Texas City Disaster

The Grandcamp freighter held a deadly recipe in the port city of Texas City in 1947. As workers loaded bags of fertilizer made with ammonium nitrate into the ship's hold, particles from broken bags mixed with flammable debris in the freighter's hot underbelly. Heat caused the ammonium nitrate to combust, leading to one of the worst industrial disasters in U.S. history. In narrative detail, The Texas City Disaster recounts how the Grandcamp's explosion sent fireballs skyward to land on homes and stores, engulfing the city in flames. Through this drama, kids will learn how new safety procedures for chemical shipments help prevent such disasters today. A series of primary-source quotes from witnesses reveal the human drama, while a "Profiles" section lists players in Texas City.

On April 16, 1947, a small fire broke out among bags of ammonium nitrate fertilizer in the hold of the ship Grandcamp as it lay docked at Texas City, Texas. Despite immediate attempts to extinguish the fire, it rapidly intensified until the Grandcamp exploded in a blast that caused massive loss of life and property. In the ensuing chaos, no one gave much thought to the ship in the next slip, the High Flyer. It exploded sixteen hours later. The story of the Texas City explosions—America’s worst industrial disaster in terms of casualties—has never been fully told until now. In this book, Hugh W. Stephens draws on official reports, newspaper and magazine articles, personal letters, and interviews with several dozen survivors to provide the first full account of the disaster at Texas City. Stephens describes the two explosions and the heroic efforts of Southeast Texans to rescue survivors and cope with extensive property damage. At the same time, he explores why the disaster occurred, showing how a chain of indifference and negligence made a serious industrial accident almost inevitable, while a lack of emergency planning allowed it to escalate into a major catastrophe. This gripping, cautionary tale holds important lessons for a wide reading public.

On April 16, 1947, the French vessel SS Grandcamp, carrying ammonium nitrate fertilizer, exploded in the port of Texas City, just north of Galveston, Texas. Nearly 600 people died instantly and property damage reached catastrophic proportions. The Texas City disaster remains, to date, the worst industrial accident in U.S. history. Among those killed was William Roach, a Roman Catholic priest known affectionately as Father Bill. Sitting on a Keg of Dynamite, by historian John Neal Phillips, tells the remarkable story of Father Bill’s life and premature death against the backdrop of the rapid growth—and near destruction—of an American industrial city. Through extensive archival research and oral interviews, Phillips pieces together previously unknown details of Father Bill’s story to present a well-rounded portrait of the man who is today revered as a hero. Born in Philadelphia, Roach attended seminary in Arkansas before he went on to serve as parish priest for St. Mary of the Miraculous Medal in Texas City. Restless, energetic, and beloved for his humor, tolerance, and empathy, Father Bill was an outspoken advocate for poor and working-class citizens, fair wages, and workplace safety. One evening, as Phillips vividly recounts, Roach sat on the church steps, looking out at the strange orange-yellow light created by hydrocarbon gas flares emerging from nearby oil refineries. “I feel like I’m sitting on a keg of dynamite,” he told parishioners who were passing by. His premonition proved prophetic. When a fire erupted onboard the Grandcamp, Father Bill hurried to the docks to lend assistance. It was then that the ship detonated. There is still much to be learned from the Texas City disaster—and from the legacy of Father Bill, an early crusader for social justice in America. Descendants of the disaster victims received financial reparations, and yet, as Phillips cautions, safety and environmental regulations barely exist in Texas today, particularly when it comes to the petrochemical industry. Sitting on a Keg of Dynamite serves as a cautionary tale for Texans—and all Americans—as environmental accidents continue to threaten our safety.

A history of the 1947 disaster that rocked a segregated Texas boomtown and revealed disturbing negligence by the private sector and the US government. First published in 2003, City on Fire is a gripping, intimate account of the explosions of two ships loaded with ammonium nitrate fertilizer that demolished Texas City, Texas, in April 1947, in one of the most catastrophic disasters in American history. “Remarkable. . . . A terrific nonfiction work that has the narrative force of an adventure novel.” —Washington Post “[Among] the greatest life-or-death tales ever told.” —Esquire “City on Fire will stand on its own as one of the finest books ever written about Texas.” —Texas Observer “Incendiary reading. . . . A harrowing mosaic about a blaze during a time of racial divisions and environmental plundering…evocatively told. . . . The book vividly details the carnage as well as some acts of heroism and selflessness.” —Publishers Weekly “Riveting . . . Reminiscent of New York City’s rise from the askes after September 11, the chronicle of Texas City’s devastation and resurrection will strike a chord with contemporary readers.” —Booklist “History at its best, at once thrilling and illuminating. The story of ambition, hubris, tragedy, and bravery . . . is as timeless today in all of America as it was back in Texas more than half a century ago.” —David Maraniss, author of Barack Obama: The Story

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey knocked power out across a wide swath of Texas, including to the Arkema plant in Crosby. Without electricity, chemicals stored there caught fire and numerous first responders tasked with enforcing the evacuation perimeter were exposed to toxic fumes. A similar situation occurred in 2010, when first responders lacked the specialized equipment and necessary expertise to deal effectively with the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This volume provides information about the legal considerations emergency responders and managers face when dealing with disasters, whether man-made or natural. Intended to assist Texas organizations and communities, many of the issues—such as mandatory evacuations and curfews, oil spills and hazardous materials and commandeering private property—will be of interest to agencies around the country. Flowcharts are included that can be reduced to a pocket-sized guide for personnel involved in mitigating the impact of catastrophes. The authors contend that a well-structured legal framework in disaster law increases a city’s resilience and ultimately reduces human suffering and costs. This guide is divided into three parts: Disaster Response Law; Identifying Authority; and Responsibility, Accountability and Liability. It also includes appendices and tables, skillsets and agency duties. It will be indispensable for increasing disaster preparedness in order to protect human life and property.

Considers legislation to provide for settlement of claims for damages resulting from the explosion of fertilizers at Texas City, Tex., on Apr. 16 and 17, 1947.