SEALS & SEA LIONS ESCAPE AMMONIA FUMES RETIRING TO BOTTOM OF THEIR TANK
New York City (JFK+50) In the late evening of August 19, 1922, an ammonia pipe on the second floor of the Aquarium* in Manhattan burst causing fumes to flood the premises. The Tribune reports that Rescue Squad #1 "raced to the scene in gas masks."
After an hour of clean-up, the Aquarium staff discovered the seals** and sea lions*** "had retired to the bottom of their tank after one sniff of gas and lay peacefully down there."
*The Aquarium, opening in 1896, is the oldest continually operating aquarium in the United States. Originally located in Battery Park, Manhattan, it was moved to the Boardwalk on Coney Island in 1957.
**Seals are carnivorous, fin-footed, semi-aquatic marine animals.
***Sea Lions have external ear flaps, long fore flippers, & can walk on all fours. They are generally much larger than seals.
SOURCE
"Aquarium Seals Duck to Escape Deadly Gas," The New York Tribune, August 20, 1922, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
