ABSTRACT
This chapter examines coverage of accidents in the New York Times during the summer of 1880 to suggest an alternative to sensationalism as the sole explanation for graphic details in news accounts. Reading some three hundred accident accounts in the New York Times from May through July of 1880 suggested that perhaps the gory details might serve archetypal purposes as well as economic goals of titillating readers. The goal of sensational coverage clearly involved warning and inspiration rather than solely titillation. In the Times's accident coverage, overtones of the archetype of consequences of accidents surface in two contrasting motifs: ignorant fools and heroes tested. Just like steamboat catastrophes, New York Times accident stories involving lightning strikes were often covered in the most sensational and gory details imaginable. The Times writer concluded that the only way to prevent steamboat disasters was to enforce the safety regulations that the government had passed in 1872.
