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Texas City Explosion 1947....
Texas City Explosion 1947....
Item # 220073
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April 17, 1947
THE NEW YORK TIMES, April 17, 1947.
* Texas City Disaster Explosion
This 56 page newspaper has a three line banner headline on the front page: "BLASTS AND FIRES WRECK TEXAS CITY OF 15,000; 300 TO 1,200 DEAD; THOUSANDS HURT, HOMELESS; WIDE COAST AREA ROCKED, DAMAGE IN MILLIONS" with many subheads that include: "Ship Starts Havoc" "Blasts Continuing" and more. Also a four column related photo also on the front page. More on page 18. Other news of the day throughout. Rag edition in great condition.
Historical Background: The 32.5% ammonium nitrate, used as fertilizer but also in high explosives, was manufactured in Nebraska and Iowa (not at the nearby Monsanto or Union Carbide plants) and shipped to Texas City by rail before being loaded on the Grandcamp, adjacent to a cargo of ammunition.
It was manufactured in a patented explosives process, mixed with clay, petrolatum, rosin and paraffin to avoid moisture caking. It was also packaged in paper sacks, then transported and stored at temperatures that would increase its chemical activity. Longshoremen reported the bags were warm to the touch.
Around 08:10, a fire was spotted deep in the hold of the Grandcamp. Experts suggest the fire was consistent with conditions for spontaneous combustion, although suspicions of sabotage were also examined by federal investigators. It may even have been caused by a discarded cigarette. There were reports of crackling gunfire inside the ship, consistent with the sound of the ammunition cargo exploding.
Shortly before 09:00, the Captain ordered his men to steam the hold, a traditional firefighting method that involved piping in steam from the engine room in an attempt to preserve the cargo. The excess heat from the steam caused the ammonium nitrate to break down into water vapor and nitrous oxide, a reaction that produces even more heat. This quickly led to thermal runaway.
* Texas City Disaster Explosion
This 56 page newspaper has a three line banner headline on the front page: "BLASTS AND FIRES WRECK TEXAS CITY OF 15,000; 300 TO 1,200 DEAD; THOUSANDS HURT, HOMELESS; WIDE COAST AREA ROCKED, DAMAGE IN MILLIONS" with many subheads that include: "Ship Starts Havoc" "Blasts Continuing" and more. Also a four column related photo also on the front page. More on page 18. Other news of the day throughout. Rag edition in great condition.
Historical Background: The 32.5% ammonium nitrate, used as fertilizer but also in high explosives, was manufactured in Nebraska and Iowa (not at the nearby Monsanto or Union Carbide plants) and shipped to Texas City by rail before being loaded on the Grandcamp, adjacent to a cargo of ammunition.
It was manufactured in a patented explosives process, mixed with clay, petrolatum, rosin and paraffin to avoid moisture caking. It was also packaged in paper sacks, then transported and stored at temperatures that would increase its chemical activity. Longshoremen reported the bags were warm to the touch.
Around 08:10, a fire was spotted deep in the hold of the Grandcamp. Experts suggest the fire was consistent with conditions for spontaneous combustion, although suspicions of sabotage were also examined by federal investigators. It may even have been caused by a discarded cigarette. There were reports of crackling gunfire inside the ship, consistent with the sound of the ammunition cargo exploding.
Shortly before 09:00, the Captain ordered his men to steam the hold, a traditional firefighting method that involved piping in steam from the engine room in an attempt to preserve the cargo. The excess heat from the steam caused the ammonium nitrate to break down into water vapor and nitrous oxide, a reaction that produces even more heat. This quickly led to thermal runaway.
At 09:12, the ammonium nitrate reached an explosive threshold of 850 F (454 C). The vessel then detonated, causing great destruction and damage to the port and killing hundreds of people. Sightseeing airplanes flying nearby had their wings sheared off[citation needed]. The blast caused people in Galveston, Texas, 10 miles (16 km) away, to drop to their knees. Windows were shattered in Houston, Texas, 40 miles (60 km) away. People felt the shock 250 miles (400 km) away in Louisiana. The explosion blew almost 14,000,000 pounds (6,350 tonnes) of the ship's steel into the air at supersonic speed.
The High Flyer was severely damaged and ablaze; its crew attended to the fire until abandoning ship an hour later. Although other boats were in the area, tugboats weren't dispatched from Galveston until twelve hours after the initial explosion. The crews spent hours attempting to cut the High Flyer free from its anchor and other obstacles, but without success. After smoke had been pouring out of its hold for over five hours, and about fifteen hours after the explosions aboard the Grandcamp, the High Flyer also exploded, demolishing the nearby SS Wilson B. Keene, killing at least two more people and increasing the damage to the port and other ships with more shrapnel and fire.
Category: The 20th Century
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