WRECKAGE RAINED DOWN FOR SEVERAL MINUTES

Chronicle (Levin), 18 April 1947, Page 5

WRECKAGE RAINED DOWN FOR SEVERAL MINUTES

' Beceived Thursday, 8.10 p.iu. NE\V YORK, April 10. The first close eyewitness account o. the explosion was given by Oeu i.ap hani, second lnate of ihe Aniernu.. freighter i-iigli Flver, wlucn was iviit., two wliarves away from the Gran.i Camp. Be said: "A lire started in No. -1 liold of the French ship about 8.5) a.111. Everybody in our slnp was stan 1 ing around watching the lire Jighters. No. I hold had nitrate fertiliser 111 1. and there were many rumours that Nu 5 hold contained ^ammuiiition. Tiu lire humed about half an hour and tlie-i there was a terrilic blast. 1 was knocked fiat to the deck. Lt was liln night for a niinute or more. The blas. blew our hatches open and killed several of our crew. Wreekage raineu down for several niinutes. ' ' j A hefty wharf labourer, T. \\ Adams, said he was watching the lin aboard the Grand Ciimp, when lie sn>. a little smoke and then the explosio: came. The blast knocked hini 20 fee DEAD LAID OUT IN ROWS i Policemen broadcasting from publi address svstems niounted 011 cars, ar. warning the people of tlie dangers o the chlorine gas which was released when the tanks at ihe Monsanto cheini eal plant blew up. All persnns ar>- , being warned to leave the city as .quicklv as possible. Residents tfus 'afternoon were streaming out in j hundreds. At ihe city outskirts several hundred sat da/.edly at the roadside. IJeeps and trucks rushed National ! Guard troops to guard Texas City an>l prevent looting but martial law has not been declared. Latest reports state that two oil rofineries and 50 oil tanks along the waterfront eaught fire. Firenien to night had given up attempts to fight the fires in the central explosion area The dead in Texas City are laid out in rows on the floors of garages and other oniergency morgues but most reiief workers were too busy trving to reach the injured to liothor abont re moving the dead.