Nearly three hundred die in New London school explosion tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/yqn01 March 18 1937 On this day in 1937, a massive explosion caused the steel-framed school building in New London, in Rusk County, to collapse, killing a reported 298 people. It was the worst school disaster in United States history. Of the 500 students in the building, only about 130 escaped serious injury. The explosion, which was heard four miles away, occurred when a manual-arts teacher turned on a sanding machine and inadvertently ignited a mixture of gas and air. Three days after the explosion, inquiries were held to determine the cause of the disaster. Investigators learned that in January 1937, to save gas expenses of $300 a month, the school board and superintendent had authorized plumbers to tap a residue gas line of H. L. Hunts Parade Gasoline Company. Apparently gas had escaped from a faulty connection and accumulated beneath the building. No school officials were found liable. More than seventy lawsuits were filed for damages, but district judge Robert T. Brown dismissed the few cases that came to trial for lack of evidence. The thirty surviving seniors at New London finished their year in temporary buildings while a new school was built on nearly the same site. New London was one of the richest school districts in the nation since a hot oil strike in 1930 gave the town money to invest in their schools. The school was built at a cost of $1 million in 1930 dollars or nearly $13 million today. It had the first football stadium with lights. The school was first designed to be steam heated, however it was later decided to install 72 separate gas heaters and have them use the natural gas that Parage Gasoline Company was going to discard. The piping had a leak but natural gas is odorless. Even though some students were complaining of headaches, no one was suspicious of the leak. Thursday, March 18 found the students preparing for an Interscholastic Meet the next day at Henderson. Parents were in the gymnasium – a separate building – at a PTA meeting. The younger children had already gone home for the day. At 3:05 PM, an explosion occurred. It is thought that a sanding machine’s switch threw a spark that ignited trapped natural gas in the crawlspace. It is estimated that 296 to 319 students and teachers died in the explosion either by fire or by the explosion itself. The nation as a whole responded and locals helped clear away the rubble. National news reporters were told that they needed more helping hands than reporters and also helped with the clearing of the fallen building. After this accident, thiols, awful smelling substances, were added to natural gas so that leaks could be found before catastrophe set in. “The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” – Attributed to both Andy McIntyre and Derek Bok “To the uneducated, an A is just three sticks.” – A. A. Milne “He who opens a school door, closes a prison.” – Victor Hugo
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 13:01:01 +0000