HEAVY TOLL OF DISASTERS

Chronicle (Levin), 18 April 1947, Page 5

HEAVY TOLL OF DISASTERS

Rate in u.s. above average Received Tlmrsdav, S..T1 p.m. NEW YORK, April 16. This vear's dpath foll from catastrophes .in United 8tales is running at a rate far above tlie average for the last ten years. Without including the heavy loss of life in today's Texas City explosion, over .'hl catast rophes causing approximately 500 deaths, have been recorded for 1047. The highest loss of life previouslv re- - corded in any explosion in United Ftates occurred in 1865 when a Mississippi riverboat blew up exacting a death toll of 1405. The most disastrous fire in reeent years was that which razed the Cocoliut Grove night club in Roston on Roston 011 November 2S, 1942, killing 44)3. Today's explosion was- the second worst in the list of tragedies which have struck Texas and it is the second disaster to strike Ihe state in a week, Ihe first being the tornado which struck the Texas Panhandle killing 56 and Causing ntillions of dollars worth of property damage. The worst disaster in Texas history was the Galveston hnrricane in September 1900 which killed from 5000 to 8000 and inflieted 30,000;000 cTollars worth of property damage. Texas City is a heavily industrialised and a major Texas shipping centre. Petroleum products form the major

share of its industry. The chaos at Texas City resembied in some respects that caused at Ilalifax 011 December 6, 1917, when a niunitions ship and re lief ship collided destroving 2.\ squartuiiles of city, killing 1500, injuring 4000 and rendering honieless 20,000. Ainmoniuni nitrate which was re sponsibie for the Texas City holocausl caused one of the world 's great disas ters m 1921 when an explosion at Bad isclie anilin plant destroyed the German city of Opau, killing belween 1000 and 1 500. Ammonium nitrate, which is a white powder, was made duriug the war by the United Etates, government plants producing synthetic nitrogen for use in explosives. Part of the Government equipment was modilied after the war to produce ammonium nitrate as fertil iser. As such it has been used exten sively by Ainerican farmers and becausc of tlie world food shortage, consider able quantities have been shipped a'oroad. When intended for fertiliser an inert chemical is added to tlie -white powder so that it no longer is an ex plosive when farmers use it. The cir cum.staiues uuder which tlie Grand Camp's animonium nitrate exploded/ are so far unknown but it is suggested that a niitior explosion during the fire, tqgether vvith the intensc heat, set it off. Chemists said that if any part of the fertiliser exploded the entire ship load would detonate simultaneously. The Grand Camp was of 717(3 torts built at Wilmington, California, where she was launched late in 1942. The Neyv Yorlc Daily News says tiro fire which set off the ciiain of explos io'ns started 111 tobacco and bind'ertwine- ; the Grand Camp had taken on at Tam pico, Mexieo, a week ago. The fire raced through the hold and qnickly spread to 34)00 tons of ammonium nitrate that had just been loaded for slixpment to Franee. The total value of the Grand Camp's cargo is estimated at 3,000,000 dollars.