1926 — July 10, lightning/fire/explosions, USN Lake Denmark Arsenal, Dover, NJ –21-22

-50-75 Decatur Sunday Review, IL. “50 to 75 Killed in Arsenal Explosion.” 7-11-1926, p. 1.
— ~30 Benson. The Greatest Explosions in History. 1990, p. 65.
— 30 Mannan, Sam. Lee’s Loss Prevention in the Process Industries (3rd ed., V3). 2005, p1/7
— 30 National Fire Protection Association. Fire Protection Handbook (11th Ed.). 1954.
— 30 The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. “Scene in [NJ] Where Navy Arsenal…” 7-22-1926, 1.
-21-22 Blanchard estimate.*
— 22 Oneonta Daily Star, NY. “Thought Explosion Just Across Road.” 7-16-1926, p. 1.
— 22 Perry Daily Journal, OK. “Start Investigation of Explosion in New Jersey.” 7-15-1926, 1
— 21 Associated Press, July 11, 1926, Dover, NJ.
— 21 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 283.
— 21 Lowell Sun, MA. “Naval Depot Commander Tells Dramatic Story of Heroism.”
— 21 NFPA. “The New Jersey Explosion.” NFPA Quarterly, V. 20, No. 1, July 1926, 111.
— 21 Oneonta Daily Star, NY. “Marines Show Courage and Put Out Fire.” 7-15-1926, p. 1.
— 21 Thomasville Times-Enterprise, GA. “Refugees Permitted to Return to…” 7-14-1926, p. 1
— 21 USACE. The Ordnance Time Almost Forgot…Picatinny Arsenal. Dec 4, 2007.
— 19 Owens. “75th Anniversary of Lake Denmark Explosion, July 10, 1926.” July 6, 2001.
— 17 New Castle News, PA. “Ten of Victims Are Identified at Naval Morgue.” 7-13-1926, p1.
— 16 Ludlum. The American Weather Book. 1982, p. 142.

* There are several sources (Benson, Mannan, NFPA) which note 30 fatalities. None note the source of this figure. While some newspaper articles at the time wrote of 30 or more fatalities, such reporting was not substantiated by detailed reports or from my own compilation of the names of victims or numbers of unidentified. I postulate that the Benson, Mannan and NFPA figures were based upon inaccurate newspaper reports. It is true that some of the newspaper reports noting 21 or 22 fatalities, not all of which are cited, noted up to four missing or unaccounted for servicemen, but we have not been able to find reporting which clears up this ambiguity. We found no reports noting fatality estimates between 22 and 30. It bears mention that while the NFPA noted 30 fatalities in its 1954 Handbook, it noted but 21 in its July 1926 Quarterly article.

Narrative Information

Owens: “…Tuesday, July 10, marks the 75th anniversary of the most famous and most disastrous event in Picatinny history, the Lake Denmark Explosion of 1926…. Building 151, the administration building Picatinny opened in 1930. The accompanying photo [omitted] of its predecessor just after the blast clearly shows why a new building was necessary. This building was 1,500 feet down hill from the main explosions. Buildings 327 and 328, for tetryl nitration and explosive D recrystallization respectively, were in the powder factory area, about 2,200 feet from the blasts. The Plating Shop, now Building 323, was 2,800 feet from ground zero.

“I mention the distances to highlight one positive byproduct of the explosion. Close study of the degrees of damage at different ranges produced the first reliable safe distance tables for explosive storage. The widespread use of these tables is one reason this explosion is famous wherever people work with explosives. Adherence to these tables is one reason a disaster of this level is less likely now than is 1926. Another reason it is less likely is because the employees, remember events such as the 1926 blast, realize a recurrence is not absolutely impossible and take care to see it does not happen again.

“July 10, 1926 was in one sense a very lucky day for Picatinny. It was a Saturday, and the buildings…[involved] and many others on the arsenal and the Navy depot were unoccupied. If it had been a workday, the human toll would have been in the hundreds rather than 19 dead and 38 injured. Next time you are on Navy Hill, take time to read the names on the monument dedicated to the Lake Denmark Explosion casualties. The monument is located opposite Bldg. 3050.” (Owens. “75th Anniversary of Lake Denmark Explosion, July 10, 1926.” July 6, 2001.)

USACE: “Picatinny Arsenal History
• Army Powder Depot – 1880
• Navy Establishes Post – 1891
• Army Constructed Powder Factory – 1907
• Army develops process for manufacturing complete rounds
• Installation experiments with new types propellant and HE [High Explosive]
• Experiments with melt and press loading HE
• Develops Fuze and booster loading
• Develops Pyrotechnics Plant

“Explosives at Picatinny Arsenal at the time of 1926 explosion
• Bulk Black Powder – Stored 25-100 pounds in iron barrels
• Smokeless Powder – Stored 110 pounds in metal lined boxes
• Gun Cotton stored wet (20% water)
• TNT – Stored in crystalline form in wooden boxes
• Amatol
• Explosive D
• Ammonium Nitrate
• Picric Acid
• Mercuric Fulminate
• Nitroglycerin
• Dynamite
• Miscellaneous Experimental Explosives

“Lake Denmark, Saturday, July 10, 1926
• Deemed the ‘Disaster that rocked Morris County
• Historical evidence indicates a lightning bolt struck the Lake Denmark Naval Ammunition Depot
• Three detonations were triggered within 30 minutes of lightning strike
• Resulting fire destroyed over 7 miles of the base and resulted in a series of minor explosions for 3 days
• Local headlines reported the blasts could be felt as far as 30 miles away
• The depot was virtually destroyed.

“10 July 1926
• First explosion occurred at 5:20 PM
o Two detonations in Magazine 8 – 775,000 lbs. TNT loaded in depth charges
o Five Minutes later Magazine 9 detonated – 167,000 lbs. TNT loaded in depth charges
o Twenty Minutes later Shell House 22 detonated – Projectiles and bombs
o Bulk Explosive Storage Facilities did not detonate but burned
• Lighting cause of fire and detonation
• 3.2 million pounds of explosives burned or detonated:
o Small arms, bulk explosives, projectiles, depth bombs & aerial bombs
• Approximately 2.4 million pounds of explosives, projectiles, depth bombs & aerial bombs
• 21 People Killed
• All 500 buildings damaged
• $84 Million dollars in damages (1926 dollars)
• 35ft. craters formed at detonation points
• Kick-outs up to 1 mile around ground zero….

“Lake Denmark Powder Plant
• Two large craters were filled in with debris, ordnance and soil
• Fill sites are secured by fence
• Numerous ordnance items have been found throughout installation
• No investigations have been conducted….

“Tilcon Quarry
• Tilcon Quarry located southeast of Picatinny Arsenal, 800 ft. from 1926 explosion
• Rock quarrying has been conducted since the 1950s
• Ordnance finds have only been reported within the last two years – 9 items
• Interviews with workers indicate that ordnance have been found over the last 20 years
• Thursday, December 15, 2006 detonation occurred in rock crusher
• TCRA [Time-Critical Removal Action] started following Monday….

“Results of TCRA
• 3,380 Anomalies Detected….
• 3,375 Pounds Munitions Debris….
• 21 MEC Items Found [Munitions and Explosives of Concern]
o 10 – 5 Inch Projectiles
o 11 – 6 Inch Projectiles
o MEC found between 1” – 48” bgs….

“Tilcon Safety Brief and FACT Sheet
• One employee had ordnance at home….

(United States Army Corps of Engineers. The Ordnance Time Almost Forgot…Tilcon Quarry, Picatinny Arsenal. Dec 4, 2007.)

Contemporary Newspapers, Chronological:

July 10: “Dover, N.J., July 10 (AP) – From fifty to seventy-five persons are believed to have been killed in a series of terrific explosions today at the navy munitions depot, near here, which destroyed the depot and spread destruction through the surrounding territory. At midnight tonight flames still roared through the depot and repeated smaller explosions made it impossible for rescue workers to enter the danger area to remove the dead and assist the injured. Soldiers and Marines formed a guard around the depot, allowing no one to pass.

“Hundreds of persons living in a radius of a few miles of the depot were injured when the blasts leveled their homes.

“Most of the dead were Marines stationed at the depot. A bolt of lightning late in the afternoon struck an arsenal which exploded. The entire force at the depot — 70 men – was called out to fight the fire which followed, and a second and greater explosion caught them, leaving them dying or injured….

“Fifty persons were taken to the Dover general hospital, fifty were taken to an emergency hospital at the American Legion headquarters, 18 seriously injured were taken to Morristown hospital, Morristown, N.J., and scores of others with minor injuries were treated by physicians here and in nearby towns.

“The entire town of Mount Hope, a few miles from the depot, was reported destroyed and many injured were found there. It was reported that the town of Hibernia also had been leveled….

“Late tonight the fire in the navy deport was reported by Captain O. C. Dowling, U.S.N. Commandant of the depot, to have spread to Picatinny arsenal, an army arsenal about a mile from the depot.

“The first death reported was that of a woman who died in the Dover general hospital. It was believed, however, that the greater number of the dead would be found in the ruins of the depot when workers are able to enter it….

Near 100 Working.

“Washington, July 10 – A checkup of the personnel at the Navy depot revealed that fifty-nine Marines, one captain of Marines, five Naval officers, four men of the Naval hospital unit, and twenty to thirty civilians were on duty there.” (Decatur Sunday Review, IL. “50 to 75 Killed in Arsenal Explosion. Lightning Strikes New Jersey Naval Depot; Marines and Civilians Die – Destruction Over 35 Miles.” 7-11-1926, p. 1.)

July 10: “New York, July 10 – (AP)…. The first death reported was that of Mrs. Frances Feely, of Brooklyn, who was buried under a shower of plaster in the quarters of an officer At Picatinny arsenal, the Army depot near the navy arsenal….

“Thirty homes were reported destroyed in Mount Hope two miles from the deport, and three fires were started in Rockaway.” (Decatur Sunday Review, IL. “Continued Blasts, Dense Smoke, Halts Workers.” 7-11-1926, p. 1.)

July 11: “Dover, N. J., July 11. (AP) — Three known dead, twenty missing and from fifty to one hundred injured was the casualty list compiled tonight from the succession of explosions which demolished Lake Denmark arsenal.

“Towns and hamlets within a radius of 15 miles of what was until yesterday the navy’s principal depot, bore the marks of the continued hail of debris and the shock of the detonating stores of powder, TNT and even more powerful propellants. With the less severely injured under treatment in several private hospitals and private homes in the hilly region in and about Lake Denmark, it was difficult to obtain an accurate check-up of those hurt in the successive blasts set off by a bolt of lightning.

“Tonight, 24 hours and more after the initial explosion, desultory discharges of ammunition supplies shattered the smoldering debris of 20 demolished buildings within the reservation limits.
A change of wind had removed, temporarily, the danger which throughout the night threatened the adjacent army arsenal at Picatinny. Army officers said there had been no fire at the arsenal but there an army laboratory had been burned, and there has been considerable other damage….

“Secretary of War Davis came from New York today to visit the scene of the disaster. He was advised of the danger of inspecting the shell torn area which still flamed and smoldered. Naval men reported that 18 naval magazines were still intact and it was hoped that with the dying down of the fires that they would be saved. Secretary Davis viewed the scene from just outside the reservation gates.

“Tonight two hundred marines were en route from Quantico, Va., to aid in guarding the devastated area which has been surrounded by army and navy pickets to keep away the throngs of the curious….

“The war secretary went over the army reservation adjoining the naval ammunition depot and upon his return said that “there had been no explosion in the army reservation so far” and that he believed the danger from flying shells was about over, so far as concerned their setting off the army arsenal magazines.

“Two buildings the laboratory and a storage building on the army reservation were fired by shells shortly after the first explosion….While nearly all of the other buildings suffered considerable damage there had been no other fires there. The damage was caused chiefly by the concussions of the explosions….

“Explosions occurring at frequent intervals throughout last night and today were throwing shells a distance of about a mile. This barrage made a wartime inferno of an area of four square miles immediately surrounding the depot. Troops who were rushed to the scene last night, stood by throughout the day helpless to curb the ceaseless explosions.

“Scores of civilians in nearby towns were injured, but the hegira of hundreds of families from their homes made impossible as accurate estimate.

“While a close-up survey of the situation could not be made because of the exploding shells, it was announced that the navy depot, the biggest in the country and valued at $87,000,000, had been destroyed. Today’s explosions, it was believed, were caused by the blowing up of ammunition stores at the Picatinny army arsenal, about half a mile from the navy depot….

“A military guard was thrown about the danger zone, within a radius of about a mile of the center of detonation. Soldiers occupied six villages and towns on the edge, and some within, the danger area. Members of the New Jersey State Constabulary also were assisting in guarding the towns….

“Mount Hope, a village of a population of 600, about three-fourths of a mile from the arsenal, resembled a deserted French village during the war. All residents of the community were ordered from their homes last night. Some of the families were taken in by residents of other towns, while some spent the night on the roads in their automobiles, a safe distance from the danger area.

“Buildings in Rockaway, a town of between 2,000 and 3,000 population, about five miles from the navy depot, were damaged by the shock of the explosions. The bursting of the shells could clearly be heard from the town today….

“A flash of lightning started the explosions, and tonight a wind blowing favorably away from the army arsenal gave the chief hope of saving that section of the reservation. All ambulances and cargo trucks at eight forts in the second corps area were being held in readiness for moving to the scene of the explosion if they should be needed. Depth bombs, loaded with TNT were among those which were hurled through the air in a continuous barrage. Other types of ammunition in the naval magazines were 12, 14 and 16 inch shells, powder charges and pyrotechnics.

“Despite the danger, residents of Mount Hope, most of them Slavs and Czechs employed in the mines, made attempts to return to their homes during the day. They explained that they wanted to feed their live stock and pets. One man slipped through the military lines and fed his chickens.
From the village shells could be heard whizzing through the air at the rate of four or five a minute. Some of the shells exploded when they hit the ground, while others apparently were unloaded. Other towns being patrolled by military guards were Marcella, Hibernia, Longwood, Spicertown and Mud Lake.” (Plattsburg Sentinel, NY. “Ammunition Depot is Wiped Out with $80,000,000 Loss.” 13 July 1926.)

July 13: “New York, July 13 – (INS) — Ten of the seventeen bodies removed from the burning arsenal at Lake Denmark, N.J., yesterday following the disastrous $100,000,000 explosions of the week-end have been positively identified, it was announced today at the naval hospital morgue in Brooklyn…” (New Castle News, PA. “Ten of Victims Are Identified at Naval Morgue.” 7-13-1925, p. 1.)

July 14: “Dover, N.J., July 14….Late yesterday the remnants of another body here recovered from the ruins of the depot, bringing the total of known dead to 21.

“In the shattered villages of Mount Hope, Denmark and Hibernia, on the fringe of the twin arsenals, lights twinkled through paneless windows and from improvised shelters marking the former sites of trim cottages for the first time since Saturday evening, when the hail of death scattered the inhabitants throughout the surrounding district in a mad flight from the terror. Almost 1,000 refugees were permitted to return to their homes yesterday, when military authorities deemed the greatest danger passed….

“The bodies of two additional victims were recovered during yesterday’s search. One was that of Mrs. John Wadhams, wife of the civilian chief clerk of the naval depot and the other in a fragmentary condition did not permit of attempts at identification….” (Thomasville Times-Enterprise, GA. “Refugees Permitted to Return to Their Homes in Devastated Region.” 7-14-1926, p. 1.)

July 15: “Dover, N.J., July 15 – (AP) — The naval board to investigate the civil damages in the late Denmark naval arsenal disaster assembled today in a tent at the entrance of Picatinny arsenal
and after a brief organization meeting announced that taking of testimony would begin this afternoon. Reports will be made to the navy department at Washington.

“The number of those known to have lost their lives in the disaster was increased to 22 with the finding of the unidentified body of a man not far from the area in which the bodies of most of the
victims were recovered.

“Fires in various part of the naval arsenal were combated by details of marines but none of the blazes were as dangerous. A few shells…continued to explode.” (Perry Daily Journal, OK. “Start Investigation of Explosion in New Jersey.” 7-15-1926, p. 1.)

July 17: “Dover, N.J., July 17 – ‘Mother, there is no danger. This place has been here for years and years and nothing has ever happened.’ That was the way in which Capt. B. H. Clarke, in charge of marines at the naval arsenal of Lake Denmark, expressed his complete lack of fear for the arsenal’s safety just a few minutes before a bolt of lightning completely demolished the plant last Saturday. Capt. Clarke was killed in the blast.

“Captain Clarke’s statement was made known today at the naval board’s inquiry by Mrs. Laura Clarke of Morrilton. Ark., mother of the deceased officer, when her deposition was read to the court. She was visiting her son at the time of the disaster. They were sitting on the porch of Captain Clarke’s quarters, she said, and she asked her son what would happen if lightning struck close. He replied that there was no danger. Mrs. Clarke’s statement went on to say:

“About that time a flash of lightning apparently near the power house made a noise as if something was struck. Almost at the same time the fire siren sounded and my son went around the house to get his auto.

“He called for Dr. Brown (Lieutenant-Commander Brown who was also killed) as he went and Dr. Brown got into his own machine. The marines from the barracks were on their way with a hose cart. Captain Clarke passed them and warned them to hurry. After they passed, Captain Dowling went by in his car.

“Almost immediately after, there was an explosion, Mrs. Brown called me and said to come along in the doctor’s car. We had been told by Captain Clarke that in case of fire or explosion that we were to go to the depot quickly by way of the gate farthest away from the fire or explosion.

“I went upstairs to get some clothes. There was another explosion and I hurried downstairs again. After I got out of the house, another explosion knocked me to the ground. Private Albert Burg from the marine barracks helped me to the running-board of the waiting machine. Before we got away from the reservation, we got twelve more people into the auto.”

(Charleston Gazette, WV. “Arsenal officer killed in blast felt no apprehension.” 7-18-1926, p.1.)

Summary of Specific Fatalities (21):

Alfson, Arlando N., Farmington, MN.
Barker, Virgil C., Mt. Sterling, KY.
Botts, USMC Lt. George W. Oneonta Daily Star, NY. “Ten Known Dead…” 7-12-1926, p. 1.
Brown, Harry C., pharmacist’s mate (12th)m Poughkeepsie, NY.
Brown, Lt. Commander (and Dr.).
Clarke, Capt. B. H., USMC, Morrilton, Ark.
Eidson, Marion D., trumpeter, USMC, Evansville, IN.
Feely, Mrs. Frances. Decatur Review, IL. “Continued Blasts, Dense Smoke…” 7-11-1926, p.1.
Graham, Ralph V., private, MSMC, Fort Worth, TX.
Mackert, Henry D., Richmond Hill, NY.
Monroe, John W., Richmond, VA.
Powell, Ernest, Hamilton, OH.
Wadhams, Mrs. John. Thomasville Times-Enterprise, GA. “Refugees…” 7-14-1926, p. 1.
Weber, Frank C., Cleveland, OH.
Eight unidentified (12th). Daily Herald, Middletown, NY, “19 Bodies…Found…” 7-13-1926, 1
July 13, unidentified body. Thomasville Times-Enterprise, GA. “Refugees…” 7-14-1926, 1

Sources

Benson, Ragnar. The Greatest Explosions in History: The Fire, Flash and Fury of Natural and Man-Made Disasters. Carol Publishing Group, A Citadel Press Book, 1990.

Charleston Gazette, WV. “Arsenal officer, Killed in Blast Felt No Apprehension.” 7-18-1926, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=40355995&sterm=lake+denmark

Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982.

Daily Herald, Middletown, NY. “19 Bodies Are Found in Ruins of Arsenal…” 7-13-1926, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=38715961&sterm=lake+denmark

Daily Herald, Middletown, NY. “Marines Hunt for 7 Bodies Still Missing.” 7-14-1926, p. 12. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=35195383&sterm=lake+denmark

Decatur Sunday Review, IL. “Continued Blasts, Dense Smoke, Halts Workers.” 7-11-1926, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com

Decatur Sunday Review, IL. “50 to 75 Killed in Arsenal Explosion.” 7-11-1926, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=1381442&sterm=lake+denmark

Hamilton Evening Journal, OH. “Powell’s Funeral Set for Wednesday.” 7-19-1926, p. 12. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=71518385&sterm=lake+denmark

Ludlum, David M. The American Weather Book. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1982.

Mannan, Sam (Ed.). Lee’s Loss Prevention in the Process Industries: Hazard Identification, Assessment and Control (3rd Ed., 3 Vols.). Burlington, MA: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005.

National Fire Protection Association. Handbook of Fire Protection (11th Ed.). Boston: 1954.

National Fire Protection Association. “The New Jersey Explosion.” NFPA Quarterly, V. 20, No. 1, July 1926, p. 111.

New Castle News, PA. “Ten of Victims Are Identified at Naval Morgue.” 7-13-1926, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=57498115&sterm=picatinny

Oneonta Daily Star, NY. “Marines Show Courage and Put Out Fire.” 7-15-1926, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=41050617&sterm=lake+denmark

Oneonta Daily Star, NY. “Ten Known Dead as Result of Explosions at Lake Denmark; But Three Bodies Identified.” 7-12-1926, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=41050602&sterm=lake+denmark

Oneonta Daily Star, NY. “Thought Explosion Just Across Road.” 7-16-1926, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=41050622&sterm=lake+denmark

Owens, Patrick J. (TACOM-ARDEC Historian). “75th Anniversary of Lake Denmark Explosion, July 10, 1926.” Looking Back…At Picatinny, The Voice, July 6, 2001. Accessed 9-29-2009 at: http://www.pica.army.mil/voice/voice2001/010706/4_look.html

Perry Daily Journal, OK. “Start Investigation of Explosion in New Jersey.” 7-15-1926, 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=135751447&sterm=picatinny

Plattsburg Sentinel, NY. “Ammunition Depot is Wiped Out with $80,000,000 Loss.” 13 July 1926. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com

The Robesonian, Lumberton, NC. “Scene in New Jersey Where Navy Arsenal Blew Up.” 7-22-1926, p. 1. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=103628244&sterm

Thomasville Times-Enterprise, GA. “Refugees Permitted to Return to Their Homes in Devastated Region.” 7-14-1926, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=189406912&sterm

United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The Ordnance Time Almost Forgot, MMRP Time Critical Removal Action At the Tilcon Quarry, Picatinny Arsenal. 12-4-2007, 20 slides. Accessed at: http://aec.army.mil/usaec/cleanup/workshop/pdfs/08-29.pdf