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== The Disaster == == The Disaster ==


At half past 2 in the afternoon on Friday October 20, 1944, above ground storage tank number 4, holding ] in the East Ohio Gas Company’s tank farm began to emit a vapor that poured from a seem on the side of the tank. The tank was located on 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 sewer lines via the catch basins located in the street gutters. At half past 2 in the afternoon on Friday October 20, 1944, above ground storage tank number 4, holding ] in the East Ohio Gas Company’s tank farm began to emit a vapor that poured from a seem on the side of the tank. The tank was located on 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 sewer lines via the ]s located in the street gutters.


As the gas mixture flowed and mixed with air and sewer gas, the mix 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. As the gas mixture flowed and mixed with air and sewer gas, the mix 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.

Revision as of 15:04, 3 January 2005

Cleveland East Ohio Gas Explosion occurred on the afternoon of Friday, October 20th 1944. The resulting gas leak, explosion and fires killed 130 people and destroyed a one square mile area on Cleveland, Ohio’s east side.


The Disaster

At half past 2 in the afternoon on Friday October 20, 1944, above ground storage tank number 4, holding liquified natural gas in the East Ohio Gas Company’s tank farm began to emit a vapor that poured from a seem on the side of the tank. The tank was located on 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 mix 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 Fire Department. At 3:00PM, 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 enrobed in flame as the explosion traveled through the sewers and up through drains. According to the AP wire stories issued the day following from Cleveland contained quotes from survivors, many of whom were at home cleaning in preparation for the coming Sabbath. Those who survived the explosions and fires said that within a split second their homes and their 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 that 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 over 600 people were left homeless, seventy homes, two factories and numerous cars and miles of underground infra structure destroyed.

Epilogue

Following the explosions and fires, East Ohio Gas worked to assure the public that the destroyed plant only held 24 hours worth of enough 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 were estimated at between $7,000,000 and $15,000,000.

The explosion also had a long range impact on the natural gas industry. Until the disaster, above ground storage of natural gas used as fuel for homes, office buildings and factories was a common sight in cities across America. 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.

References

AP News Wire Releases, October 21, 1944 and October 23, 1944.

Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, Indiana University Press.

External Links

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