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| {{Short description|1944 industrial accident}} | |||
| == Cleveland East Ohio Gas Company Fire<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hrastar|first1=John|title=Liquid Natural Gas in the United States: A History|date=2014|publisher=McFarland and Company, Inc., Publishers|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-0-7864-7859-0|edition=First}}</ref> == | |||
| {{more footnotes|date=August 2015}} | |||
| {{Infobox News event | |||
| | image_name = | |||
| | caption = | |||
| | date = {{start date and age|1944|10|20}} | |||
| | time = | |||
| | place = ], Ohio, U.S. | |||
| | coordinates = | |||
| | reported death(s) = 131 | |||
| | reported injuries = | |||
| }} | |||
| ] | |||
| The '''Cleveland East Ohio Gas explosion''' occurred on the afternoon of Friday, October 20, 1944. The resulting ], ] and ] killed 131 people and destroyed a one-square-mile area on the east side of ].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Segall|first=Grant|last2=Dealer|first2=The Plain|date=2011-10-18|title='I knew everything was gone' – the East Ohio Gas explosion (republished)|url=https://www.cleveland.com/pdextra/2011/10/i_knew_everything_was_gone_--.html|access-date=2022-01-02|website=cleveland|language=en}}</ref> | |||
| ==History== | |||
| The Cleveland East Ohio Gas Company fire of October 20, 1944 started when a tank of liquid natural gas (LNG) at the Company’s Liquefaction, Storage, and Regasification (L, S, and R) plant ruptured spilling thousands of gallons of LNG over the plant and nearby residential neighborhood. The result was a major fire which killed 130 people and destroyed over one-half square mile of the city’s east side between East 55th Street and East 61st Street, several blocks south of Lake Erie. Some damage extended beyond the destroyed area. | |||
| The ] Company built a full-scale commercial ] (LNG) plant in Cleveland, Ohio in 1940, just after a successful pilot plant was built by its sister company, Hope Natural Gas Company of West Virginia. This was the first such plant in the world. Originally it had three spheres, approximately {{convert|63|ft|m|0}} in diameter containing LNG at {{cvt|−260|F|C}}. Each sphere held the equivalent of about {{convert|50|e6gal|m3}}<ref name=":0" /> of natural gas. A fourth tank, a cylinder, was added in 1942. It had an equivalent capacity of {{convert|100|e6gal|m3}} of gas. The plant operated successfully for three years. The stored liquid was regasified and put into the mains when cold snaps hit and extra capacity was needed; formerly, some customers' gas service was curtailed during a cold snap.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Harding|first=Richard|date=1944-10-21|title=The Byproduct Fuel Gas Reserves Beating Emergency Helping Neighbors|page=3|work=Cleveland Plain Dealer|url=https://infoweb-newsbank-com.ezproxy2.cpl.org/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&t=mody%3A1021%21October%2B21&sort=YMD_date%3AA&fld-nav-0=YMD_date&val-nav-0=1944%20-%201944&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=1944%20east%20ohio%20gas&docref=image%2Fv2%3A122AFBBA107AC9E4%40EANX-NB-126D9B563B48EF18%402431385-1268B07E815EABF1%402&origin=image%2Fv2%3A122AFBBA107AC9E4%40EANX-NB-126D9B563B48EF18%402431385-1268B07E81D5195B%403-1268B07E81D5195B%40|access-date=2022-01-02}}</ref> | |||
| == |
==The disaster== | ||
| At 2:30 p.m. on the afternoon of Friday, October 20, 1944, the cylindrical above-ground ] number 4, holding ] in the ] Company's tank farm, began to emit a ] that poured from a seam<ref>{{Cite news|date=1944-10-21|title=Many Dead, Scores Missing in Gas Blast|page=2|work=Cleveland Plain Dealer|url=https://infoweb-newsbank-com.ezproxy2.cpl.org/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&t=&sort=YMD_date%3AA&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=%22east%20ohio%20gas%22&fld-nav-0=YMD_date&val-nav-0=oct%2021%201944%20-%20oct%2023%201944&docref=image%2Fv2%3A122AFBBA107AC9E4%40EANX-NB-126D9B563B48EF18%402431385-1268B07E80ED857D%401&origin=image%2Fv2%3A122AFBBA107AC9E4%40EANX-NB-126D9B563B48EF18%402431385-1268B07E815EABF1%402-1268B07E815EABF1%40|access-date=2022-01-02}}</ref> on the side of the tank. Experts criticized the cylinder's untested shape and materials.<ref name=":0" /> The tank was located near ] on East 61st Street, and winds from the lake pushed the vapor into a mixed-use section of Cleveland, where it dropped into the ] lines via the ]s located in the ]s.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1944-10-22|title=Cause of Liquid Gas Tank Blasts and Fires Is Mystery|page=33|work=Cleveland Plain Dealer|url=https://infoweb-newsbank-com.ezproxy2.cpl.org/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&t=&sort=YMD_date%3AA&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=%22east%20ohio%20gas%22&fld-nav-0=YMD_date&val-nav-0=oct%2021%201944%20-%20oct%2023%201944&docref=image/v2%3A122AFBBA107AC9E4%40EANX-NB-126D9B5BB5F1D0DD%402431386-1268B07E99B17B28%4032-1268B07E99B17B28%40|access-date=2022-01-02}}</ref><!-- root cause needs to be explicated, if possible. A small leak from a tank seam would not have been sufficient to fill the city sewers with LNG, and thus NG vapors, and cause the massive explosion. Something else involved led to a catastrophic failure of the tank(s) leading to the massive amount of LNG flowing into the storm sewers. I'll look for better sources in the coming months. --> | |||
| As the gas mixture flowed and mixed with air and sewer gas, the mixture ignited. In the ensuing explosion, ] covers launched skyward as jets of fire erupted from depths of the sewer lines. One ] was found several miles east in the Cleveland neighborhood of ]. | |||
| The L, S, and R plant was built in 1940 to provide nearby storage for natural gas. During cold snaps, gas received via pipeline was insufficient to allow all users to be supplied; some users (industrial) had to be cut-off during these cold snaps. It is impractical to store natural gas as a gas because of the large volumes required. However, if it is liquefied it can be stored in a volume 600 times smaller. The L, S, and R plant was built to do this. However, the LNG must be kept at a temperature of -260°F. Thus the tanks were built like Thermos bottles with an internal tank holding the cold LNG separated from the surrounding external structural tank by three feet of insulation. Each tank was about 63 feet in diameter. The 1940 plant was built with three spherical tanks holding the equivalent of 50 million cubic feet of gas each; about 600,000 gallons of liquid each. The plant worked well. Gas was collected in off-peak hours, liquefied, and stored to be regasified for peak loads. In 1942 a fourth tank, a cylinder, was built with a capacity of 100 million cubic feet of gas. The plant was built adjacent to a residential area in the heart of the city. All the energy was necessary to supply the war industry in Cleveland. This was the first liquid natural gas plant in the world; the start of an industry. | |||
| At first it was thought that the disaster was contained, and spectators returned home thinking that the matter was being taken care of by the ]. At 3:00 p.m., a second above-ground tank exploded, leveling the tank farm. | |||
| == The Disaster == | |||
| However, the explosions and fires continued to occur, trapping many who had returned to what they thought was the safety of their own homes. Housewives who were at home suddenly found their homes engulfed in flame as the explosion traveled through the sewers and up through drains. The following day, ] wire stories contained quotes from survivors, many of whom were at home cleaning in preparation for the coming ]. Survivors said that within a split second after the explosion, their homes and clothes were on fire. | |||
| At about 2:30 p.m. on that Friday the inner tank of the cylinder (tank 4) ruptured causing the liquid gas to fill the outer tank which in turn ruptured spilling LNG throughout the plant and neighborhood. The white vapor observed by many was the interaction of the cold gas with water vapor in the air. Some of the gas boiled off immediately and caught fire, reaching temperatures between 2000°F and 3000°F. The liquid natural gas flowed down the streets into the sewer system and into houses, causing many of them to explode and others to disintegrate in the fire. The liquid flowed in the sewers well past the immediate area of destruction causing manhole covers to explode miles away. On one nearby street an explosion collapsed a street under a pumping fire truck. The truck continued to pump water onto the fires from its position in the crater. Thirty four pumpers and a coast Guard fire boat pumped over seven million gallons of water onto the fire. The liquid moved many pieces of the failed tank hundreds of yards away from the origin. | |||
| ] ] Dr. Samuel Gerber estimated that the initial death toll stood at 200; however, Gerber was quoted in newspaper wire stories stating the magnitude of the fire and the intense temperatures had the power to vaporize human flesh and bone, making an exact count impossible until weeks after the disaster. The final death toll was lower than the coroner's initial estimates.<ref></ref> | |||
| There were numerous small explosions but no major ones. By various reports, anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour after the initial rupture, spherical tank 3 failed because of its proximity to tank 4. Surprisingly, tanks 1 and 2 survived the catastrophe. The causality count bounced around for days until the coroner determined there were 130 fatalities. Twenty one of these remained unidentified and were buried in a common grave in a nearby cemetery. Because of the intensity of the flames the remains were sometimes just small scraps of bone which could not be identified. Almost 100 homes were destroyed as were hundreds of automobiles. Tires exploded and birds were fried in flight. Most of the causalities were working at the East Ohio plant. Many of the neighborhood resident casualties were women at home preparing for the weekend. The children were not yet home from school. Had the incident happened in the evening the residential casualties would have been higher, but the East Ohio employee casualties would have been lower. | |||
| The toll could have been significantly higher had the event occurred after local schools had let out and working parents returned to their homes for the evening. In all 225 persons were injured; over 700 people were left homeless, and seventy-nine homes, two factories, numerous cars, and miles of underground infrastructure were destroyed. | |||
| Another side effect, besides the loss of life, was the loss of money of some survivors. This was an immigrant community, mostly Slovenes, who were trying to save their money. Only about a dozen years before many had lost their savings when many banks failed. Many were now saving their money at home. This money turned to ash during the intense fire. | |||
| Following the explosions and fires, East Ohio Gas worked to assure the public that the destroyed plant held only 24 hours' worth of gas for the city. Many families living in the area not only lost their homes, but stocks, bonds, and cash, which many kept at home. Estimates for destroyed personal and industrial property ranged between $7 million and $15 million. | |||
| After the fire East Ohio quickly regasified the LNG in the two remaining tanks, putting it into the gas mains. They dismantled the plant; their experiment with LNG was over. The residential area was rebuilt with the help of local businessmen and remains a neat neighborhood today. | |||
| The explosion also had a long-range impact on the ] industry. Until the disaster, above-ground low-pressure storage of natural gas, used as fuel for homes, office buildings, and factories, was a common sight in cities across the US. Following the disaster, utility companies and communities began to rethink their natural gas storage systems, and below-ground storage of natural gas grew in popularity. | |||
| == Investigation == | |||
| ⚫ | The disaster plays a major role in ]'s 1965 novel ''The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread'' and also in ]'s novel '']'' published in 2011. | ||
| Two investigating teams, one set up by the Mayor and one by the U.S. Bureau of Mines, took several months to determine a cause for the accident. Their main conclusions were that the material used for the inner tanks, which were at -260°F, was probably not appropriate, and the design of tank 4 was also inappropriate. Steel is very brittle at low temperatures, fracturing with a light impact. It can be made less brittle by the addition of nickel. The builders knew this, although they did not do extensive research on the material. They used steel with 3½ percent nickel, one that was available. Later, in the mid-1940s, extensive peer-reviewed research did show that this material was marginal for that low temperature use. The material in the three spheres, however, was good enough; it did not fail. The 3½ percent nickel-steel used in tank 4, however, was a bad batch of a marginal material; it was not strong enough in impact strength–the property needed for strength at low temperatures. The tank 4 material failed causing the rupture. | |||
| The East Ohio Gas explosion was calculated to equal a 2.43 kiloton TNT explosion or one-sixth of the ].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Day Cleveland Exploded: The Unthinkable Disaster of the East Ohio Gas Co. Explosion of 1944|url=https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/the-day-cleveland-exploded-70-years-later-the-unthinkable-disaster-of-the-east-ohio-gas-co-explosion/Content?oid=4391878|access-date=2022-01-03|website=Cleveland Scene|language=en-us}}</ref> | |||
| The unusual tank design contributed to the failure. Because insulation was needed all around the cylinder, the bottom was raised off the ground on wooden posts to allow for insulation underneath. This design made it susceptible to shock loads. Although not conclusive, it is possible that a series of minor shocks on the tank over time caused the brittle inner tank of tank 4 to experience a brittle fatigue fracture which led to the rupture. | |||
| ⚫ | ==References== | ||
| Also, strikingly obvious after the accident, was that the plant should never have been placed in a city near a residential area. One tank was only 100 feet from a home. The plant contained the equivalent of 250 million cubic feet of natural gas; about 250 billion BTU. | |||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| *AP News Wire Releases, October 21, 1944, and October 23, 1944.{{nonspecific|date=August 2016}} | |||
| *, ''Encyclopedia of Cleveland History'', Indiana University Press. | |||
| *{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325184429/http://www3.gendisasters.com/ohio/1972/cleveland-oh-gas-company-plant-explosion-oct-1944 |date=2015-03-25}}, GenDisasters.com. | |||
| {{coord|41.52703|-81.648847|display=title|region:US-OH_type:event|format=dms}} | |||
| == Recovery == | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Cleveland East Ohio Gas Explosion}} | |||
| The fire stopped progress in liquid natural gas for several years. It revived in the mid-1950s when one person wanted to liquefy natural gas on the Gulf coast and barge it up to Chicago. Although this did not work out the idea of shipping LNG to places that had no gas was attractive to British interests. An old U.S. Liberty ship was converted to carry LNG, and in 1959 successfully delivered a load of LNG to an island near London. Natural gas was discovered in Algeria, and soon there was a booming business in shipping LNG over the world. In the U.S. interest was revived and throughout the 1960s and 1970s over 40 new plants were constructed for domestic use. Most of these were much larger than the original Cleveland plant. The U.S. LNG industry now operates by liquefying, storing, and then regasifying natural gas to supply both peak-loads and in some places, base-loads. Anticipating the need for more energy, import terminals were also constructed on the East Coast. | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| Research on materials over the years subsequent to the accident determined that a safe material for these types of cryogenic tanks is nine percent nickel-steel. This is now the standard used for these tanks. New insulation materials, including perlite, have made it possible to use more optimally designed storage tanks unlike the poor design used for tank 4 in Cleveland. New codes for storing LNG have also since been written and regulate the construction of these facilities. | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| The U.S. is presently in a natural gas boom, primarily because of new ways of extracting natural gas, including hydraulic fracturing or “fracking.” If this continues the U.S. Energy Information Administration predicts that the U.S. will become a natural gas exporter, via LNG, in a few years. | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | The disaster plays a major role in Don Robertson's 1965 |
||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | == |
||
| ] | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
Latest revision as of 21:26, 29 December 2024
1944 industrial accident | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (August 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Date | October 20, 1944; 80 years ago (1944-10-20) |
|---|---|
| Location | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Deaths | 131 |
The Cleveland East Ohio Gas explosion occurred on the afternoon of Friday, October 20, 1944. The resulting gas leak, explosion and fires killed 131 people and destroyed a one-square-mile area on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio.
History
The East Ohio Gas Company built a full-scale commercial liquid natural gas (LNG) plant in Cleveland, Ohio in 1940, just after a successful pilot plant was built by its sister company, Hope Natural Gas Company of West Virginia. This was the first such plant in the world. Originally it had three spheres, approximately 63 feet (19 m) in diameter containing LNG at −260 °F (−162 °C). Each sphere held the equivalent of about 50 million US gallons (190,000 m) of natural gas. A fourth tank, a cylinder, was added in 1942. It had an equivalent capacity of 100 million US gallons (380,000 m) of gas. The plant operated successfully for three years. The stored liquid was regasified and put into the mains when cold snaps hit and extra capacity was needed; formerly, some customers' gas service was curtailed during a cold snap.
The disaster
At 2:30 p.m. on the afternoon of Friday, October 20, 1944, the cylindrical above-ground storage tank number 4, holding liquefied natural gas in the East Ohio Gas Company's tank farm, began to emit a vapor that poured from a seam on the side of the tank. Experts criticized the cylinder's untested shape and materials. The tank was located near Lake Erie on East 61st Street, and winds from the lake pushed the vapor into a mixed-use section of Cleveland, where it dropped into the sewer lines via the catch basins located in the street gutters.
As the gas mixture flowed and mixed with air and sewer gas, the mixture ignited. In the ensuing explosion, manhole covers launched skyward as jets of fire erupted from depths of the sewer lines. One manhole cover was found several miles east in the Cleveland neighborhood of Glenville.
At first it was thought that the disaster was contained, and spectators returned home thinking that the matter was being taken care of by the fire department. At 3:00 p.m., a second above-ground tank exploded, leveling the tank farm.
However, the explosions and fires continued to occur, trapping many who had returned to what they thought was the safety of their own homes. Housewives who were at home suddenly found their homes engulfed in flame as the explosion traveled through the sewers and up through drains. The following day, Associated Press wire stories contained quotes from survivors, many of whom were at home cleaning in preparation for the coming Sabbath. Survivors said that within a split second after the explosion, their homes and clothes were on fire.
Cuyahoga County Coroner Dr. Samuel Gerber estimated that the initial death toll stood at 200; however, Gerber was quoted in newspaper wire stories stating the magnitude of the fire and the intense temperatures had the power to vaporize human flesh and bone, making an exact count impossible until weeks after the disaster. The final death toll was lower than the coroner's initial estimates.
The toll could have been significantly higher had the event occurred after local schools had let out and working parents returned to their homes for the evening. In all 225 persons were injured; over 700 people were left homeless, and seventy-nine homes, two factories, numerous cars, and miles of underground infrastructure were destroyed.
Following the explosions and fires, East Ohio Gas worked to assure the public that the destroyed plant held only 24 hours' worth of gas for the city. Many families living in the area not only lost their homes, but stocks, bonds, and cash, which many kept at home. Estimates for destroyed personal and industrial property ranged between $7 million and $15 million.
The explosion also had a long-range impact on the natural gas industry. Until the disaster, above-ground low-pressure storage of natural gas, used as fuel for homes, office buildings, and factories, was a common sight in cities across the US. Following the disaster, utility companies and communities began to rethink their natural gas storage systems, and below-ground storage of natural gas grew in popularity.
The disaster plays a major role in Don Robertson's 1965 novel The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread and also in Sebastian Barry's novel On Canaan's Side published in 2011.
The East Ohio Gas explosion was calculated to equal a 2.43 kiloton TNT explosion or one-sixth of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.
References
- ^ Segall, Grant; Dealer, The Plain (2011-10-18). "'I knew everything was gone' – the East Ohio Gas explosion (republished)". cleveland. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- Harding, Richard (1944-10-21). "The Byproduct Fuel Gas Reserves Beating Emergency Helping Neighbors". Cleveland Plain Dealer. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- "Many Dead, Scores Missing in Gas Blast". Cleveland Plain Dealer. 1944-10-21. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- "Cause of Liquid Gas Tank Blasts and Fires Is Mystery". Cleveland Plain Dealer. 1944-10-22. p. 33. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
- Find a grave East Ohio Gas explosion Virtual Memorial list 109 victims by name
- "The Day Cleveland Exploded: The Unthinkable Disaster of the East Ohio Gas Co. Explosion of 1944". Cleveland Scene. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
- AP News Wire Releases, October 21, 1944, and October 23, 1944.
- East Ohio Gas Co. Explosion and Fire, Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, Indiana University Press.
- Cleveland, OH Gas Company Plant Explosion, Oct 1944Archived 2015-03-25 at the Wayback Machine, GenDisasters.com.
41°31′37″N 81°38′56″W / 41.52703°N 81.648847°W / 41.52703; -81.648847
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