It was considered one of the worst disasters in history. The 1947 Texas City disaster was an industrial accident that occurred on April 16, 1947, in the port of Texas City, Texas, United States, located in Galveston Bay. It was the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. history and one of history’s largest non-nuclear explosions.
The explosion was triggered by a mid-morning fire on board the French-registered vessel SS Grandcamp (docked at port), which detonated her cargo of about 2,300 tons (about 2,100 metric tons) of ammonium nitrate. This started a chain reaction of fires and explosions aboard other ships and in nearby oil-storage facilities, ultimately killing at least 581 people, including all but one member of Texas City’s volunteer fire department.
The following explosions and the chaos that ensued, he said, jumped from the ship to the Monsanto chemical plant “which simply doesn’t exist anymore” to the Stone Oil company and possibly to others. One piece of steel said to be from the Republic Oil company was picked up two miles away. “The concussion was simply terrible. It blew out windows in every home In town. It blew in ceilings in business buildings.
It cracked new buildings from end to end. Doors were ‘blown from their hinges.” He said the chaos and devastation was terrible. Fires were still raging hours after the explosion, and no water was available to fight them. Albert Nichola, Harris county sheriff’s county dispatcher, said Texas City officials have radioed Fort Crockett, Galveston, that poison gas was infiltrating the city. Other Texas City industries–bagging, petroleum, sulphur, shipping, tin and others were reported burning and fire equipment from’ Galveston, Houston and other cities, augmented by highway patrolmen, police, sheriffs deputies, were helping maintain order citizens walked about, dazed and stunned by the disaster.
Stone buildings in the center of town were leveled, the Galveston Tribune said. Residents were being evacuated to avoid danger from further explosions. Highway and causeways were blocked by Texas City residents who worked in Galveston; flooding home to help. Police Chief W. F. Laddish of Texas City told Houston officers by telephone people were walking the streets in a daze and that the Texas City hall, a mile from the explosion, “was demolished.” He asked for all possible doctors and nurses, even “just ordinary citizens. just so they have hands to help in rescuing the injured.” The extent of the explosion and resulting chaos was indicated by a report from Palestine, Texas, 160 miles to the north. Mrs. J. C. Colwick, who lives on a hill near Palestine, said she heard the explosion and that the house shuddered twice as if there had been an earthquake. Orange, 100 miles away, was rocked, as was Port Arthur where the blast was audible. Nearby Galveston, 10 miles across the bay, was damaged. Glass windows. including many store windows, were shattered.
The disaster received national media attention, with offers of assistance coming from around the country. Several funds were established to handle donations, particularly the Texas City Relief Fund, created by the city’s mayor Curtis Trahan. One of the largest fundraising efforts for the city and the victims of the disaster was organized by Sam Maceo, one of the two brothers who ran organized crime in Galveston at the time. Maceo organized a large-scale benefit on the island, featuring entertainers including Phil Harris, Frank Sinatra, and Ann Sheridan. In the end, the Texas City Relief Fund raised more than $1 million ($14.5 million in today’s terms). Payouts for fire insurance claims reached nearly $4 million ($54 million in today’s terms).
This broadcast features on-the-spot recordings made by two University of Texas students who were there at the time and give vivid descriptions of the disaster and chaos as it unfolded.
