1959 — June 2, tractor trailer hits stopped propane gas truck, fire, explos. ~Deer Lake, PA-11

–12 The Morning Call, Allentown, PA. “Other Valley-area…Disasters…” 3-26-1992.
–11 Huntingdon News, PA. “11th Victim of Gas Tank Truck Blast Dies.” 6-11-1959, 10.
–11 Indiana Gazette, PA. “Propane Gas Truck Blast Kills 11…Eastern Penn.” 6-2-1959, 1.
–11 Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Bill Aimed at Propane Trucks is Before House.” 6-16-1959, 16.
–11 Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Probers to Seek Cause of Tanker Blast Fatal to 11.” 6-3-1959, 1
–11 Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Wife of Truck Driver in Blast Fatal to 10, Dies.” 6-8-1959, p.2.
–11 Leskin. “Remembrance from gas explosion 53 years ago…Zion’s Red Church.” 7-1-2011.
–11 NFPA. “Fatal LP-Gas Tank Truck Fire.” Quarterly of the NFPA, V53, N2, Oct 1959, 89.
–11 NFPA. “Large Loss of Life Fires of 1959.” Quarterly of the NFPA, V. 53, July 1960, p. 33.
–11 Pytak. “A truck on its way to deliver a propane tank…” Republican & Herald, 5-31-2009.
–11 Pytak. “Red Church to dedicate memorial…victims of 1959 propane explosion.” 6-22-2011
–10 Betz. “Middle of 1900s…War, Massacre, Explosion,” Republican-Herald, 10-25-2009.
–10 Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Gas Truck Blast Reduced to Ten.” 6-4-1959, p. 44.
–10 Mannan. Lee’s Loss Prevention in the Process Industries (Vol. 1, 3rd Ed.), 2005, 17-208.
–10 The Progress, Clearfield, PA. “Charges to be Filed…Driver…East Pa. Tragedy.” 6-5-1959.

Narrative Information

Allentown PA, Morning Call. 1992: “June 2, 1959, Reading-Pottsville highway near Schuylkill Haven: Twelve died when a truck loaded with propane gas exploded.” (The Morning Call, Allentown, PA. “Other Valley-area…Disasters…” 3-26-1992.)

Betz: “Tanker explosion. The loss of life was astounding. The devastation was without parallel in modern Schuylkill County history. It happened June 2, 1959, in the vicinity of the Red Church at Orwigsburg, when a propane gas truck exploded, shooting the gas tank 900 feet up the highway “like a jet.” In its wake, it left 10 people dead and a scene of incredible destruction.

“The propane gas truck had stopped behind a Blue Mountain school bus as it stopped to pick up children 100 yards south of the church. A tractor-trailer truck skidded on the wet road and hit the rear of the propane truck. The tank had been burning for 20 minutes before the explosion. The driver’s efforts to quell the blaze with a fire extinguisher were unsuccessful, so he ran to get help. In the meantime, the tank exploded.

“As bad as the disaster was, it could have been even worse. The Republican pointed out that had the tank exploded on impact after the accident, the death toll might have gone as high as 100, and would have included the children on the school bus. According to The Republican, some of the fatalities occurred when a stone wall around the Red Church was blown apart, sending the debris toward onlookers.

“H.B. Shoener, then Orwigsburg’s chief burgess, who was standing on a hill above the highway, described how two groups of spectators were ‘mowed down like tenpins’ when the tanker exploded. The blast was heard as far away as Hamburg.” (Betz. “Middle of 1900s…War, Massacre, Explosion,” Republican-Herald, Oct 25, 2009.)

Bugbee/National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): “There were a number of fires in 1959 which attracted wide attention. Two of these involved the transportation of liquefied petroleum gas. The first oc¬curred near Pottsville, Pa., on June 2. An LP-Gas tank truck had stopped on the highway behind a school bus and was hit at the rear by another truck. Eleven people watching the ensuing fire lost their lives and 10 others were injured when the cargo tank ruptured and rocketed about 1,000 feet.” (Bugbee, Percy. “Fire Protection Developments in 1959.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 53, No. 3, Jan 1960, pp. 177-180.)

Leskin: “Orwigsburg — Vanessa Caravan may have only been 3 years old the day her uncle died, the youngest person killed the morning of June 2, 1959, but the tragedy is still vivid in her memory. Caravan, Schuylkill Haven, said – while holding his senior high school portrait – she remembers her uncle, William Sterner, 18 years old, wearing his Blue Mountain jacket, sitting on a bed tying his shoes while her mother was telling him not to go to the accident scene on what is now Route 61 near Zion’s Red Church. That was the last time she saw the Orwigsburg teen, who graduated from Blue Mountain the previous year and aspired to be a police officer, as he was one of 11 people that were killed that day. Eleven others were injured. ‘They knew there was some kind of tragedy going on,’ she said. ‘The next thing I remember is my mom standing talking on the phone and crying.’….

“Outside Zion’s Red Church Thursday night, in remembrance of the tragedy that took place 52 years ago, about 70 people gathered for a memorial service. A prayer garden was also dedicated.
The garden features a plaque with the names of those who died and were injured, benches for anyone to enjoy the peace of the garden and a statue of Saint Francis of Assisi. ‘Gardens are a place of resurrection,’ said The Rev. Wanda Schwandt, pastor of Zion’s Red Church. ‘We hope this can be a little place of peace in this crazy world we live in.’ Schwandt said that two years ago, during the 50th anniversary service, it was the first community memorial service ever held….” (Leskin, Thomas. “Remembrance from gas explosion 53 years ago held at Zion’s Red Church.” RepublicanHerald.com, 7-1-2011.)

NFPA: “Eleven spectators watching a burning LP-Gas tank truck lost their lives and ten others were injured when the cargo tank ruptured and rocketed up the road. The failure occurred 45 minutes after fire broke out at the rear of the filled 7000-gallon cargo tank.

“At approximately 8:00 A.M., June 2, 1959, while the tank truck was stopped 60 feet behind a school bus, it was hit at the rear by another truck which was following and was unable to stop in time to avoid the collision. The accident occurred on U.S. Route 122, one mile west of Deer Lake, Pa., about 11 miles from Pottsville. Seconds after the collision, LP-Gas leaking from impact-damaged piping on the rear of the tank ignited, and flames enveloped the rear portion of the truck…

“Several Pennsylvania State Police cruiser cars were at the scene shortly after the accident and set up road blocks well removed from the accident. Volunteer fire departments from Deer Lake and Orwigsburg were called and arrived about 15 minutes after the fire broke out. No public or private water supply was available. Water from the booster tanks on the fire trucks was used with foam to protect the nearby wooden dwelling…

“The fire burned intensely for about 45 minutes. Spectators reported the tank safety relief valves were operating during this period. However, suddenly the rear head of the tank failed. This sudden failure projected the remainder of the tank and truck up the road about 470 feet where the tank smashed into a stone retaining wall. Parts of the truck cab and running gear were torn loose in flight…

“After hitting the wall…the tank tumbled and rolled over the highway, dug into the ground beyond the road intersection, and finally came to rest about 900 feet from the point of original collision. Most of the victims were grouped near the road intersection 700-800 feet west of the spot of collision and were killed by the flying debris and the tank. No one near the original point of collision was killed, although several firemen were burned when the rear head failed and there was the sudden release of LP-Gas which burned with a torch-like flame.

“Fire damaged telephone and electric poles, wires, and cables alongside the road. Radiant heat effects were noticed on trees and shrubbery as far as 550 feet distant. The concrete roadway was spalled for a considerable area. Spalling was about a foot deep under the rear end of the tank truck.

“The accident occurred on a rainy day. After the collision, the vehicles came to rest with between 20 and 30 feet of space between them. There are conflicting statements as to why there was so much space between the vehicles. The con¬tents of the trailer, consisting of mis¬cellaneous office supplies, etc., were destroyed by fire…

“The collision damaged the LP-Gas piping mounted in a cabinet on the rear of the tank and the impact may also have been a factor in the ultimate fail¬ure of the tank…

“It was quite possible that the original LP-Gas release was from damage to the 3-inch liquid withdrawal connection at the bottom of the tank… Undoubtedly, this release of gas was below the minimum rate of flow which would cause the excess flow valve to operate; and it would, therefore, not be expected to close. The leak con¬tinued, and in a few seconds the LP-Gas ignited, possibly at the motor of the tractor-trailer which had struck the tanker. Observers stated that a few seconds elapsed before a big flash oc¬curred, enveloping the rear of the LP-Gas tank truck.

“The drivers of the vehicles were not seriously hurt. The tractor-trailer driver was helped to safety by following autoists. The LP-Gas tank truck driver got out of his vehicle and asked motor¬ists to get help. Ironically, he was later injured by flying debris.

“Apparently, when the fire depart¬ments arrived on the scene they were told by the tank truck driver not to put out the fire; that it was all right to let the gas burn since the tank was equipped with safety relief valves. This was sound advice as far as it went. Un¬fortunately, the fire fighters were not told what might happen to the shell of the tank if the fire was allowed to con¬tinue to expose the shell until the con¬tents had boiled away. Without guid¬ance on the need for keeping the tank shell cool, fire fighters used the limited amount of water available to protect the nearby dwelling.

“The LP-Gas tank was designed for 250 psi working pressure. It was built in 1957 in accordance with the 1956 ASME Unfired Pressure Vessel Code….

“Impact damage to the 3-inch with¬drawal line in the bottom of the tank shell near the rear may have released liquid product at any of the joints or at the tank connection itself. The ensuing fire undoubtedly quickly destroyed the rubber tires on the trailer unit, as well as spalled the concrete highway; this allowed the rear end of the tank truck to settle slightly. During the fire some protection from flame was afforded the lower part of the rear head by the metal cabinet housing the piping connections and by the fender construction over the rear wheels of the trailer unit.

“As the fire continued to burn the quantity of LP-Gas within the tank was gradually reduced by leakage from the damaged piping and vapor discharge through the safety relief devices. This lowered the liquid level in the tank and exposed more ‘unwetted’ tank surface to intense flame and heat until the upper left hand portion…of the rear head was weakened sufficiently to fail. Examination of the metal made it evident that the rear head was exposed to severe heating…

“Pieces of the rear tank head seem to indicate a pressure failure due to weak¬ening of the metal from exposure to severe fire. Pieces of the rear head were blown considerable distances…

“It would be difficult to determine whether in the initial impact a portion of the rear head was struck and weak¬ened sufficiently to start failure or whether the burning LP-Gas envelop¬ing the rear head was the prime factor. A synthetic rubber gasket which re¬portedly had been used at the ‘manway’ (center of rear head) was destroyed early in the fire, allowing LP-Gas to leak and burn around this area. This concen¬trated heat surely adversely affected this portion of the tank. A spectator, who tried to pick up the center portion of the rear head after it arced 350 feet behind the scene of the accident, stated it was ‘red hot’ when he touched it…

“This tragic accident caused many authorities to be concerned about the transportation of LP-Gas over the road. Within the past year a number of other accidents involving highway transportation of LP-Gas have occurred, for in¬stance, one in Los Angeles, California, on November 14, 1958; one in St. Paul, Minnesota, April 29, 1959; one in Napa, California, May 8, 1959; and one in Portland, Oregon, on February 27, 1959. This was the most serious highway acci¬dent but was followed on June 28, 1959, by a railroad accident in Meldrim, Georgia, where 23 persons lost their lives. This Pennsylvania accident has been the first serious accident involving a transport using this type of alloy steel as far as can be determined. After a care¬ful review of NFPA Standard No. 58, “Standard for the Storage and Handling of Liquefied Petroleum Gas,— the following suggestions are submitted:

a. The requirements in NFPA No. 58 for the protection of tank trucks from physical damage were written when all trucks were built with frames. In many cases today, tanks are mounted on frameless units in which the tank acts as the frame. It seems appropriate that bumper construction and support re¬quirements be studied in light of the changed circumstances.

b. All connections from the tank, ex¬cept safety relief valve and gauging con¬nections, should be provided with auto¬matic, internal, quick-closing valves, kept closed except during delivery.

c. Prohibit all pipe connections in rear heads, as heavier metal in shell walls provides a more secure and stable point for connection. Prohibit the in¬stallation of piping toward the rear in such a way that it will be vulnerable to damage from rear end collision.

d. Gaskets should be of noncom¬bustible material.

e. It may be desirable to consider a shear-action or weakness ring in the piping connections adjacent to the tank to be certain no undue strain is put on the tank and that piping will break off cleanly on impact.

f. This incident illustrated the need for continued efforts to train people how to handle serious emergencies when leaking LP-Gas is on fire. The follow¬ing advice on methods of handling such emergencies is extracted from the article “How to Handle LP-Gas Vehicle Inci¬dents” published in the August, 1959, issue of Firemen magazine.

1. Do not extinguish unless leakage can be stopped, except under certain conditions.

2. If the escaping gas is on fire, immediately apply large quantities of water as quickly as pos¬sible to all surfaces exposed to heat, with approach to the tank being made from the sides. Concentrate on piping and metal surfaces of vessel or adjoining vessels, equipment or combustible surfaces exposed to flame or intense radiant heat.

3. Consult driver of vehicle or plant operating personnel (as the case may be) regarding possibili¬ties of shutting off fuel supply. Stopping the flow of gas should be the first consideration.

4. If the only valve which can be used to stop the flow of fuel is involved in fire, consider the possibility of effecting shut-off by protecting fire¬men with water fog streams and protective cloth¬ing while they are closing the valve. Proceed slowly to avoid any flash-backs or trapping firemen in the flames.

5. The controlled burning of escaping LP-Gas (which cannot be shut off by closing a valve) is a commonly accepted fire-fighting practice. The application of sufficient water to keep the shell of the vessel and piping cool will allow the fire to consume the product in the tank without danger of causing failure.

6. Dry chemical portable extinguishers are effec¬tive for extinguishing small LP-Gas fires. Extin¬guishing agent should be directed toward point of vapor discharge. Carbon dioxide may also be used.

7. When sufficient water is not available to keep the tank cool, some warning of increased pressure may be noted from the increase in volume of fire or noise level. This should serve as a signal to consider the withdrawal of all men to a safe area.

8. Failure of LP-G-as tanks usually occurs only when some portion of the metal surface in the vapor space of the vessel becomes overheated, softens and weakens to the point that it will not contain the pressure of the product. In the absence of sufficient water to keep the metal surface cool where it is exposed to direct flame impingement or extreme radiant heat, there is danger of the tank rupturing and creating a condition which is commonly described as an explosion.

9. Shooting holes in an LP-Gas tank that is involved in fire does not serve any useful purpose and should not be permitted.

10. Ordinarily, no attempt should be made to move any tank involved in a fire as usually little would be gained in reducing the hazard. How¬ever, if specific conditions develop to where it is considered desirable to move the tank, it should not be moved in anything but an upright position. Never drag in a manner which might further damage valves or piping. Any attempt to turn the tank upright to remove to some remote location or to facilitate product withdrawal should be done carefully to avoid damage to valves and piping.

“In case flame impinges on the tanks, in the absence of cooling by hose streams there is nothing in present tank design to prevent pressure rupture or explosion at a time when the contents have evaporated and the tank shell is weakened by heat.” (NFPA {Clark F. Jones}. “Fatal LP-Gas Tank Truck Fire.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 53, No. 2, Oct 1959, pp. 89-97.)

Pytak, 2009: “Orwigsburg — A truck on its way to deliver a propane tank to a mining operation in Saint Clair had a tragic and historic collision with fate 50 years ago this week. A chain of events the morning of Tuesday, June 2, 1959 — a bus stop, a rear-end collision and a fire — led to an ear-popping explosion which sent the tank flying like a rocket. It shattered the stone wall at Zion’s Red Church and sent hundreds of pieces of jagged debris flying. The knife-like precipitation killed 11 people and wounded 11. ‘It’s the worst traffic accident that area has ever seen, without a doubt,’ according to Dr. Peter Yasenchak, executive director of the Historical Society of Schuylkill County, Pottsville.

“Dean Meyers, Pottsville, who lost his uncle in the tragedy, is a history buff who’s been researching all aspects of the accident since March. He flipped through microfilmed newspapers, interviewed relatives of victims and put together a timeline of what happened on the stretch of road in front of the Red Church that morning. Here is that timeline, which includes information published in The Pottsville Republican and eyewitness accounts:

“At 4:30 a.m., Joseph Warton, 48, Peckville, got behind the wheel of a Sun Gas Co. tanker truck, left Marcus Hook, Delaware County, and headed north. His destination: Correale Mining Co., Saint Clair. He was due to arrive there with a load of propane at 9 a.m., but never made it.

“At 7:10 a.m., Walter Williams, 54, of Reading, started up a Branch Freight truck and left Reading en route to Phillip Van Heusen Co. in Pottsville.

“Just after 8 a.m., Warton was following a school bus carrying 45 students on Route 122, which is now Route 61. The bus stopped at the George Herb home, just south of the Red Church. Little Marilyn Herb got on the bus as Warton stopped behind it. But Williams, who was behind Warton, hit the back of the Sun Gas tanker, according to Meyers and Yasenchak. ‘I was about 50 or 60 feet behind the tank truck when I applied the brakes, but my foot slipped off the pedal and I collided into the rear of the tanker,’ Williams said in the June 6, 1959, edition of The Pottsville Republican. Meyers said the crash started a fire.

“Had the propane gas truck exploded on impact, the death toll may have exceeded 100. There were two school buses near the scene. Another, carrying 40 students was a behind the crash, Meyers said. ‘There was no 911, no cell phones and no fire pagers in 1959. A passing motorist drove into town to turn in the alarm,’ Meyers said.

“At 8:15 a.m., state Trooper Earl Klinger was notified of the accident and responded, according to testimony he gave at a coroner’s inquest, Meyers said.

“Despite the fire, emergency responders did not believe there was any danger of an explosion. ‘It was 7,000 gallons stored under pressure. It was liquefied,’ said Meyers, who found the figure in local newspaper articles. ‘They figured it wouldn’t blow because the propane truck had safety valves,’ Yasenchak said. Adam Faust, now 78, of Orwigsburg and a clerk at Staples in Cressona, was a firefighter at the scene. ‘At that time when it came to propane firefighting, if the safety valves were open and burning, we figured let it burn. The flames were shooting 10 to 15 feet in the air,’ Faust said.

“Using water and foam, Faust said firefighters worked to protect the buildings near the scene, including the Herb house. ‘After about 30 minutes, I motioned back to shut down the foam. I’d just finished coating the house with a coat of foam again. And the next thing I knew, I woke up in the hospital on an oxygen tank,’ said Faust, who was knocked out by the blast.

“Meyers believes the explosion occurred at 8:45 a.m. ‘This is based on a broken watch of one of the victims. I saw the actual photo of this watch,’ he said.

“Mark Schropp, 65, of Auburn and co-owner of Char-Mark Inc., South Manheim Township, was one of the 45 students on the school bus stopped at the Herb home. He works with propane today and has a theory as to why the tank exploded. ‘The fire heated the tank so fast that it couldn’t get out of those valves fast enough. It created that much pressure that it blew the back end of that tank out. When that expands, it goes,’ Schropp said Wednesday.

“The blast pushed the tank truck northbound, then tore the tank away from the chassis. The tank struck the stone wall in front of the Red Church, then came to rest in a field, Meyers said. ‘Propane expands into a huge cloud. And that was a huge fireball when it ripped loose. Some people said it went 300 feet up into the air. All that fuel was spent. It was like a rocket launch, except it was horizontal. It was like an artillery shell hit it,’ Meyers said.

“In the June 3 edition of The Pottsville Republican, Faust said all he remembered was a ‘blue streak of flame shooting up the highway.’ After shattering the stone wall, the tank came to rest more than 40 feet north of the church, Meyers said.

“Fragments of metal and stone killed 10 people instantly. They were William J. Sterner, 18, Clifford D. Kriner, 42, and Earl Hillbish, 77, of Orwigsburg; Robert E. Wesner, 31, of Molino; Paul R. Myers Sr., 32, Wayne M. Wolfe, 18, Meyers’ uncle, Arthur Meyers, 46, all of Pottsville; Charles Ray Erb, 51, of Pottstown; James S. Leitzel, 53, of Shenandoah; and Leon E. Kimmel, 55, of West Brunswick Township.

“Twelve others were reported injured and taken to area hospitals. They included Warton, Williams and Faust. The other nine were Walter Schwenk, 33, of Auburn; John Barnhart, 44, of Sunbury; George Reichert, 48, of Schuylkill Haven; Frank Fetterolf, 44, of Pottsville; Burd Bachman, 72, of Orwigsburg; Robert Koslosky, 26, of Port Carbon; Lauden Potts, 29, of Orwigsburg; Kerlin Bashore, 23, of Hamburg; and Albert Rovito, 42, of Kulpmont, according to Meyers. ‘The concussion had knocked me down. I didn’t even hear it explode. They picked me up 42 feet away from the actual tanker. I spent four weeks in the hospital and came out without any ill effects from it,’ Faust said.

“Some who got minor cuts and scrapes didn’t seek treatment and were never listed on any reports. The exact number of these ‘walking wounded’ is still unknown to this day,” Meyers said.

“The blast also knocked out eight telephone poles and nine spans of cable, threw 200 pairs of cable out of order and cut telephone service to Deer Lake and Auburn for six hours, Edward R. Breisacher, business manager for Bell Telephone, Pottsville, said in the June 4 edition of The Pottsville Republican.

“At 10 a.m., personnel from the Heffner and Lundbye funeral homes in Orwigsburg started the grisly task of picking up body parts and notifying next of kin.

“The Pottsville Republican published a ‘retouched photograph’ of one of the victims in an effort to help state police at Schuylkill Haven identify him. ‘That was the head of Charles Erb,’ Meyers said.

“Route 122 was reopened to traffic about 5 p.m. that day, Meyers said.

“At 11:58 p.m. June 9, Bachman died of his injuries at Pottsville Hospital, bringing the death toll to 11, Meyers said.

“It’s possible the explosion could have been averted, according to an investigation of the incident conducted later in 1959 by Clark F. Jones, gases field engineer for the National Fire Protection Association.

“The firemen at the scene should have applied water to the flaming cargo tank instead of the nearby home, Jones said in the Dec. 16, 1959, edition of The Pottsville Republican. What the firemen apparently did not know was that the explosion was imminent, should the tank shell, made of relatively thin metal, crack under stress of the terrific heat generated by the flames at the rear of the truck, Jones said.

“Commenting on the study, Warton said in the Dec. 16, 1959, edition of The Pottsville Republican: ‘While working for Sun Gas Company, I attended several fire and safety schools and they always told us that if the truck caught fire and the safety valves were opened and the flames were coming out of them, the tank could never explode.’

“Jones made a series of recommendations to help prevent similar explosions in the future, including: ‘This incident illustrated the need for continued efforts to train people how to handle serious emergencies when leaking LP (liquefied petroleum) Gas is on fire’.” (Pytak. “A truck on its way to deliver a propane tank to a mining.” Republican & Herald, Pottsville, PA, 5-31-2009.)

Pytak, 2011: “Orwigsburg — Zion’s Red Church will dedicate a stone memorial and garden on its property to the victims and heroes of a tragic propane tank explosion which occurred in front of the church in 1959. The Memorial Prayer Garden Dedication will be at 6:30 p.m. June 30 [2011], according to the message board outside the church at 1287 Centre Turnpike, Route 61, Orwigsburg….

“A Branch Freight truck northbound on what is now Route 61 hit the back of a Sun Gas Co. tanker truck….

“At the 50th anniversary of the tragedy in June 2009, the Red Church organized a memorial service to remember those who suffered and died in the crash. At the service, the Rev. Wanda G. Schwandt announced the parish’s plans to put up a memorial the victims and heroes of the tragedy ‘so the community can continue to honor their loved ones.’ With donations and funds from the parish memorial fund, Schwandt said Tuesday, the parish spent ‘about $4,000’ to establish the ‘Propane Tanker Explosion’ memorial on the church’s front lawn.

“The memorial, a tan-colored stone approximately 3-feet high, will be fitted with a 16-inch by 18-inch bronze plaque containing the names of the people who died, the people who were injured and a list of the heroes who worked to save lives that day: bus drivers Ronald Kramer and Russell Klahr; Sgt. Frank Evans, Trooper Earl Klinger and fellow officers; Orwigsburg Fireman Earl Hillbish and fellow firefighters; and truck drivers Walter Williams and John Barnhart, according to Schwandt….” (Pytak, Steven J. “Red Church to dedicate memorial to victims of 1959 propane explosion.” RepublicanHerald.com. 6-22-2011.)

Newspapers of the Time:

June 2: “Schuylkill Haven, Pa. (AP) – A propane gas truck exploded on a heavily traveled eastern Pennsylvania highway today killing at least 11 persons. ‘Some of the victims were as far as 100 yards from the blast. The tanker let loose and flames swept along the road like a ball of fire, killing people milling about a trooper directing traffic,’ State Police Sgt. Melvin Clouser reported.

“Police said a tractor trailer rammed the rear of the gas truck, setting, it afire. It was half an hour
after the crash, while firemen fought the flames, that the truck exploded.

“Motorists who climbed out of their cars to see what was holding up the early morning traffic, and just the, idle curious, were watching at distances of from 100 to 300 feet up the highway. Some of them and a number of the firefighters were killed. At least 15 others were injured, 5 seriously.

“Frank Toohey, Pottsville Republican reporter, said parts of bodies were strewn over the highway. His partner, photographer Vince Ney, said the sight was as sickening as anything he had seen in military service.

One “eyewitness said ‘The flames shot along the highway with the speed of a jet, carrying debris
and parts of the truck, striking spectators and cutting them down like shrapnel.’ Another eyewitness was Chief Burgess H.B. Shoener of nearby Orwigsburg, who said he was on a hill overlooking the highway – a busily traveled route 100 miles northeast of Philadelphia. ‘The flames shot 150 feet in the air from the gas truck and there was a terrific-explosion,’ Shoener said. ‘Parts of a stone wall outside an historic church were blown forward. Groups of spectators about 200 to 250 feet away from the fire were mowed down. The tank of the truck landed yards away.’

“Several school buses were on the highway near the scene just before the explosion at about 8:45
a.m. The highway was jammed with people headed for work. Klinger [State Trooper Earl Klinger] said a school bus was stopped to pick up children when the propane gas truck pulled up in back of it. A tractor trailer gasoline tanker then hit the rear of the gas truck. The school bus pulled away.

“Klinger said firemen battled the flames for about half an hour before the terrific explosion. Klinger, said that when he heard the roar he ducked down behind his police car. He was showered with pieces of rock when a boulder smashed through the windshield and out through the rear window of the car.

“Sungas Products Co. of Pennsylvania, Inc., owners of the gas truck, identified the driver as Joe Wharton, 48, of Peckville, near Scranton in the anthracite country. He was hospitalized. The gas
truck contained a trailer cylinder of 7,000 gallons of propane under pressure.

“Ron Kramer, 39, a school bus driver with 40 children on board said he saw the tanker and the propane gas truck collide. When he saw the flames shoot up, he swerved his bus across a field to
safety. Another bus, with 45 kids aboard, had just passed the accident scene.

“Vincent Ney, chief photographer for the Pottsville Republican telephoned his paper from the scene. ‘Heads, legs and bodies are scattered everywhere. I saw six bodies lying in one field alongside the highway.’ Ney said he was told that a tractor trailer and a propane gas truck had collided. State police, however, said there was no collision.

“State Police Trooper Earl Klinger, sitting in his car, said part of bodies and debris crashed through his windshield. He avoided injury by hurling himself beneath the dashboard.…

“Sgt. Clouser gave this official version of the tragedy:

About 8:15 a.m. we got a report of a tanker on fire south of Schuylkill Haven at a place known as Red Church on Route 122. We sent a trooper who set himself up about 300 feet away to divert traffic from the scene. Two fire companies arrived to fight the flames.

A number of people left their cars to see what the hold-up was. They gathered around our trooper handling the traffic. About 8:45 a.m. the tanker let loose. There was a terrific explosion. The flames swept up the road like a ball of fire killing eight or nine around the trooper. He was saved by ducking behind the police car.

As far as we know there was no collision. We don’t know what caused the fire. Sometimes these tankers catch fire for some un-explainable reason.”

(Indiana Evening Gazette, PA. “Propane Gas Truck Blast Kills 11…Eastern Penn.” 6-2-1959, 1.)

June 3: “Pottsville, Pa. (UPI) – Fire marshals sought today the cause of a gas truck explosion that killed 11 persons and injured 10 others. One victim remained unidentified. The blast Tuesday turned the liquid propane-filled steel tank of the truck into a flaming projectile that hurled spectators and firemen hundreds of feel. It was set off when the truck caught fire after a highway collision.

“The victims in some cases were decapitated and torn by the flaming flight of the tank, ripped jet-like from its chassis by the blast in 7,000 gallons of liquid propane gas. The tank, spitting bits of metal like shrapnel, landed 150 yards away.

“The explosion occurred 30 minutes after the Sun Gas Propane Co. truck halted behind a school bus picking up a passenger and was rammed in the rear by another truck on rain-slick Route 122. near Orwigsburg.

“About 85 school children in buses ahead and behind the two stricken vehicles escaped injury when their alert drivers sped from the scene, one cutting across a field….

“Representatives of the Interstate Commerce Commission joined fire marshals in a study of the accident as police continued efforts to identify the 11th victim of the disaster…”

“At least two of the dead were firemen from the Friendship Hose Co. at Orwigsburg. They were among the fire fighters attempting to keep the flames from spreading to a nearby home when the tank exploded in a ‘tornado-like ball of fire’.” (Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Probers to Seek Cause of Tanker Blast Fatal to 11.” 6-3-1959, p. 1.)

June 4: “Pottsville, Pa. (UPI) – The death toll in the explosion at a propane gas tank truck near here Tuesday was reduced to 10 today when an unidentified portion of a body was found to be part of a victim already listed among the dead. The head, torso and left arm which had been held at an undertaking establishment here was identified as that of C. Ray Erb of Orwigsburg by his brother-in-law… Erb had been identified previously as one of the dead when his cigarette lighter was found with other parts of his body at the scene of the explosion….

“Two of the ten persons injured in the blast still remained in serious condition at Pottsville hospitals….

“The tank truck, loaded with 7,000 gallons of liquid propane, exploded while firemen were fighting a blaze started after the tank truck slowed down behind a school bus and was rammed in the rear by a tractor-trailer. The blast mowed down firemen and bystanders. Adam H. Faust, one of the Orwigsburg firemen who fought the blaze, said the firefighters were working under the impression that the tank would not explode because all three safety valves on top of the tank were working. He said that if an explosion had been feared, all persons and equipment in the area would have been ordered away from the scene.

“Schuylkill Haven, Pa. (AP) — Interstate Commerce Commission investigators have joined state police in a technical investigation to determine the exact cause of a propane gas truck explosion that killed 10 persons. Ernest Cox, director of Motor Carrier Safety, said in Washington Wednesday that if any significant violations of ICC regulations are found appropriate action will
be taken. But he emphasized that the primary purpose is to determine if any change in safety regulations for motor carriers in interstate commerce could prevent similar accidents in the future.

“Meanwhile, Officer Michael A. Wisniewski of the State Bureau of Fire Protection, said that so far he has found no violations of the fire code. He said it would be up to the state Labor and Industry Department to determine if there had been any gas-carrying violations.” (Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Gas Truck Blast Reduced to Ten.” 6-4-1959, p. 44.)

June 5: “Harrisburg (AP) – State police plan to file involuntary manslaughter charges against the driver of a tractor-trailer involved in the collision which preceded Tuesday’s violent propane gas explosion near Schuylkill Haven. Ten men were killed.

“Col. Frank G. McCartney, state police commissioner, said Thursday that the charges will be brought against Walter Williams, 54, of Reading. He said Williams will be arrested on his release from Good Samaritan Hospital, Pottsville. Williams was driving the tractor-trailer which rammed the rear of a propane gas truck, setting it ablaze. Less than an hour after the collision, the tanker-exploded, killing nine spectators and one fireman.

“McCartney said Williams will be charged with a separate count of manslaughter for each death. Williams, suffering from severe shock, was taken to the Pottsville Hospital after the tragedy. His condition was listed as good. Informed of the state police announcement, Williams told an interviewer: ‘I kind of expected some action from the state police. As God knows, I was not going fast, between 20 and 25 miles an hour. It was not my fault. What made my foot slip off the brake, I will never know.’ Williams, a veteran driver, told investigating officers his foot slipped off the brake briefly before he rammed the propane tanker.” (The Progress, Clearfield, PA. “Charges to be Filed Against Driver Involved in East Pa. Tragedy.” 6-5-1959, 6.)

June 8: “Shock attributed to her husband’s involvement in a gas tank truck blast that claimed 10 lives in lower Schuylkill County last Tuesday was blamed for the death of Mrs. Dorothy L. Williams, 54, of Reading. She died Saturday in Reading’s Community General Hospital. Her husband, Walter E. Williams, was the driver of a trailer truck which rammed the propane gas tanker near Orwigsburg. The collision resulted in a fire that in turn caused the tanker to explode. Williams was slightly injured in the mishap. In addition to her husband, Mrs. Williams is survived by seven daughters and six sons.” (Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Wife of Truck Driver in Blast Fatal to 10, Dies.” 6-8-1959, 2.)

June 11: “Pottsville, Pa., June 11. – The llth victim of a gas tank truck explosion last week in nearby Deer Lake died Tuesday midnight in Pottsville Hospital. He was Burd H. Bachman, 74, of Orwigsburg.

“Meanwhile funeral services were held in Reading, Pa., for Dorothy L. Williams, 54, wife of Walter E. Williams, driver of the tractor-trailer truck which struck the rear of the propane gas truck. It was the explosion of the truck half an hour after the accident that killed 10 men and injured 10 others.

“Bachman, of 222 N. Warren St., a retired shoe maker, died exactly one week after the accident.

“Mrs., Williams was stricken with a cerebral hemorrhage when she heard that her husband had been involved in the crash.” (Huntingdon Daily News, PA. “11th Victim of Gas Tank Truck Blast Dies.” 6-11-1959, p. 10.)

June 16: “Harrisburg (UPI) – A bill aimed at preventing accidents such as the explosion of a truck loaded with propane gas near Pottsville recently is before the House. Reps. Samuel Frank (D-Lehigh) and Floyd K. Brenninger (R-Montgomery) have introduced a bill which would require vehicles carrying propane gas or explosives to be equipped with six red flashing lights. Under the measure, such trucks must have three red flashing signal lamps on the front and three on the rear. It also provides fines of $50 or 15 days in prison for violators. Frank said the measure was prompted by the accident at Deer Lake last June 2 in which 11 persons were killed when a truck slammed into the rear of a halted propane gas tank truck.” (Lebanon Daily News, PA. “Bill Aimed at Propane Trucks is Before House.” 6-16-1959, p. 16.)

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