This Month in Missouri History

Mill Creek Sewer explosion and more

In July, 1892, one of the most unusual urban disasters occurred in St. Louis. The downtown Mill Creek sewer spontaneously exploded, doing all sorts of damage to streets and surrounding buildings.

In July 17, 1946, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt published a letter from a St. Louis woman suggesting that Americans do something different to commemorate July 4. She suggested each home display the American flag, a practice that swept the country.

There were a number of July birthdays of individuals who had a place in national history. They included former FBI chief L. Patrick Gray, "Oz Munchkin" Lewis Carroll and famed bowler Don Carter.

(Every month, the Missouri History Museum compiles a list of historical highlights with anniversaries in the current month. Then, Young Saint Louis.com brings them to you for your enjoyment and entertainment.

(If you have other questions, visit the MHM's website at www.mohistory.com.)

Mill Creek Sewer Explosion

 

Men working in a sewer in the 1800s

One of the largest explosions in St. Louis history occurred on July 27, 1892, when the Mill Creek Sewer blew up at Fourth Street and Chouteau Ave.

The explosion was due to a buildup of gas in what was then the city's largest sewer. The gas was presumed to have built up after an earlier fire at the Waters-Pierce Oil Co.

The original story said three people were killed, four seriously injured and two missing.

The explosion opened a crater 15 feet wide and extending for four blocks.

For a complete story, visit: http://www3.gendisasters.com/missouri/2354/st.-louis,-mo-mill-creek-sewer-explosion,-july-1892.

Eleanor Roosevelt's Column

Eleanor Roosevelt

For more than 25 years, Eleanor Roosevelt wrote a newspaper column, titled "My Day." It was syndicated in dozens of newspapers and made the wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt one of the most-read women in the country.

On July 17, 1946, her column centered on a letter received "from a mother in St. Louis who felt, as I did, a certain relief at our sane and quiet Fourth of July."

However, the St. Louisan, who wasn't named in the column, added, "If something is not done, the Fourth of July will just become another midsummer 'holiday' devoid of any definite meaning."

The St. Louisan urged that everyone in the entire country should display the American flag in front of their home on the Fourth of July.

She went on: "This idea at first may not seem too convincing. But, can you visualize looking down street after street in every city and town and see 'Old Glory' flying from every home?"

Mrs. Roosevelt endorsed the idea and she urged even more public display of patriotism on July 4th.

The idea of American flags at every home is now part of the July 4 tradition.

To read the whole "My Day" column, visit www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/myday/displaydoc.cfm?
_y=1946&_f=md000393.

FBI's L. Patrick Gray

L. Patrick Gray

Born in St. Louis on July 18, 1916, L. Patrick Gray was one of the government officials who had their lives ruined by the fall of President Richard Nixon.

Gray served as acting director of the FBI from May 2, 1972, to April 27, 1973. During that time, the FBI was in charge of the initial investigation into the burglaries at the Democratic National Committee offices in the Watergate complex.

Gray finally resigned his FBI post after he couldn't get Senate confirmation. He had admitted he destroyed non-Watergate documents given to him by White House counsel John Dean.

In the aftermath of Watergate, Gray successfully defended himself against five federal grand juries and four committees of Congress.

He stayed silent on Watergate for over 30 years, speaking only once shortly before his death in 2005.

That also was shortly after Mark Felt, who had been Gray's second in command at the FBI, announced he was "Deep Throat," the name given to the source who helped Washington Post reporters Woodward and Bernstein engineer Nixon's ouster.

For more on Gray, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Patrick_Gray.

Munchkin Mickey Carroll

Mickey Carroll, one of the last surviving Munchkins from the 1939 classic film, "The Wizard of Oz," died on Thursday, May 7, of this year. He was 89 years old.

Carroll was born Michael Finocchiaro on July 8, 1919, in St. Louis.

He danced at the Muny Theater when he was a kid and worked in vaudeville in the 1920s. But, the "Wizard of Oz" was his only movie appearance. He did appear in TV in the 1960s.

However, he did a lot of public appearances. He worked as a crowd-pleaser during campaigns for both Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman.

For a complete obituary, visit www.kmox.com/pages/4354769.php?

Bowler Don Carter

Don Carter

Don Carter, who was named in a 1970 poll as the nation's greatest bowler, was born in St. Louis on July 29, 1926.

He was the most dominant bowler in the 1950s. During a 1952-60 period, except for one year he was injured, he won the BPAA All-star bowling tournament four times and never finished lower than fourth.

In one six-year period, he won five World Invitational events and finished second the other year.

He was a member of the l958 Budweiser Bowling Team that established a long-standing ABC league series scoring record for a five-man team. Other members were Ray Bluth, Dick Weber, Tom Hennessey and Pat Patterson.

He also helped form the Professional Bowlers Assn. and was its first president.

For more, visit www.americaslibrary.kids.us/jump/story.htm.

St. Louis and the Greenbacks

The growth of the use of paper money in the U.S. took a big jump on July 17, 1861, when the federal government began issuing demand notes commonly called "greenbacks." (The name came because these new notes had printing in green on the back while most paper money of that time didn't have any reverse-side printing.)

Issuing of these demand notes helped the federal government pay for expenses associated with the civil war.

St. Louis' role in this came when it was one of just five U.S. cities where these notes could be redeemed on demand.

For more on the complicated story about U.S. paper money, visit: http://blueandgraytrail.com/year/186107 or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demand_Note or http://www.coinworld.com/newcollector/PaperMoney/About/
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