceiling.

[Morbid Co-host]

What?

[Elena]

Glennon's brother Jimmy was the manager of the club, of course. Jimmy Glennon was the manager.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah.

[Elena]

Duh. So Billy knew about the fire and how the firefighters had hacked holes into the floors to allow for drainage and that since then the holes had been covered over with cheap trap doors to allow for drainage of heavy rain. Okay. It had rained heavily in recent days, so Billy figured the dust and plaster drifting down from the ceiling must have been caused by the recent rains and the building was just resettling, you know?

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah.

[Elena]

How great. Billy Glennon went back to sifting through his sheet music. Then just a few seconds later, he heard an alarming sound shoot through the room. He later said, in a couple of seconds there was a ripping, tearing noise and I saw the ceilings start to fall in and the wall on the left of at the front of the room seemed to move. What? The lights went out and there was a terrible crash.

[Morbid Co-host]

Oh, my God.

[Elena]

Now, Cambridge cab driver Tom Garvey had arrived just before the collapse and was standing at the far side of the room waiting on a Fare who had gone to get their coat from the coat check, he said, I looked over at the corner and I saw everyone jump up. I thought it was a fight at first, and all of a sudden there was a big noise and the lights went out. The next thing I knew I was lying down with things pressing onto my back and sides.

[Morbid Co-host]

Oh God.

[Elena]

He tried to get up, but he was pinned to the floor by something heavy and his face was pressed into the floor and he's like choking on dust and debris.

[Morbid Co-host]

What the fuck?

[Elena]

He said. A lot of things went through my head. I could hear people fighting to get out when someone grabbed hold of me. Tom Garvey was close to the door, so it was easy for whoever grabbed him to pull him to safety, which,

[Morbid Co-host]

like, thank goodness they did.

[Elena]

But those stuck inside were in a much more dire situation. John Owen, who we talked about before, said, a second after the collapse, the room was filled with shrieks and the floor on one side started to give way and the dancing couples were thrown into a gaping wound in the floor.

[Morbid Co-host]

What the.

[Elena]

I turned around just in time to see Mrs. Lawson and her partner disappear through the floor.

[Morbid Co-host]

Oh my God.

[Elena]

He made his way to where his date was or had just been. But when he looked into the hole in the floor, he said all he saw was blackness. Just a black hole, he said. He turned to crawl back to where he had just been and he found there was nothing for him to hold on to as the floor beneath him started to crumble. Seconds later, he too was swallowed up by the cavernous hole.

[Morbid Co-host]

What the hell is going on?

[Elena]

Having been in the Pickwick countless times before this, Billy Glennon knew the layout and was able to get himself and several others to the office near the back of the club. He said, I don't remember just how I got out through the office window or who went before me. Johnny Donovan, our drummer, got out alright and so did Frank Mulvey, the piano player outside. He looked around for his brother Jimmy and the rest of the band, but he couldn't see any of them anywhere. Then, to his absolute horror, he said he looked back at the disaster where he just escaped from and the entire building collapsed on itself. Oh my God, he said. After the thing went down, there was absolute silence. That was one of the darndest things about it. No yelling or anything. After the place settled, we knew there must be a lot of people in there, but none of them let out a yip. It was just as still as if the place was shut up. That's a nightmare, isn't that bone chilling?

[Morbid Co-host]

That's a nightmare.

[Elena]

At a certain point, the stories of the survivors all kind of sound similar, like one person watches in horror as their date, their friend or stranger who had just been sitting next to them, loses their balance and disappears into the dark, cavernous hole in the floor. Eddie Whalen watched helplessly as his friend John McLaughlin slid into the hole in the floor. The same was true for Frank and Virginia Vera. The couple had just been in the hall when the floor started to give way. Virginia managed to make it to the front door unharmed, but when she turned back to grab her husband, Frank was gone. Virginia Vera was very likely the last person to make it out through the front door when the building came down. Wow. Now, in the darkness of the wreckage on the first floor, it took some time, but eventually John Owen regained his senses and came out of the days that followed the fall. He said five minutes went by which seemed like hours to me when finally the police rescued me and I was taken to safety. With the cries of injured and screams for help coming from all corners now being in the heart of the city, it didn't take long for emergency responders to arrive at the scene.

[Morbid Co-host]

That's good.

[Elena]

Seconds after the collapse began, the doorman, Rocco Scarparto, ran out into the street and started shouting for help before running back inside to help get others out. Rocco was in the building when the floor gave way and suffered a minor injury to his knee. But his yelling in the street prompted a local beat officer to trigger the alarm box on Mason street, which drew the men from the local firehouse to come.

[Morbid Co-host]

That was good.

[Elena]

When the building came down, there was roughly a hundred or so people in the Pickwick.

[Morbid Co-host]

Oh my God.

[Elena]

By the time rescue crews came about, half of those inside had made it out. But many, many more remained trapped in the rubble with four stories of building on top of them.

[Morbid Co-host]

Now that is unthinkable.

[Elena]

The men work quickly to reach the injured who they located now from the screams that were finally happening beneath the debris, the sound of those trapped beneath the rubbles was among the most troubling aspects of of the scene, according to everybody who talked about it later. I'm sure survival, ethel Conlon said. I couldn't get them out of my mind for days. They were just awful.

[Morbid Co-host]

The PTSD that you would suffer after

[Elena]

something like that, I can't even imagine.

[Morbid Co-host]

No.

[Elena]

It took nearly 100 men hours of digging in near pitch dark conditions, but finally the first bodies, four men and two women, were found in a pocket in the corner of the Building. A short time later, Boston Mayor James Curley arrived at the scene and, seeing the catastrophe, sent a request for 100 more firefighters. Now, at the time of the collapse, rescue workers were limited in terms of the equipment available to really help recover survivors. Although motorized vehicles did exist, few, if any, were strong enough to handle the incredible weight of four stories of trapped debris and 50 people underneath it. Right. Instead, workers had to move slowly and methodically through the wreckage looking for survivors. And when they found one, they had to remove whatever debris they could by hand and try to pull the individual out. Larry Doyle of Ladder 8 had been working for about half an hour when he came upon a rusty Chiba. He was alive but pinned beneath two giant timbers. That left no room for Doyle to get a hold of him. Instead, Doyle tied a rope around his waist and attempted to pull him out. But immediately after he started pulling, Chiba cried out, stop. You're tearing me apart. You're going to kill me.

[Morbid Co-host]

Oh, my God.

[Elena]

He stopped, and he tried to kind of, like, zhush him a little bit. And with no other ways of getting him out of here, he waited a few seconds, and then he gave the rope one more yank, and ultimately he did free him.

[Morbid Co-host]

Okay, good.

[Elena]

But the. And the timbers did allow for him to, like, scoose him out kind of

[Morbid Co-host]

thing, like, just like, like, shimmy.

[Elena]

Didn't get torn in half.

[Morbid Co-host]

Now, he probably had so many broken bones. That's probably why he felt like that.

[Elena]

Exactly. And it was probably, like, actually pulling him apart at that point. So after he had saved Chiba, he, Doyle, climbed back into the debris and began feeling his way through, looking for survivors. And after a few minutes, his hand fell upon what felt like a woman's leg, and he called out to her, but he got no response. A few minutes later, he'd removed enough debris to get up beside her, which is when he realized the woman was dead. And he said, this woman's spine was snapped backwards at a 90 degree angle.

[Morbid Co-host]

Oh, my God.

[Elena]

Which I can't imagine. I can't even picture that after more than an hour digging around. An hour digging around, looking, like, through the rubble for survival. Yeah. Larry Doyle had breathed in an incredible amount of dust and debris, and he was having trouble breathing, but he insisted there were more people trapped inside and he was ready to go back in. It was only after he collapsed from exhaustion and respiratory trouble that he finally agreed to be seen by a doctor at the nearest hospital. And even then, it took four other firefighters to keep him from going back into the wreck. After they let him Out.

[Morbid Co-host]

What a hero.

[Elena]

Yeah. Larry Doyle, for real now. Given the size and scope of the disaster, the rescue operation quickly turned into what the press called a quote, all helpers volunteer event, meaning anyone with expertise was encouraged to come out and lend a hand. While most who pitched him were emergency responders, city workers, construction crews, there was also a lot of doctors, nurses and paramedics that came to the site as first responders. In one case, Dr. Michael Garrity of Boston City Hospital crawled down to a man who was trapped under the rubble as a result of his finger being hopelessly stuck between two pieces of concrete.

[Morbid Co-host]

Oh, my God.

[Elena]

This is insane. After applying a local anesthetic, Dr. Garrity was able to amputate his finger and the man was pulled to safely and taken to the hospital.

[Morbid Co-host]

You gotta be kidding me.

[Elena]

Dr. Garrity crawled into the rubble and safely performed an amputation.

[Morbid Co-host]

That's next.

[Elena]

In 1925, in total darkness. In total darkness.

[Morbid Co-host]

That's next.

[Elena]

Fucking. That's incredible to me.

[Morbid Co-host]

That's a doctor.

[Elena]

Other doctors from the city hospital were at the scene performing similar rescues in near darkness, all while several hundred or even thousands of pounds of precarious rubble ominously cracked and groaned around them. And they're performing amputations to save people? Yep. That's incredible. Now, eventually, the cries and pleas from the injured started to quiet until finally they couldn't be heard at all. By the time the sun came up, there were still at least 50 people reported missing. But the consensus belief was that if they were still in the rubble, they probably wouldn't be found alive. That morning, the first report of the collapse went out on the front page of the Boston daily globe announcing 12 confirmed dead. But by the time the rescue operation was complete, the death toll rose to 44, with countless others injured. Now, when news of the accident started spreading around the city, some people showed up to volunteer or offer support, like Rev. Lawrence Morris from St. James Church, arrived at the site to provide last rites to the victims, while others brought food and other essentials to help volunteers. There were many others, however, who simply showed up to the scene to take a look.

[Morbid Co-host]

That's so gross.

[Elena]

The work of digging out the ruins went on for several days, and by the second day, thousands had come to see the scene. Some in hopes of finding a missing relative, of course, but most just to see the wreckage. Looky lose. Yeah. Now, according to the press, there was no disorder, no wild attempts to break the police line, no noise. That's good. Somehow the crowds even forbore to push and elbow each other to get a better point advantage. So they were at least like, chill. Yeah. Now they were just there to take in the tragedy of an unimaginable thing that had happened.

[Morbid Co-host]

I don't know why you would want to see that.

[Elena]

When asked for comment about the crowds, one officer tasked with guarding the site said, if they had to do this for pay, they'd wish they were somewhere else. They can't see anything and they are far too far away to even hear what's going on. So he's like, get the fuck out.

[Morbid Co-host]

He's like, what's the point now?

[Elena]

Before the first day was even over, serious questions of accountability were being raised by those in positions of power. Yeah. Building commissioner John Mahoney had long lamented the crumbling buildings in Boston and suspected that might be the cause.

[Morbid Co-host]

I would think that would be at least part of it.

[Elena]

Mayor James Curley, on the other hand, blamed the collapse of on overcrowding. In a statement to the public, he said, considering the fact that no official with authority to prevent overcrowding was present in the building, it is most probable that the club management, taking advantage of the night before crowds, seeking unrestrained freedom in their pursuit of pleasure, readily accepted all who came to the club after the closing of the property licensed amusement places in Boston. Now, at the time, it would have been impossible for the mayor or anyone else to make such a definitive statement on the cause of the accident, since an investigation into the cause had not even begun.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah, so everybody was just kind of guessing.

[Elena]

But his statements, James Curley's statements reflect the widespread, very conservative perspective in Boston that viewed nightclubs, dance halls and other similar spaces as contributing to immorality. Foreign.

[Ash]

This episode is brought to you by SoFi, the all in one finance app where you can bank, borrow and invest all in one place.

[Morbid Co-host]

Let's talk about bank accounts for a second.

[Ash]

The average bank Savings rate is 0.39% in interest. You're earning pennies on your savings and it doesn't have to be that way. But with SoFi's high yield checkings and savings, the money barely making moves sitting in your savings account can earn over eight times the national average savings rate with eligible direct deposit, no account or overdraft fees. We love transparency. You can get your PayCheck up to two days early, plus get up to a $300 welcome bonus when you sign up with eligible direct deposit. Sign up for SoFi checking and savings at sofi.commorbid SoFi checking and savings is offered through SoFi Bank NA member FDIC terms apply. You know that feeling when you come home late from work and those puppy dog eyes just pierce right through your soul? Or when you're packing for a trip and your cat refuses to leave your suitcase? Yeah, we've all been there. Pet parent guilt is real. And you know what? It's completely normal. That's exactly why Hill's Pet Nutrition exists. They understand that being a pet parent means being human. With all of our imperfections and daily juggling acts, Hill science led nutrition helps you give more love than humanly possible. Whether it's those long work days or trying to balance attention between multiple pets, Hill's Pet Nutrition gets it. They've created science based nutrition that supports your pet's lifelong health so you can feel confident even when life gets hectic because you're only human. There's Hills Science does more. Ready to let go of the guilt? Find the right [e-mail] podcast that's hillspet.com

[Morbid Co-host]

podcast Summer is the perfect time to rethink what clothes you're reaching for every day. With the warmer weather, you want lighter fabrics, better materials, pieces that just feel good the moment that you put them on and also look effortless. That's where Quince comes in, you guys. I love Quince. They focus on high quality essentials. Think breathable linen, soft, organic cotton, washable silk, but without the luxury markup. It looks like luxury, it feels like

[Ash]

luxury, but you don't get that markup up.

[Morbid Co-host]

It's that rare balance where everything feels elevated but still easy. And it's not just clothing. Quince has really become a destination for elevated essentials across home, kitchen, bedding and beyond. I actually was getting ready for the spring recently, So I said quince.com please. And I got a couple of their linen skirts. They are first of all so freaking comfortable. They come in the cutest colors. My favorite one that I got is in this yellow color. Just makes me feel like, like sunshine when I get all dressed. And you know that I love the silk skirts. Those are a staple in my wardrobe every single time of the year between summer, fall, winter, spring, all of the above. Elevate your summer wardrobe. Go to quince.commorbid for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns now available in Canada too. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.commorbid for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.commorbid.

[Elena]

Now the following day the globe offered a different perspective and potential cause of the Collapse, this time from someone who was inside the building when it came down. According to Frank Decker, one of the singers performing in the club that night, it was, quote, the steady swaying of the dancers and their stamping of feet as they all performed the Charleston that could have caused the collapse. He said, imagine the force of 50 couples leaping up and down in unison. The heavy trampling set the floor swaying. Then it cracked. I paid no attention to this shark crack at the moment, as I thought someone had set off a firecracker. But the real meaning of it came to me a moment later. Now, in retrospect, Frank Decker's theory that dancing had caused the collapse might seem like kind of silly, since most buildings are designed to withstand a far greater shock than a few dozen people dancing.

[Morbid Co-host]

But what we know now, that there was, like, trap doors and that kind of thing.

[Elena]

That's the thing. At the time, it seemed intuitive to Bostonians following the story in the press and remained a popular urban legend long after the real cause had been revealed that it was dancing the Charleston that caused this collapse. Oh, no.

[Morbid Co-host]

So now the Charleston was cursed.

[Elena]

Yeah, it was cursed. Now, during one of the trials that followed the incident, one of the structural engineers tasked with evaluating the building testified and said, as the steady pounding of feet continued, the wooden jousts under the linoleum floor began to vibrate. Structural engineers use the term mechanical resonance to describe what was happening. Under certain conditions, a suspended beam or cross member will vibrate violently when subjected to steady rhythmic oscillations. Those vibrations have been known to cause catastrophic failures in bridges, buildings, and even airplanes. The Pickwick Club dancers knew nothing about residents. They had no idea what was going on under their feet. Of course, before anyone could arrive at the accurate. At an accurate explanation for why the building collapsed, city workers needed to clear away the rubble, which proved more challenging than expected. In addition to the expected difficulties of moving, you know, several tons of debris, the large crowds surrounding the area was like a big challenge.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah.

[Elena]

And while most of them were orderly and complied with police directions, others were less respectful.

[Morbid Co-host]

People are always going to people.

[Elena]

This is gonna enrage you. On July 6, just days after the collapse, police arrested one of the workers, Angelo Cook, after he was seen stealing cash from the pockets of the few remaining dead bodies in the ruins.

[Morbid Co-host]

You gotta be fucking kidding me.

[Elena]

He's going to dead people's walls, pants pockets, and stealing their money.

[Morbid Co-host]

That's a piece of shit.

[Elena]

There's this lowest type of low.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah, that's the karmic retribution on that,

[Elena]

that it will it will reverberate through generations of his family.

[Morbid Co-host]

Wow.

[Elena]

Like, fuck that.

[Morbid Co-host]

Wow.

[Elena]

On July 7th, the majority of the ruins had been cleared from the scene, and the last of the bodies had been removed to go to the morgue for identification. Meanwhile, across the city, a grand jury was being convened to hear testimony and evaluate the evidence. That afternoon, after hearing some survivor testimony, District Attorney Thomas o' Brien led the guard. There was going to be an o'. Brien.

[Morbid Co-host]

There's got to be.

[Elena]

He led the grand jury to the site so they could see the space for themselves and view the foundation of the building. By that time, structural engineers had begun evaluating the building and suspected the collapse had not been caused by dancers, but by a structural issue with the party wall. And I'll tell you what a party wall is, okay? It's basically the shared wall between the building that housed the Pickwick and the building next to it. Oh. Now, in the era when the Dreyfus was built, buildings were often built to lean against one another as a source of stability. They were very close to each other, and that shared wall was the party wall between them.

[Morbid Co-host]

So it's almost like a. Like a condo or like two places.

[Elena]

It was just like they were just almost like a condo, except it's not all the same building. There's the buildings that are so close to each other, they lean on each other for support.

[Morbid Co-host]

That's wild.

[Elena]

Yeah. Now, in this case, the building next to the Pickwick had recently been torn down, thus removing a potentially significant source of support in the party wall.

[Ash]

Stop.

[Elena]

Based on their initial observations, the engineers suspected that that could have been the reason for the collapse. Yeah. Testifying before the grand jury, Harry Haven, one of the engineers in charge of the project to be built next to the Pickwick, said there were concerns about the structural integrity of the Pickwick building itself and that those concerns had been shared with the property owners, but nothing had been done about it. Now, after several days of testimony and evidence, the grand jury indicted six individuals in the Pickwick case. The following were indicted on charges of manslaughter. Timothy Berry, the owner of the club George Funk, the architect in charge of the building's repair project following the fire, and Hyman Bloomberg, the owner of the building. Three others associated with the Pickle Club were indicted on, like, lesser charges.

[Morbid Co-host]

Fair enough to me.

[Elena]

Now, a few days later, the grand jury reconvened and returned six more indictments for manslaughter against the architects involved in the restoration and construction projects, including Fritz Nathan, John Pultz, John Tobin, Edward Romer, James Hendrick and Lawrence Perkins. All nine men pleaded not guilty, and their trials were scheduled for the following following months. Okay. Now, given the high profile nature of the Pickwick case, everyone from the district attorney to the mayor urged a speedy trial for those accused of manslaughter, if for no other reason than to demonstrate that the city took the matter of unstable infrastructure very seriously. Yeah. Now, just one week after the grand jury returned indictments for the accused, the trial against all 12 of the men began at Suffolk County Superior Court. The first to testify was Chief of Police Daniel Sennett, who, among several other individuals who testified they were testifying to the level of destruction caused by the fire that had occurred on the third floor several months earlier. Okay. The consensus among those who spoke on the effect of the fire was that while the third floor had been, quote, very badly burned, the building itself remained structurally sound. Okay.

[Morbid Co-host]

Now, it's kind of hard to.

[Ash]

It is like to.

[Elena]

I don't know, to feel comfortable with that.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Thank you.

[Elena]

Now, according to Guy Emerson, the expert for the prosecution, he said the collapse of the Pickwick Club was due to a failure of the concrete piers under the foundation due to a lack of lateral bracing on the easterly side. Now, after the building beside the Pickwick was torn down, effectively making the party wall useless, Bloomberg hired a construction firm to add to the concrete piers to provide structural support, because he knew the party wall was gonna be weaker.

[Morbid Co-host]

But also, you probably should have closed down the club while that was gonna happen.

[Elena]

Well, also, the piers were very poorly built and weren't capable of supporting the hundred thousand pounds that they were required to support.

[Morbid Co-host]

So that was useless.

[Elena]

According to one of the evaluating engineers, one of the piers was, quote, the rottenest piece of concrete I ever saw. There were pockets of gravel in the mixture. The cement was of poor quality, and there wasn't enough of it. The shoddy craftsmanship of the piers creating the perfect conditions for a kind of, quote, domino like collapse under the right circumstances. Now, that's what's crazy about this, is. It's like this somewhat strange twist where it turned out that it wasn't one single theory that was correct. A lot of them, several were kind of working in combination with each other. The concrete piers had been poorly made and unprofessionally installed. So when the music and the dancing reached its peak, it caused the pockets into which the piers had been placed to crumble and the piers to fall. Without the support from the concrete piers, the building simply collapsed into itself, unable to withstand the weight.

[Morbid Co-host]

Just Picturing that is like, so the scariest thing. Just like a building swallowing itself, truly. It's like when you see videos of, like, sinkholes.

[Elena]

Yeah. Oh, sinkholes. Scariest shit, me.

[Ash]

Oh, so scary.

[Elena]

I hate it. Now, given the number of things that had to go wrong in order for the Pickwick Club to collapse, the jury was unable to agree that any of the men on trial were directly responsible for the tragedy, and all were found not guilty. Hmm. It's because there was so many things that contributed to this. I think they didn't know who actually was at fault here.

[Morbid Co-host]

I'm like, maybe we can just say that everybody was then.

[Elena]

Now, after the verdicts were read, Judge Loomis addressed the jury. He said, if I had been a member of the jury, I would have joined in your verdict. There never was sufficient evidence that these defendants had been willfully, recklessly, or wantonly negligent. Okay. Now, the acquittal of all 12 men was definitely a disappointment to the victims families, who just hoped to see someone responsible for the loss of the lives at the club that night. In the years that followed, a number of civil suits were filed. In total, $6.1 million, which is roughly 90 million in 2026.

[Morbid Co-host]

Wow.

[Elena]

But the plaintiffs eventually settled for around 40,000 or $1,000 per life lost at the Pickwick Club. I feel like that happens too often.

[Morbid Co-host]

It does now.

[Elena]

In the years that followed, the building was eventually repaired and reopened. From the 1960s into the late 1980s, the building was home to the famous Naked Eye cabaret.

[Morbid Co-host]

Oh.

[Elena]

Until it was torn down and a parking garage was built on the site. It still remains.

[Morbid Co-host]

Not a parking garage.

[Elena]

As of now, there is no plaque or memorial to indicate the 44 people whose lives were lost that night.

[Morbid Co-host]

That's such bullshit.

[Elena]

And again, few people remember or are aware that this actually happened.

[Morbid Co-host]

Well, in the fact that it just became me either, and the fact that it just became a parking garage.

[Elena]

Yeah.

[Morbid Co-host]

I just feel like more should have been done to protect the site.

[Elena]

Yeah. You know, and let me just. Now that we're at the end of this, I'm going to read the 44 people's names. Benjamin Alexander, Ella Calley, Burt Chapman, William Cochran, Ralph Congdon, Michael Chavalo, Charles Da Costis, Francis Driscoll, Pauline Deluca, Gelato Lombardi, Wayne Marr, Mary McEachern, Lillian McIsaacs, John McLaughlin, Francis McLean, Thomas McManus, Mary Moore, Max Malmot, John Duffy, Mabel Dixon, Edward Flanagan, Clara Frederick Patrick Galvin, James Glennon, Arthur Graham, William Grossman, Paul Halloran, Stuart Henderson, Edith Jordan, Loretta Keegan, Peggy Lawson, Margaret Murphy, John Murphy, William Murray, James Murray, Bart O', Donnell, Carl Paslin Jr. Joseph Faniff, John Scales, Doris Stern, Frank Tilo, Frank Vera, Charles Whelan and Esther Wilson.

[Morbid Co-host]

So sad that that many people lost their lives that like.

[Elena]

Yeah, it is.

[Morbid Co-host]

It's just, it's really getting to me that there's no memorial. That's nuts.

[Elena]

And these, these are all like ranging from age 20 to. We have a 43 year old. We have a 42 year old. Everything in between. Yeah, I think it's like 43. It's like 20 to ages 20 to 43. Everything in between.

[Morbid Co-host]

That's crazy.

[Elena]

Yeah, a lot of 30 year olds, a lot of, you know, like people just having fun.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah, just young people.

[Elena]

Like it sucks. They weren't doing anything wrong.

[Morbid Co-host]

They were just celebrating a holiday.

[Elena]

Yeah. It's really sad. And I really hate that it doesn't have a plaque. I think that that garage, that parking garage needs to have a plaque.

[Morbid Co-host]

I think we should write to Mara Healey.

[Elena]

I was like, we, I was looking up how to petition to do this. And I think we are going to try to petition to do this. I just think it's right. I do too. And I don't like that. I didn't know that this was a thing.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah, we should learn about this in school because you, I mean you do learn about the Coconut Grove and like

[Elena]

the molasses flood, you know, like, you

[Morbid Co-host]

should learn about these things.

[Elena]

The history, like people lost their lives in this stuff. We should know about it. Absolutely. Especially you're just parking in a garage. You don't know that like underneath was the site of a. I really do feel like tragedy.

[Morbid Co-host]

It should be something else.

[Elena]

We're gonna see what we can do to petition.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah, we're gonna try to talk to Mara.

[Elena]

We're gonna get some, get some signatures.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah, let's go. Maybe we can start something up.

[Ash]

We'll.

[Morbid Co-host]

We'll get, get some information gathered and hopefully update you next episode.

[Elena]

Yeah, we'll let you guys know how it's going. That's our new. Right now we're gonna do this. Yeah.

[Morbid Co-host]

We're planning a live show and we're planning a memorial.

[Elena]

Exactly.

[Morbid Co-host]

So fun fact. Play DOH was originally used as wallpaper cleaner, huh?

[Elena]

Yeah. You just rub it all over your wall?

[Morbid Co-host]

I guess so.

[Elena]

Does it still work?

[Morbid Co-host]

I don't know.

[Elena]

I wonder.

[Morbid Co-host]

Let's. Let's look a little more into this. That's a.

[Elena]

Interesting one.

[Morbid Co-host]

Wallpaper cleaner was originally Invented as wallpaper cleaner in the 1930s, Kutal products in Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, created a pliable non toxic putty used to lift coal soot off of wallpaper. When home switched to cleaner heating after World War II, the company repurposed the cleaner as a toy, which became Play doh.

[Elena]

Wow.

[Morbid Co-host]

Isn't that fun?

[Elena]

Damn, that's cool.

[Morbid Co-host]

So it was like an accidental toy.

[Elena]

Look at Play doh. I love accidental inventions. I do, too.

[Morbid Co-host]

Remember eating Play DOH when you were little, eating playdoh? It was so salty.

[Elena]

Oh, yeah, I did.

[Morbid Co-host]

I remember Play doh.

[Elena]

Yeah. And I just remember the smell. Really?

[Morbid Co-host]

Oh, I can smell it, like, right

[Elena]

now because, like, the kids have Play doh, so I can still smell it.

[Ash]

Play doh.

[Morbid Co-host]

That's crazy, because you. I mean, it was after World War II that they switched and made it a toy. And our kids are still playing, still

[Elena]

playing with Play D'oh.

[Morbid Co-host]

Like, that's nuts.

[Elena]

And it's so simple.

[Morbid Co-host]

Yeah.

[Elena]

See, it's the simplest stuff.

[Morbid Co-host]

It really is high tech. Oh, and I love when you got, like, the Play Doh sets where you can, like, make it like noodles, spaghetti. I love smushing it through something. Let's go play with Play DOH right now.

[Elena]

Let's do that.

[Morbid Co-host]

All right. Well, we hope you keep listening and

[Elena]

we hope you keep it weird, but

[Morbid Co-host]

not so weird that you don't go buy some Play DOH right now and smush it. Yeah, just don't eat it anymore because you're like, I don't think you're supposed to.

[Elena]

I'm sure it's not.

[Morbid Co-host]

It's probably fine.

[Elena]

But, like, I don't know.

[Morbid Co-host]

Why have we asked our contractor we found on Angie.com to be our kid's legal guardian?

[Ad Voice]

Because he took such good care when

[Morbid Co-host]

redoing our basement that we knew we

[Ad Voice]

could trust him to care for our

[Morbid Co-host]

kids, all eight of them, should something happen to us.

[Elena]

Are you my dad now?

[Movie Trailer Narrator]

No, sorry. I do basements. Connecting homeowners with skilled pros for over 30 years. Angie, the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find pros for all your home [e-mail]

[TextNow Ad Voice]

your phone is your lifeline. Calling your kid to say good night, Waiting on a job callback, or just sending a meme to your best friend when it's been that kind of day. Wherever life takes you, the TextNow app keeps you connected for free. Get a real phone number, unlimited talk and text, and 5G data for your favorite app. Apps. All for $0 a month. No fixed contracts, no hidden fees. No panic when bills pile up. Just phone service that's there when it matters most. TextNow, we've got your back. Download TextNow in your app Store today. Wireless plans require the purchase of a sim card. Visit textnow.com for terms and conditions.