1959 — Aug 7, Building Fire and Parked Truck Dynamite Explosion, Roseburg, OR — 14

–14  AP. “More Victims Hunted After Roseburg Blast.” Daily Chronicle, WA. 8-8-1959, p. 1.

–14  Binus. “Roseburg Blast Crater, 1959.” Oregon History Project, Oregon Historical Society.

–14  Blanchard estimate.[1]

–14  City of Roseburg. “1959 Blast.” Accessed 7-11-2013.

–14  KPIC 4 News, Roseburg, OR. “Texas explosion…memories…‘Roseburg Blast’.” 4-17-2013.

–14  News-Review Today (Roseburg, OR). “Douglas County’s Top 10 Disasters,” 6-27-2004.

–14  LaLande, Jeff. “Roseburg Blast.” The Oregon Encyclopedia, 9-14-2017 update.

–14  Walth, B. “The blast that ripped apart Roseburg, Oregon…” The Oregonian, 8-29-2009.

–13  AP. “City’s Death Toll Rises.” The Daily Chronicle, Centralia-Chehalis, WA, 8-15-1959, 1.[2]

–13  AP. “Eight Remain in Hospital.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA. 8-19-1959, p. 1.[3]

–13  AP. “Roseburg Blast Death Toll is 13; Girl Dies.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, 8-9-1959, 1

–13  Benson. The Greatest Explosions in History. 1990. p. 113.[4]

–13  Bugbee. “Fire Protection Developments in 1959.” NFPA Quarterly, 53/3, Jan 1960, 177.

–13  Khan and Abbasi. “Major Accidents in Process Industries…” LPPI Journal, V. 12, 1999.

–13  Mail-Tribune (Tammy Asnicar), Medford, OR. “The Blast.” 4-30-2017.[5]

–13  National Board of Fire Underwriters /OR Insurance Rating Bureau. Roseburg…Explosion.

–13  NFPA. “Explosives Truck Blast in Roseburg.” Quarterly of…[NFPA], 53/3, Jan 1960, 195.

–13  NFPA. “Large Loss of Life Fires of 1959.” Quarterly…[NFPA], Vol. 53, July 1960, p. 33.

–13  NFPA. U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates by State.  December 2008, p. 24.

–12  AP. “ICC to check Roseburg blast…” Port Angeles Evening News, WA, 8-12-1959, p. 1.

 

Narrative Information

 

Bugbee/NFPA: “The explosion of a truck carrying ex­plosives parked unattended near a building which caught fire in Roseburg, Oregon, on August 7, focused attention again on the hazards of truck transpor­tation of explosives and other danger­ous materials. Thirteen people were killed in this tragedy…” (Bugbee, Percy. “Fire Protection Developments in 1959.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 53, No. 3, Jan 1960, pp. 177-180.)

 

City of Roseburg: “In the early morning hours of August 7, 1959 a fire at Gerretsen Building Supply Company ignited a truck parked on the adjacent street.[6] The truck was carrying a two ton load of dynamite and four and one-half tons of ammonium nitrate. The subsequent blast leveled eight city blocks. The explosion created a crater fifty-two feet in diameter and twelve feet deep.[7]

 

“Three hundred businesses within a thirty block radius were damaged by the blast. Of those, seventy-two were declared structurally unsafe resulting in major repairs and renovation. Twelve buildings beyond the eight block perimeter were condemned. The face of Roseburg changed forever in an instant. The explosion eventually became commonly know as “The Blast.”

 

“Mr. Pat Sullivan, a bystander very near the Blast site that night related the following story:

 

“I was about twenty feet from the intersection on Pine and Oak and I could see Don De Sues in his Centennial police uniform outlined against the truck. Bill Unrath and somebody else, I don’t know who it was, were standing by the Coke building.  Assistant Fire Chief McFarland and another fireman were standing down by the fire truck.[8] A real good heavy blaze was going at that time.  It was reaching well up. As I was running down, I started to see the sides of the truck starting to bulge and I hit the dirt. Thank God for Korea. And that was the last time I saw Don De Sues… I got hit in the chest with a piece of metal. I started to get up and the suction of the Blast knocked me down again.  The piece of metal went through the pack of cigarettes I had just bought and lodged in my chest. At that time there were no lights whatsoever. Everything was completely dark except for the electrical cords that were bouncing around on the streets that had been blown down from the deal…”

 

“Fourteen people died in the Blast. Many Roseburg citizens were injured. Countless stories have been recorded of heroic acts performed at the time of the Blast and of the rescue and cleanup that continued for weeks following the destruction….

 

“Replacement of almost all the windows in downtown commercial buildings was necessary after the Blast. The August 17, 1959 issue of the News Review (Roseburg’s local newspaper) reported, “There was no radiation fall-out. Glass powder, glass particles, glass splinters are everywhere…A great deal of merchandise has been discarded and destroyed because of damage from glass particles.”

 

“Many windows were replaced with metal frame windows rather than the original wood frame sash windows.  Many of the old brick buildings were inspected and deemed sound but had obvious aesthetic scarring.  In keeping with the times, a facade spruce-up included coverings of metal, stucco, or plywood. Signage was updated. Awnings were replaced.

 

“Some structures downtown received vast reconstruction. The Caro Building, 506 SE Jackson, was such a building. New walls were constructed for the front facade and corner. A stucco finish with board and batten now stands as a replacement to what was once a highly embellished two-story structure with cast iron columns and pilasters, an arched, centered doorway and arched windows on both the first and second floors.”  (City of Roseburg. “1959 Blast.” Accessed 7-11-2013: http://www.cityofroseburg.org/visitors/1959-blast/ )

 

LaLande: “….A Roseburg policeman described the explosion as looking like “an A-bomb”; a pilot flying over the vicinity at the time actually thought there was a Soviet attack. The Roseburg explosion attracted national attention and resulted in stricter explosives-transport safety regulations and enforcement by the Interstate Commerce Commission….

“According to the Oregonian’s on-the scene reporter, civil-defense authorities from “throughout the country” took special interest in Roseburg’s efforts following the explosion, noting the small-scale similarity to a nuclear attack. In addition, like many small American cities at the time, Roseburg had had no disaster-response plan. The Blast caused Roseburg and other communities to prepare such plans.

 

“Although a lawsuit brought to light Pacific Powder’s poor safety record, neither the company nor Rutherford was found liable. After the Roseburg Blast, federal regulations and state laws would more tightly regulate both public and private carriers of explosives.” (LaLande, Jeff. “Roseburg Blast.” The Oregon Encyclopedia, 9-14-2017 update.

 

National Board of Fire Underwriters and Oregon Insurance Rating Bureau: “A truck containing 2 tons of dynamite and 4½ tons of a blasting agent, trade-named “Car-Prill” (a mixture of prilled ammonium nitrate, ground nut shells and Diesel oil), exploded with great violence and devastated the downtown section of the quiet and peaceful City of Roseburg, Oregon, on Friday, August 7, 1959, at about 1 A.M. The explosion, which was probably initiated by the intense heat from a nearby fire, killed 13 persons and injured more than 125 others. Property damage will probably exceed 9 million dollars with most of the loss sustained in the areas adjacent to and including the principal business district of the city.

 

“This hazardous cargo was being transported by an explosives manufacturer from his plant in Tenino, Washington, and was to be delivered to customers in the vicinity of Roseburg. The truck and its load of 6½ tons of explosive products had been parked en route, for the night, on a city street, just a few feet from a building-materials warehouse, which subsequently caught fire.[9] The fire department was fighting the warehouse building fire when, in a matter of less than ten minutes, a disastrous explosion occurred.

 

“A crater 52 feet in diameter and 20 feet deep gave mute evidence to the terrific force of the blast. Most of the buildings in the immediate twelve blocks were completely destroyed. Hundreds of other buildings in the community suffered extensive damage over a 50-block area, and glass breakage was reported as far as 9 miles from the explosion. Tremors were reported as far away as 17 miles.

 

“Adding to the havoc, fires soon appeared in numerous buildings in the surrounding area. These fires were apparently started by radiant heat and flaming debris scattered by the explosion. More than 45 buildings were involved. The conflagration was confined to a 7-block area through the combined efforts of the local fire department and fire companies from neighboring districts and nearby cities. The fire was brought under control in two hours.

 

“The Roseburg fire and explosion emphasizes the need for bolstering present regulations by the adoption of more complete safety codes, with strict enforcement by state and local authorities. Preventive and protective measures for proper fire and explosion safeguarding of hazardous commodities are provided in the National Board of Fire Underwriters “Fire Prevention Code” and in the recently completed National Fire Protection Association “Code for the Manufacture, Transportation, Storage and Use of Explosives and Blasting Agents.” Contained therein are the particularly important provisions for notification of local authorities of arrival of shipments of explosives and blasting agents at any location, and the routing of motor vehicles handling such cargo to avoid congested and populated areas. Equally important is the requirement for designated safe stopping places where vehicles carrying explosives and blasting agents may be parked, which should be provided for at state level, as exemplified by regulations of the State of California. Such regulations are needed with respect to private, contract, and common carriers.”

(Summary, pp. 1-2.)

 

“This unfortunate and preventable disaster should stand as a strong and timely warning to other communities of the explosion perils when commercial explosives or their counterpart blasting agents become involved in fire emergencies. This devastating occurrence should make it obvious that both dynamite type explosives and the more recent innovations of so-called field-prepared or pre-mixed, ammonium-nitrate-containing blasting agents may, under certain fire conditions, be set off by the heat or flame. Emphasis is given to the need for a greater realization that a relatively minor and uncontrolled fire may initiate or “trigger off” a devastating blast when explodable materials are present; and that a conflagration is also possible when such fires and explosions occur in congested areas.

 

“This disaster clearly exemplifies the serious fire and explosion danger accompanying the increasing trend to transport highly hazardous material by motor vehicles over public highways, and the severity of exposure to which even small communities may be subjected unknowingly. It also serves to direct attention towards two important and urgent needs: (1) increased recognition by the manufacturer, shipper and carrier of such articles of commerce, of their broad and continued responsibility for providing proper knowledge of their inherent dangers and the necessary precautionary measures to be taken in any emergency, and (2) better utilization of the existing codes and recommended safe practices, and the enactment of uniform controls and enforcement programs, with improved cooperation between federal and state regulatory bodies and local authorities….” (Foreword, p. 1.)

 

“The City of Roseburg did not have any fire prevention code which directly or indirectly controlled the handling, transportation or storage of explosives, blasting agents, or other hazardous materials within the city limits. No permit was required for the transportation, storage, or parking overnight of this “explosives” truck and its contents.

 

“Only a few months prior to the explosion, a complete municipal fire prevention code was proposed for adoption but had not yet been acted upon by the city council. Based on the suggested Fire Prevention Code of the National Board of Fire Underwriters, it would have regulated the storage and transportation of explosives and would have prohibited the parking of a truck carrying explosives in populated and congested areas. The Roseburg Council has passed (August 25, 1959) an emergency explosives ordinance patterned after the newer “Code for the Manufacture, Storage and Use of Explosives and Blasting Agents” of the National Fire Protection Association, which was officially accepted by that association during the previous month…..” (“Laws and Regulations on Explosives, Blasting Agents and Hazardous Materials” section, p. 17.)

 

“Conclusions. Witnesses before the Interstate Commerce Commission investigators reported that flame and intense heat from the fire engulfing the warehouse impinged upon the truck and engulfed it. While both the dynamite or the blasting agent could have been detonated by fire, the opinion of the explosives experts was that the dynamite probably exploded first, thus initiating an explosion of the nitro-carbo-nitrate blasting agent. The investigators also revealed that this truck was left locked[10] and unattended, while parked in a congested area, in disregard of the I.C.C. Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.” (p. 18)

 

National Fire Protection Association: “Two tons of explosives and 4½ tons of blasting agents, loaded on a parked truck, detonated in Roseburg, Oregon, killing thirteen people and injuring 125. Heat from a fire in a building about 4 feet from the parked truck initiated the explosion shortly after 1 A.M. on Fri­day morning, August 7, 1959. Over $10,000,000 in property damage re­sulted, largely in a roughly circular area (approximately 0.365 sq. miles) within about 1,800 ft. of the explosion site….

 

“Roseburg, the county seat of Douglas County, is nestled in southwest Oregon between the Cascade Mountains and the Coast Range. It has a population of approximately 13,000 and covers an area of 4.15 square miles. Joining with lumber in the economic support of the city are mining, agriculture, and the tourist trade. Roseburg is one of Ore­gon’s older cities, having been incor­porated in 1872…

 

“At the time of the blast the city had no fire code. Mercantile buildings were mostly brick, wood-joisted buildings separated from one another by fire walls. About one-half of the buildings in the area of the explosion were of this con­struction. The others were of wood or unprotected metal frame….

 

“A 2½-ton, 1959-model, aluminum van-type truck with a canvas tarpaulin as a rear cover was parked on Pine Street about 4 feet from Gerretsen Building Supply Co., a 60 ft. by 205 ft., 1- and 3-story masonry and wood building. The truck was loaded with eighty 50- pound boxes (4,000 pounds) of 2-inch by 16-inch sticks of 40 per cent dynamite (40 per cent nitroglycerin) and 180 50- pound, 3-ply bags (9,000 pounds) of a blasting agent.

 

“Most blasting agents are an admixture of ammonium nitrate with some com­bustible material, and are not, and should not be referred to as ammonium.. nitrate. To differentiate blasting agents from commercial explosives, the Interstate Commerce Commission ap­plies the term “nitro-carbo-nitrate” to commercially prepared blasting agents packaged and shipped in accordance with I.C.C. regulations. The blasting agent involved in this explosion was a mixture of ammonium nitrate, ground walnut shells and diesel oil, which falls under the I.C.C. shipping regulations for nitro-carbo-nitrates as described above. Nitro-carbo-nitrates are classi­fied as an Oxidizing Material by the I.C.C., and dynamite is classified under ‘ High Explosives as Class A Explosives. Fertilizer-grade ammonium nitrate is classified by the I.C.C. as an Oxidizing Material….

 

“Undoubtedly the explosion of the 4,000 pounds of dynamite on the truck was initiated by the heat from the ex­posure fire, and this explosion instantly initiated the detonation of the blasting agent…’

 

“The driver had a record of 31 years of truck operation without an accident or even a traffic violation. He parked his truck near the Gerretsen building. He claims that he received permission from someone in the building to park where he did. He knew he should not leave his truck “unattended,”[11] but says he was told by the unidentified person that a merchant’s patrolman checked the area every hour. Thus he assumed the truck was ”attended.” He checked into a nearby hotel at 8:34 P.M.. on August 6, but reported being unable to sleep. About 10:30 P.M. he went out and checked the truck. He walked around it, finding everything in order. He returned to the hotel and finally fell asleep…. [Goes into fire in hardware building, its discovery, fire dept. callout, and the explosion.]

 

“The exposed truck was heated to the point where, at 1:14 A.M., its load of explosives and blasting agent detonated. The explosion opened a crater 20 feet deep and 52 feet in diameter. The twenty-eight surrounding blocks re­ceived extensive structural damage. The ground shook 17 miles away, a “loud thud” was heard 30 miles away and a -big flash” lighted up the sky so as to be visible 45 miles away.

 

“Assistant Chief McFarland, Dennis Tandy,[12] a police officer who had just arrived, civilians aiding them, and several spectators were killed. Pieces of the explosives truck were dispersed over a wide area….” [Goes into the response to the explosion, new fires, the aftermath and a locally-written post-mortem.] (NFPA. “Explosives Truck Blast in Roseburg.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 53, No. 3, January 1960, pp. 195-207.)

 

News-Review Today, 2004: “The county’s largest city was altered forever in the early morning of Aug. 7, 1959. What started as a small fire behind a Roseburg building supply store turned into an incident that has come to be known simply as the Blast. It killed 14 people, injured 125 others and caused $10 million in damage.

”A 2.5-ton 1959 red Ford van, adorned with foot-high stenciled letters advertising “Pacific Powder Company” and hinged signs reading “Explosives,” was parked on Pine Street during the sweltering evening of Aug. 6. Inside the vehicle, roughly 10,000 pounds of 40 percent gelatin-filled dynamite was awaiting delivery to Pacific Drilling Blasting, located on the North Umpqua River near Roseburg. Another 3,000 pounds of a blasting agent called “Car-Prill,” a mixture of ammonium nitrate, ground walnut shells and peanut oil, was going to Gerretsen’s Building Supply.

”While the truck’s driver…was sleeping at the Umpqua Hotel around 12:30 a.m., 17-year-old Nordic Veneer plant employee Dennis Tandy got off work and picked up his wife, Marilyn, who was 7 months pregnant. Passing Gerretsen’s, Tandy noticed flames rising from a row of trash cans next to the building. He jumped out of his car and attempted to control the blaze and told his wife to report the fire. She sped to a nearby gas station and asked the attendant to call for help.

”Firefighters didn’t notice the truck filled with explosives until around 1 a.m. Someone reportedly yelled, “Get out of here — that truck’s going to blow.” Nine minutes later, it did. The explosion left a crater 52 feet in diameter and 20 feet deep. Tandy was one of the 14 killed during the incident.”  (News-Review Today (Roseburg, OR). 6-27-2004.)

 

Binus: “….Civil damages amounting to approximately $1,200,000 were awarded to victims of the blast in March 1962, but criminal proceedings found the company innocent.[13] At the time, laws concerning the transportation of explosives pertained only to common carriers and did not regulate privately contracted deliveries.” (Binus, Joshua. “Roseburg Blast Crater, 1959.” Oregon History Project, Oregon Historical Society, 2006.)

 

Newspapers at the Time

 

Aug 8: “Roseburg, Ore (AP)–Eight business blocks of this southern Oregon city, seared and shattered when a truck load of explosives blew up like a bomb, were sealed off by the National Guard today while searchers sought more victims.

 

“At least 14 persons were killed early Friday when the 6½ tons of dynamite and other explosives detonated after fire spread to the parked truck from a nearby building blaze….Some 100 persons were injured by the blast, 52 of them requiring hospital treatment.

 

“The explosion, which eyewitnesses said sent a column of flame hundreds of feet into the air, caused extensive damage to an eight block section on the edge of the main business district. Buildings in some 22 blocks around the blast scene were damaged to a lesser extent. Firemen said they had reports of windows being broken as far away as seven miles. Arlo Jacklin, mayor of this city of 12,200, said property damage would probably total 10 to 12 million dollars….

 

“It is believed that a fire started in trash cans and then spread to the Gerretsen structure….

 

“Rutherford[14]said he heard the sirens and rushed to move the truck. It exploded when he was a block away. He was thrown to the ground. Gerald Butler, a Eugene Ore., insurance man who came to Rutherford’s aid, said Rutherford screamed ‘Let me go. Let me go. I’ve got to go down there and see how many people I’ve killed.’….

 

“The known dead all lived in Roseburg….” (AP. “More Victims Hunted After Roseburg Blast.” The Daily Chronicle, Centralia-Chehalis, WA. 8-8-1959, p. 1.)

 

Aug 9: “Roseburg, Ore. (AP)….The death of a 4-year-old girl brought the count to 13. The coroner fears they may find 20….

 

“The havoc spreads over 22 blocks. In eight of those blocks destruction is almost complete. Owners of 35 buildings found complete wrecks. In addition, 12 homes were demolished. Six hotels, including the two largest, were so badly damaged they had to be closed and four apartment houses were battered…..” (AP. “Roseburg Blast Death Toll is 13; Girl Dies.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, 8-9-1959, 1.)

 

Deaths

 

  1. Berg, Bonnie Lee (or Jean),[15] 19.[16]
  2. Carmichael, Harry, about 50.[17]
  3. DeSues, Donald. Police Officer.[18]
  4. Knight, Richard, 20.[19] A nearby service station attendant, with USAF firefighting training.[20]
  5. Kuykendall, Janet, 41, mother of Virginia Lee Kuykendall. Died from injuries Aug 14.[21]
  6. Kuykendall, Virginia Lee, 4. From burns, other injuries; family home was demolished.[22]
  7. Lusk, Martin.[23]
  8. McDonald, Eva. Missing, presumed dead.[24]
  9. McFarland, Roy, Asst. Fire Chief.[25]
  10. Siles, James Fred, 15. The last victim, died in 1960 having been in a coma for months.[26]
  11. Tandy, Dennis, 18.[27]
  12. Townsend, Wayne.[28]
  13. Unrath, William C. Volunteer fireman.[29]
  14. Unidentified logger?[30]

 

Sources

 

Associated Press. “City’s Death Toll Rises.” The Daily Chronicle, Centralia-Chehalis, WA, 8-15-1959, p. 1. Accessed 10-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/centralia-daily-chronicle-aug-15-1959-p-1/?tag

 

Associated Press. “Eight Remain in Hospital.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, WA. 8-19-1959, p. 1. Accessed 10-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-aug-19-1959-p-1/?tag

 

Associated Press. “ICC to check Roseburg blast…” Port Angeles Evening News, WA, 8-12-1959, p. 1. Accessed 10-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/port-angeles-evening-news-aug-12-1959-p-1/?tag

 

Associated Press. “More Victims Hunted After Roseburg Blast.” The Daily Chronicle, Centralia-Chehalis, WA. 8-8-1959, p. 1. Accessed 10-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/centralia-daily-chronicle-aug-08-1959-p-1/?tag

 

Associated Press. “Roseburg Blast Death Toll is 13; Girl Dies.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, 8-9-1959, p. 1. Accessed 10-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/walla-walla-union-bulletin-aug-09-1959-p-1/?tag

 

Associated Press. “Roseburg Blast Kills 9, Hurts 52.” Daily Chronicle, Centralia-Chehalis, WA. 8-7-1959, p. 1. Accessed 10-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/centralia-daily-chronicle-aug-07-1959-p-1/?tag

 

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.

 

Binus, Joshua. “Roseburg Blast Crater, 1959.” Oregon History Project, Oregon Historical Society, 2006. Accessed 10-8-2017 at: https://oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-records/roseburg-blast-crater-1959/#.WdqR4zBryK4

 

Bugbee, Percy. “Fire Protection Developments in 1959.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 53, No. 3, Jan 1960, pp. 177-180.

 

City of Roseburg. “1959 Blast.” Accessed 7-11-2013: http://www.cityofroseburg.org/visitors/1959-blast/

 

Everything₂. “The Roseburg Blast.” 2-37-2014. Accessed 10-8-2017 at: https://everything2.com/title/The+Roseburg+Blast

 

Findagrave.com. “James F. Siles.” Record created by Ida Baker, 4-25-2005. Accessed 10-8-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Siles&GSiman=1&GSsr=41&GRid=10853358&

 

Khan, Faisal I. and S.A. Abbasi. “Major Accidents in Process Industries and an Analysis of Causes and Consequences.” Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, Vol. 12, 1999, pp. 361-378. At: http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:http://202.38.89.99/Loss_prevention/99503.pdf

 

KPIC 4 News (Dee Dee Gatton), Roseburg, OR. “Texas explosion brings back memories of ‘Roseburg Blast’.” 4-17-2013. Accessed 10-8-2017 at: http://kpic.com/news/local/texas-explosion-brings-back-memories-of-roseburg-blast-11-13-2015

 

LaLande, Jeff. “Roseburg Blast.” The Oregon Encyclopedia, 9-14-2017 update. Accessed 10-8-2017 at: https://oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/roseburg_blast/#.WdqQGDBryK4

 

Mail-Tribune (Tammy Asnicar), Medford, OR. “The Blast.” 4-30-2017. Accessed 10-8-2017 at: http://www.mailtribune.com/special/20170430/blast

 

National Board of Fire Underwriters and Oregon Insurance Rating Bureau (Portland). The Roseburg, Oregon, Fire, Explosion and Conflagration, August 7, 1959. New York, Chicago, San Francisco: NBFU, 1960, 20 pages. Accessed 10-8-2017 at: http://www.cityofroseburg.org/files/9413/1440/0612/Blast_Crater_and_Devastated_Area_August_1959.pdf

 

National Fire Protection Association. “Explosives Truck Blast in Roseburg.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 53, No. 3, January 1960, pp. 195-207.

 

National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss of Life Fires of 1959.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 53, July 1960, pp. 7-38.

 

National Fire Protection Association (John Hall, Jr.). U.S. Unintentional Fire Death Rates by State. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 31 pages, December 2008.

 

News-Review Today, Roseburg, OR. “Douglas County’s Top 10 Disasters,” 6-27-2004.  Accessed at: http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20040627/FEATURES/106280044

 

United Press International. “Search for More Bodies in Ruins of Blast-Torn Roseburg — 10 Recovered.” Lowell Sun, MA, 8-8-59, 10. Accessed 10-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lowell-sun-aug-08-1959-p-10/?tag

 

Walth, Brent. “The blast that ripped apart Roseburg, Oregon, and the psyche of a man who was held responsible.” The Oregonian, 8-29-2009. Accessed 10-6-2017 at: http://www.oregonlive.com/O/index.ssf/2009/08/fifty_years_ago_an_explosion_r.html

[1] Even though we have been able to identify only thirteen victims, our reading of the sources noted herein is that there were 13 immediate and shortly-after-the blast deaths. A 15-year-old boy (Siles) died in 1960 from injuries, having been in a coma for months. Thus, we assume those sources noting 14 deaths include Siles as 14th victim.

[2] Note that this report is eight days after the explosion and concerns the recent death of the 13th victim.

[3] Notes that of remaining hospitalized, only one, James Fred Siles, 15, was still critically injured. He died in 1960. (Findagrave.com. “James F. Siles.” Record created by Ida Baker, 4-25-2005.)

[4] Writes 125 people were injured, including “All of the fire fighters on the scene [who] became instant casualties.”

[5] “When the firestorm was finally controlled, 13 people were dead and 125 injured.” (An additional young male, in a coma for months, died in 1960 — making fourteen deaths.)

[6] Benson writes that the truck driver, George Rutherford, parked behind Gerretsen Hardware not because he intended on unloading there the next morning, but because he wanted to stay at the nearby Umpqua Hotel. “Gerretsen Hardware kept all but small quantities of powder—which they mostly sold by the stick—five miles out of town in a powder magazine. Larger, ton-lot sales from the magazine were made on a whole­sale basis to area ranchers, loggers, and miners. This was not Rutherford’s first delivery to Gerretsen’s, so he undoubtedly knew the material would not be offloaded downtown at the retail store where he had parked.”( Benson. The Greatest Explosions in History. 1990. p. 108.)

 

[7] Benson has it as “fifteen feet deep in the place where the hardware store once stood.” He also writes that “Heavy rail cars resting on a siding across from the store were picked up, been, and then dumped on the other side of the tracks in a crazy, twisted pattern.”

[8] The Fire Chief was in a hospital with a heart condition, and thus the Assistant Fire Chief was in charge. (Benson. The Greatest Explosions in History. 1990. pp. 109-110.)

[9] Notes at page 5 that “the driver, aware of the fact that his company had been cautioned recently about leaving the ‘explosives’ truck unattended, went out and checked the truck before retiring.”

[10] “Locked” is a relative term, certainly appropriate for the cab, but, as the National Board of Fire Underwriters note: “The rear end of the truck was inclosed by a canvas curtain.” (p. 5)

[11] NFPA footnote: “He evidently did not know that he could not leave the truck here even if attended…”

[12] The person who first noticed the fire while driving by with his wife on the way home. His wife let him out while she drove up the street to turn in a fire alarm. She drove back and parked about a block away in a parking lot and got out to watch. “At 1:14 Marilyn Tandy’s car was blown across the lot about one about one hundred feet. It landed twisted, bent, and battered, but upright.” (Benson. The Greatest Explosions in History. 1990. p. 110.)

[13] Benson notes that “Driver Rutherford went back to his home and job in Washington state. He continued to work for Pacific Powder, but not as a truck driver. The explosives com­pany sold all its trucks and put Rutherford in the pro­duction department as a laborer.” (Benson. The Greatest Explosions in History. 1990. p. 114)

[14] George Rutherford, 47, of Chehalis, WA, the truck driver who parked his truck behind the hardware store, and who was in a nearby hotel room when the explosion occurred.

[15] UPI. “Search for More Bodies in Ruins of Blast-Torn Roseburg — 10 Recovered.” Lowell Sun, MA, 8-8-59, 10.

[16] Associated Press. “Roseburg Blast Death Toll is 13; Girl Dies.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, 8-9-1959, 1. Benson notes she was walking with Carol Merical, a Umpqua Hotel waitress, when the explosion occurred, knocking Ms. Merical “more than 150 down the street (but alive), and blowing Ms. Berg “into the remains of the Stock Motors Co. lobby, where she died.” (Benson. The Greatest Explosions in History. 1990. pp. 112-1132.)

[17] Associated Press. “Roseburg Blast Death Toll is 13; Girl Dies.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, 8-9-1959, 1.

[18] Associated Press. “Roseburg Blast Death Toll is 13; Girl Dies.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, 8-9-1959, 1.

[19] Associated Press. “Roseburg Blast Death Toll is 13; Girl Dies.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, 8-9-1959, 1.

[20] Benson. The Greatest Explosions in History. 1990. p. 110.

[21] AP. “City’s Death Toll Rises.” Daily Chronicle, WA, 8-15-1959, 1; Everything₂. “Roseburg Blast.” 2-37-2014. Her husband, Alvin Kuykendall, and another daughter, were still hospitalized.

[22] AP. “Roseburg Blast Death Toll is 13; Girl Dies.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, 8-9-1959, 1. Died in hospital.

[23] AP. “City’s Death Toll Rises.” Daily Chronicle, WA, 8-15-1959, 1; Everything₂. “Roseburg Blast.” 2-37-2014.

[24] Associated Press. “Roseburg Blast Death Toll is 13; Girl Dies.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, 8-9-1959, 1.

[25] Associated Press. “Roseburg Blast Kills 9, Hurts 52.” Daily Chronicle, Centralia-Chehalis, WA. 8-7-1959, p. 1.

[26] Everything₂. “The Roseburg Blast.” 2-37-2014. Accessed 10-8-2017.

[27] Associated Press. “Roseburg Blast Death Toll is 13; Girl Dies.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, 8-9-1959, 1.

[28] Associated Press. “Roseburg Blast Death Toll is 13; Girl Dies.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, 8-9-1959, 1.

[29] Associated Press. “Roseburg Blast Death Toll is 13; Girl Dies.” Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, 8-9-1959, 1.

[30] We have not been able to positively identify the 13th immediate/short-term victim; however we note a headline from a newspaper article on the Roseburg explosion to the effect: “Unrath’s Body Found; Logger believed dead.” (KPIC 4 News (Dee Dee Gatton), Roseburg, OR. “Texas explosion brings back memories of ‘Roseburg Blast’.” 4-17-2013.)