“I did nothing in my studies nor in my life to prepare me for a story of the magnitude of that New London tragedy, nor has any story since that awful day equaled it.” Walter Cronkite
Propane doesn’t smell. It’s odorless in its natural state. But if there is a leak, you smell a nasty odor.
Ever wonder why?
It would have been fortuitous if this had been done as more and more buildings began to use propane and gas for heating. But no one thought of doing it until they realized they had to.
Lessons learned that save lives later, often come at high cost.
The Facts
On March 18, 1937, a gas leak was sparked, causing an explosion that killed approximately 293 students and teachers at the New London School in New London, Texas. It is still the deadliest school disaster in U.S. History.
The six cascade events leading up to seventh, and final:
1. School board overrode the architect’s plan for heating the school.
2. The school was built on a slope with a lot of dead space underneath.
3. School officials canceled the natural gas contract to save $300 a month and tapped directly into an oilfield residue line.
4. The gas company knew the line was tapped into, but ignored it.
5. The line connection to the residue line was faulty.
6. Students had been complaining for days of headaches and burning eyes, but the warning signs were ignored.
7. A teacher turned on an electric sander = Explosion
For more on this, read the short New London Schoolhouse Explosion: Lack of Focus
Filed under: Write It forward Tagged: catastrophe, explosions, propane, school safety
