August 10

August 10, 1889: The westbound Thousand Island Fast Express train on the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad (ʺHojackʺ line) collides with a stopped morning commuter train at the Forest Lawn station in Webster, killing two and injuring nine of the passengers and crew.

Sources and Further Reading:

1. FATAL RAILROAD ACCIDENT; TWO LIVES LOST NEAR THE CITY OF ROCHESTER, New York Times, Aug 11 1889
2.  TO PREVENT RAILROAD ACCIDENTS, New York Times, Oct. 2 1889
3. The Hojack Line Story, Batzing, Dick, Friends of Webster Trails

• Webster Hojack Trail - Trail Map

July 2

July 2, 1963: Mohawk Airlines flight 112, attempting to take off from Rochester Monroe County Airport into a severe thunderstorm, veers out of control and crashes, killing 7 and injuring 36 people on board.

Sources and Further Reading:

1. Aviation Safety Network
2. Wikipedia: Mohawk Airlines Flight 121
3. Joan S. NEFF, Administratrix of the Estate of John W. Neff

March 17

March 17, 1865: On Friday the 17th, the St. Patrick's day flood of the Genesee River destroys several buildings in the city of Rochester as the river flows through Main, Buffalo, Mill, Front, Exchange, and Arcade Streets to a depth in some places of 3 feet. Many residents were stranded until Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning.

March 17, 1936:  The funeral service of George Eastman is held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church.  The service was broadcast to thousands who attended and over WHAM radio station.  All Kodak factories around the world closed for the day in observance. 

Sources and Further Reading:

1. The Rochester Evening Express (March 20, 1865)
2. www.libraryweb.org: MANY ROADS TO FREEDOM: ROCHESTER IN APRIL, 1865
3. History of Rochester and Monroe County, New York (1908); Peck, William F.; page 89-95
4. "Eastman Rites are Broadcast", Mar 17, 1936, The Pomona Progress Bulletin, Pomona CA, page 15.

December 21

December 21, 1888: The Jefferson Flour Mill explodes as naphtha (a flammable liquid hydrocarbon) refined at the Vacuum Oil Works leaks from an underground pipe into a sewer, igniting between State and Mill streets. The fire continued in the sewer, blowing man hole covers skyward and spouting flames for several hours. The accident resulted in five deaths.

Sources and further reading:
Rochester History (1988); vol 50, no 3, page 15