Texas City Disaster :: Industry Economy History Essays

During the war Texas City became a big industrial center. It had seven petrochemical refineries, two oil pipeline companies and the only tin smelter in the US. The city was growing and expanding. Schools operated in two shifts, just like the chemical plants. The demand for industry was high, but safety standards were still low and inexperienced. the year of 1947 became a crucial event in the memories of the city. On April 16 and 17 a major disaster befallen on the whole population that for many years after could not be forgotten. It all started on a bright and clear morning when the ship in the Texas City Harbor, The Grand camp, full of ammonium nitrate fertilizers, destined for war torn Europe, was on fire. Ammonium nitrate is a highly dangerous and explosive material if it is unsafely used, the same material was used in Oklahoma bombing. Since the fires in the port weren't rare, unfortunately people weren't as alarmed as they should have been. On the contrary those who have noticed the reddish-orange and brown smoke were particularly attracted by the colorful fumes. Kids after school and neighboring pedestrians, rushed to the harbor to watch the fireman use their techniques to put out the fire. Even though that policeman blocked the road with two cars it didn't stop a crowd of more that 400 people assembling. In addition two airplanes with spectators circled in the sky. Previously, shortly after Grand camp docked at the port of Texas City there was smoke detected in No.4 hold where 880 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizers was stocked. Crew members attempted to put out the fire with half filled jug of drinking water and hand-held fire extinguishers. The first call to the fire department was only made half an hour later. The whole situation wasn't taken very seriously in the beginning. One of the officers from the ship that was docked about 200 yards away was even taking pictures of the whole scenario. The fire of Grand camp spread very rapidly and soon it was out of control. Soon 27 out of 50 volunteer fire fighters along with four engines of the Texas City Fire Department arrived at the scene. But there wasn't much they could do, by that time. As soon as the water from the fire hoses hit the hot deck it immediately evaporated. The vice president of the Texas City Terminal Railway phoned a close by chemical plant and asked one of the engineers if it was dangerous to burn ammonium nitrate.