Transportation
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The worst disaster in Buffalo Harbor history occurred in the Buffalo River at this point on the night of Oct. 29, 1951, when the outbound freighter Penobscot and the gasoline barge Morania collided, causing an explosion and fire that killed 11 people. The collision happened as the 230-foot tank barge, carrying 19,200 barrels of gasoline and pushed by the tug Dauntless, rounded the lighthouse point and cut across the channel toward the Erie Basin. The Penobscot struck the low, unlit barge, rupturing two tanks and spilling gasoline that ignited when the vessels pulled apart. Capt. Louis Guyette and wheelsman Roy Richardson died at their posts in the Penobscot's burning pilot house while swinging the vessel's stern against this pier so crewmen could slide down ropes to safety.
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Buffalo, New York · United States
