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A Matter of Degree: The Hartford Circus Fire & The Mystery of Little Miss 1565
A Matter of Degree is a true story and the definitive account of a renowned fire investigator and the nine-year mission of the heart that led to the discovery of arson and political conspiracy in the 1944 Ringling circus fire, an American tragedy equal in scope to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. LT. RICK DAVEY's internationally publicized re-investigation of the celebrated case resolved all of the mysteries swirling around the suspicious blaze that destroyed the Ringling circus and killed 168 people--including a beautiful but unknown 8-year-old girl who was known for 50 years as "Little Miss 1565."
324 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 3, 2009
Dear Narrative Non-Fiction writers: a little goes a long way, get it?
If you collect catastrophic fires, you wonder why accounts of the Hartford Circus Fire aren't any better than they are. There are a few discoveries here that might have gone In Cold Blood or Mississippi Burning, but instead fizzled out like a PBS Mystery. The rest of the text, devoted to Miss 1656, steals its own thunder by IDing her early on, then makes us sit back and watch all the mishandled paperwork.
The account of the fire itself is solid, and the politically motivated burial of key information enlightening. There should be a Station Fire book out before too long that might reveal the same kinds of mistakes.
Pretty good, when it isn't cloying. Which is often.
If you collect catastrophic fires, you wonder why accounts of the Hartford Circus Fire aren't any better than they are. There are a few discoveries here that might have gone In Cold Blood or Mississippi Burning, but instead fizzled out like a PBS Mystery. The rest of the text, devoted to Miss 1656, steals its own thunder by IDing her early on, then makes us sit back and watch all the mishandled paperwork.
The account of the fire itself is solid, and the politically motivated burial of key information enlightening. There should be a Station Fire book out before too long that might reveal the same kinds of mistakes.
Pretty good, when it isn't cloying. Which is often.
January 11, 2008
I read this book, following another book on the great Barnum & Bailey Circus Fire of the 1940's in Hartford, CT. My grandmother was obsessed with the plight of this little girl. It was strange, but interesting. I read Stuart Onan's first book as part of a book club I sign up for, but never got around to participating in.
My reading selections have related to local history. I have had a lot of enjoyment reading these books.
My reading selections have related to local history. I have had a lot of enjoyment reading these books.
January 29, 2016
Never mind the four hankies; you'll need a towel to cry into while you're reading this one. This is an account of the 1944 Hartford, CT circus fire that killed 168 people, the same number that died in the Oklahoma City bombing. It uncovers the identity of the unclaimed little girl I always knew as "Little Miss Nobody" and gives you the results of the author's investigation into what they considered an arson. VERY hard to put down.
October 1, 2007
I'd never heard of the fire that nearly destroyed the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey circus in 1944. Recently, I met one of the authors, Don Massey, and he gave me a copy of this book. I was curious to read it as soon as I could.
The first half of the book is very moving and sometimes difficult to read. The authors made good use of some foreshadowing of the horrific fire that occurred in Hartford, CT on July 6, 1944, including two previous small fires in the same week, a cancelled performance and a red moon--all spelling doom to suspicious circus performers and employees. In addition, one of the families followed, the Cooks, went on an outing and a young girl drowned while they were at the scene.
There is pathos in this part of the book, too, and that's what makes it so gripping. The mother, Mildred Cook, is loving and devoted to the point where she made a most painful decision. Because her worthless husband abandoned her and the children, she gave custody of the young ones to her brother so that she could work and earn money to eke out an existence to help support them. She would see her three children only rarely and that July 4th holiday of 1944, she planned some very special activities for them to enjoy.
As a mother, I can only imagine the horror of being in an enclosed place like the circus, enjoying the show with my kids--a big treat in those days--and then having this killer fire break out. In those days, tents were waterproofed by using a mixture of wax and gasoline which is deadly in a fire--it makes napalm. Because WWII was still raging, fire proofing supplies weren't available. The fire burned at such an intensity metal melted and bodies were fused together. In the stampede to escape, Mildred Cook was separated from two of her children.
Another person was introduced--a disturbed young pyromaniac recently hired by the circus. Not so coincidentally, the fires all occurred after the teenager was hired as a member of the crew who had access to lighting materials.
Most of the people killed in the fire were women and children. One young girl virtually untouched by the flames was never identified and was buried anonymously as "Little Miss 1565".
The second part of the book was devoted to the research and hard work of a fire investigator named Rick Davey. He was captivated by the little girl's picture and saddened she'd never been identified. As he worked to learn her identity, he uncovered some very shocking things that had been covered up by the investigator for the City of Hartford. He also learned the identity of the little girl lost in the terrible tragedy.
This is a very good book for those interested in our history and in justice.
The first half of the book is very moving and sometimes difficult to read. The authors made good use of some foreshadowing of the horrific fire that occurred in Hartford, CT on July 6, 1944, including two previous small fires in the same week, a cancelled performance and a red moon--all spelling doom to suspicious circus performers and employees. In addition, one of the families followed, the Cooks, went on an outing and a young girl drowned while they were at the scene.
There is pathos in this part of the book, too, and that's what makes it so gripping. The mother, Mildred Cook, is loving and devoted to the point where she made a most painful decision. Because her worthless husband abandoned her and the children, she gave custody of the young ones to her brother so that she could work and earn money to eke out an existence to help support them. She would see her three children only rarely and that July 4th holiday of 1944, she planned some very special activities for them to enjoy.
As a mother, I can only imagine the horror of being in an enclosed place like the circus, enjoying the show with my kids--a big treat in those days--and then having this killer fire break out. In those days, tents were waterproofed by using a mixture of wax and gasoline which is deadly in a fire--it makes napalm. Because WWII was still raging, fire proofing supplies weren't available. The fire burned at such an intensity metal melted and bodies were fused together. In the stampede to escape, Mildred Cook was separated from two of her children.
Another person was introduced--a disturbed young pyromaniac recently hired by the circus. Not so coincidentally, the fires all occurred after the teenager was hired as a member of the crew who had access to lighting materials.
Most of the people killed in the fire were women and children. One young girl virtually untouched by the flames was never identified and was buried anonymously as "Little Miss 1565".
The second part of the book was devoted to the research and hard work of a fire investigator named Rick Davey. He was captivated by the little girl's picture and saddened she'd never been identified. As he worked to learn her identity, he uncovered some very shocking things that had been covered up by the investigator for the City of Hartford. He also learned the identity of the little girl lost in the terrible tragedy.
This is a very good book for those interested in our history and in justice.
May 27, 2012
On the fateful afternoon of July 6th, 1944— just one month after D-Day— more than 8000 Hartford residents, most of them women and children, scrambled to their seats beneath the Ringling Brothers big top for an afternoon at the circus. As the audience waited for "the greatest show on earth" to begin, no one had any reason to suspect that the most destructive force in nature was bearing down on them, granting them only minutes to live. Shortly after the matinee began, a ball of flame broke out high on the sidewall canvas. As shock turned to horror, thousands of panic-stricken people began a desperate stampede to escape the flames that flowed like a breeze across the tent top, a square mile of canvas that had been waterproofed with a pasty mixture of 1800 pounds of paraffin wax and 6000 gallons of gasoline. Hundreds swarmed the exits in a frenzy, but their path to safety was blocked by iron cage chutes filled with snarling lions and clawing panthers. Engulfed by thunderous flame, the big top collapsed with a deafening roar, dooming those still alive inside. in less than ten minutes, America's most horrific tragedy had claimed 168 lives and destroyed the Ringling circus, leaving a trail of deadly secrets in the smoldering rubble. The truth would remain hidden for 50 years.
A Matter of Degree is the true story of a renowned investigator and the nine-year mission that would lead to the discovery of arson and political conspiracy in the 1944 Hartford Circus Fire, an American tragedy equal in scope to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Lieutenant Rick Davey's internationally publicized re-investigation of the celebrated case resolved the mysteries swirling around the suspicious blaze that destroyed the Ringling circus and killed 168 people, including an 8-year-old victim known for over 50 years as "Little Miss 1565." A Matter of Degree is a haunting tale of personal loss and public controversy, a superior work of nonfiction literature filled with passion, purpose and poetic imagery. Historical details and vivid descriptions— coupled with explosive new assertions of a political cover-up designed to conceal a flawed 1944 investigation in the wake of a circus worker's dream-driven confession of arson— combine to sustain suspense throughout this fact-based narrative. A Matter of Degree contains valuable new information, including— Complete confession documents all of which were never previously published, exclusive evidence that led to identification of Little Miss 1565, previously unknown facts about the six Ringling defendants, and the judge who actually conspired to put them all behind bars. A fascinating read.
A Matter of Degree is the true story of a renowned investigator and the nine-year mission that would lead to the discovery of arson and political conspiracy in the 1944 Hartford Circus Fire, an American tragedy equal in scope to the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Lieutenant Rick Davey's internationally publicized re-investigation of the celebrated case resolved the mysteries swirling around the suspicious blaze that destroyed the Ringling circus and killed 168 people, including an 8-year-old victim known for over 50 years as "Little Miss 1565." A Matter of Degree is a haunting tale of personal loss and public controversy, a superior work of nonfiction literature filled with passion, purpose and poetic imagery. Historical details and vivid descriptions— coupled with explosive new assertions of a political cover-up designed to conceal a flawed 1944 investigation in the wake of a circus worker's dream-driven confession of arson— combine to sustain suspense throughout this fact-based narrative. A Matter of Degree contains valuable new information, including— Complete confession documents all of which were never previously published, exclusive evidence that led to identification of Little Miss 1565, previously unknown facts about the six Ringling defendants, and the judge who actually conspired to put them all behind bars. A fascinating read.
September 24, 2017
When I was young, I remember my parents telling me about this most terrible event. The Hartford Circus Fire happened 11 years before I was born, but it must have been a vivid experience for my parents. One Christmas, they gave me an Emmett Kelly doll that stands about two feet tall. It wasn't until I was a little older that the circus fire crept into my mind and heart. I wanted to know more and more about what happened. I would read the articles in the Hartford Courant when they published stories on the anniversary of the fire.
Then, many years later, I learn of this book and just had to purchase it. I had heard about Little Miss 1565, but never knew her story in great detail. This book not only answered the question of who she was, but it also delved deep into the background of negligence by Hartford authorities who failed to ensure the safety of the circus performers and its attendees who came to have a pleasurable distraction from the war news of WWII and ended up experiencing the most horrific tragedy to ever rock Hartford.
The day the clowns cried.
I have been to the memorial at the site of the circus on Barbour St. and until you see the location in person, you can't begin to grasp the enormity of this disaster.
This book was a fascinating read and I strongly recommend it to those of you who want to learn the truth of the Hartford Circus Fire. It will make you angry. It will make you cry. It will answer all your questions.
Then, many years later, I learn of this book and just had to purchase it. I had heard about Little Miss 1565, but never knew her story in great detail. This book not only answered the question of who she was, but it also delved deep into the background of negligence by Hartford authorities who failed to ensure the safety of the circus performers and its attendees who came to have a pleasurable distraction from the war news of WWII and ended up experiencing the most horrific tragedy to ever rock Hartford.
The day the clowns cried.
I have been to the memorial at the site of the circus on Barbour St. and until you see the location in person, you can't begin to grasp the enormity of this disaster.
This book was a fascinating read and I strongly recommend it to those of you who want to learn the truth of the Hartford Circus Fire. It will make you angry. It will make you cry. It will answer all your questions.
February 14, 2019
This is a history of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum, and Bailey circus fire that occurred in Hartford, Connecticut in July 1944. 168 people died in the fire, five of which are "known only to God." There used to be six, but due to the tireless work of one fire investigator, one little girl, Eleanor Cook, was identified and her remains re-interred with those of her family. The fire investigator also uncovered the cause of the fire.
This book functions as a stand-alone story from America's history, although there is another book by a different author that I have read before which could serve as a prequel (The Circus Fire, by Stewart O'Nan). This book does a remarkable job of telling the whole, fiery tale from a few days before, to during the fire, and the days and months and eventually years afterwards. The ending was somewhat disappointing for spoiler reasons that I cannot write here. But it is a good story about a little known tidbit of American history.
This book functions as a stand-alone story from America's history, although there is another book by a different author that I have read before which could serve as a prequel (The Circus Fire, by Stewart O'Nan). This book does a remarkable job of telling the whole, fiery tale from a few days before, to during the fire, and the days and months and eventually years afterwards. The ending was somewhat disappointing for spoiler reasons that I cannot write here. But it is a good story about a little known tidbit of American history.
January 10, 2015
I recommend the book The Circus Fire by Nan O'Stewart over this title.
March 6, 2024
Possibly the deadliest crime in U.S. history*, but you’ve never heard of it.
The writers did a good job at creating a narrative of the events where the humanity of the victims did not get loss in the process.
The language seems a little flourished at times, bordering on the over-dramatic. Still 5 stars from me.
*apart from terrorist attacks.
The writers did a good job at creating a narrative of the events where the humanity of the victims did not get loss in the process.
The language seems a little flourished at times, bordering on the over-dramatic. Still 5 stars from me.
*apart from terrorist attacks.
October 17, 2008
I've been wanting to read this book forever but of course none of the Chicago libraries have it. So, thankfully I found it on Alibris . It was a great book - I was very happy to finally read the complete cover up "investigation" of the circus fire. This book is more about the seemingly never ending investigation than the tragedy itself - which is good. It's sad to think so many people suffered (and a little girl was unclaimed for so long) just because different characters involved didn't want to admit they made a mistake. I couldn't give the book 5 stars because certain parts of the book - especially those describing Rick Davey - were overly dramatic. The history itself is dramatic enough - no need to go overboard!
February 10, 2014
"A Matter of Degree" is THE "go to" book, as far as I am concerned, if one wants to learn the facts as they regard the July 6, 1944 circus fire in Hartford, CT. Written by Don Massey, and fire investigator Rick Davey, this is a rare opportunity to learn of an historical event from truly qualified people! Want to know what happened that day?
June 13, 2008
Tragic. I loved it. I love history, and knowing is power!
August 29, 2010
I'm glad that Mr. Massey wrote this book. I enjoyed following his search into the origins of the Circus Fire and appreciated the toll that it took on him.
June 5, 2012
An immeasurably sad and tragic narrative.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews