The Texas City Disaster, 1947

By Hugh W. Stephens

Book Overview

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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 029277723X
• ISBN13: 9780292777231
• Release Date: April 1997
• Publisher: University of Texas Press
• Length: 159 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

pipi

A bit of American history that I had never known about. A very detailed book about a bad day in Texas.

Texas History Reference

This book is a good source of information about the Texas City Disaster. I felt that the author was very factual about the events. However, I also felt that he seemed to concentrate on all the mistakes. Although it is necessary to point out the mistakes so that they may not be repeated, I felt that the book could also emphasize some of the positive results of the disaster. This is a very good book for reference. It is not weighted down with a lot sensationalism.

Little Known Event

I never read about this event in any of my history books. This story of events grips the reader or at least me and had me questioning how things could go so bad. It does not really touch you on an emotional level but more on an intellectual one. The information is all there and is told in matter-of-fact prose. It does not really editorialize and that is what I liked about it.

A look in the mirror

Growing up on the upper Texas coast, this story was a staple of our childhood. We all knew the reason for the anchor at the entrance to the Texas City Dyke and the destruction that was caused as a result of the explosion of the Grandcamp and later the High Flyer. I worked at the Monsanto plant for a time after it was sold to Sterling Chemical, and the anniversary of that day is something everyone there takes very seriously.This book explores the reasons why this tragedy happened and the response of authorities under tremendous pressure. If you are unfamiliar with the tragedy, Hugh Stevens does a great job of walking you through the events leading up to the initial explosion of the Grandcamp and the subsequent explosion of the High Flyer. This book should be required reading for everyone who lives/works in an industrial area, local authorities and government officials. While reading this, though, I realized that this type of tragedy is not relegated to the past. Something like this can happen again, even with the safety precautions. No industrial town is immune to this type of tragedy...

If only..

If only the ship's Captain hadnt been so worried about the cargo; if only homes were not built so close to the chemical plants.. so many if only.. I found this book very interesting, and well written. I felt like I was there as an onlooker.