1967 — Feb 15, Explosion, Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant, near Texarkana, TX      —     11

— 11  AP. “Ammunition Depot Explosion Kills 11.” Galveston News, TX. 2-16-1967, p.1, c.1.

— 11  NFPA.  “The Major Fires of 1967.” Fire Journal, Vol. 62, No. 3, May 1968, p. 6.

 

Narrative Information

 

NFPA: “An explosion at the Lone Star Army Ordnance Plant, Texarkana, Texas, on February 15 killed 11 people and seriously injured two others. The operations in the bay (a section of a building designed and constructed to confine an explosion to that one section) consisted of seating fuses into 105-mm projectiles and tightening the fuses with air impact wrenches.  Something caused one of the projectiles to explode. The damage to the building was relatively light. Roof sections were blown off and the conveyer equipment that carried the projec­tiles was wrecked. A small fire following the explosion was confined to the bay and a small section of an adjoin­ing bay to which it spread through a conveyer opening.” (NFPA. “The Major Fires of 1967.” Fire Journal, Vol. 62, No. 3, May 1968, p. 6.)

 

Newspapers

 

Feb 16: “Texarkana, (AP) – A single 105 mm shell blew up, killing 11 and wounding many

others at the Army’s ammunition plant near here Wednesday night. A spokesman said some of the ammunition made there goes to Vietnam.

 

“Eight persons required hospital care, and of this number, one succumbed to make the death toll 11. All but three others were discharged by today. A large number of other persons suffered minor injuries, a spokesman said.

 

“Lt. Col. Duane Harris, commandant of the semisecret installation, said the explosion occurred in a room 20×40 feet with about 12 persons present. About 12 persons were in adjoining rooms in the building, which is about the length of a football field about 10 miles west of Texarkana. The official name is Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant.

 

“Col. Harris said the explosion occurred on an assembly line where fuses are attached to the shell. He said the projectiles are not picked up or taken off the line in that area.

 

“The commander said that the roof was blown off the building immediately above the room where the explosion occurred. He said operations continued today in other portions of the plant.

 

“Harris said the cause of the explosion is unknown and that a board of investigation will probe for the reason. He would not determine whether all the fatalities were in the room where the blast occurred.

 

“The shift lacked only an hour and 12 minutes of completing its day. Col. Harris said the explosion time was set at 10:30 p.m.

 

“The projectile weighs about 33 pounds and is a foot or more in length.

 

“One witness said. “A ball of fire went right down the line and several people’s clothing caught on fire.”

 

“The building is of hollow tile and reinforced concrete. The plant employs 7,000 persons and is one of the largest such plants in the nation.

 

“The depot’s Lone Star wing is 10 miles west of Texarkana on U.S. 82. It is in Zone E of the sprawling military reservation, which the commandant said was being blocked off while other operations continued today.

 

“This was the second major explosion at the facility. One employed died and 21 suffered injuries in the last blast in 1963….” (Associated Press. “Ammunition Depot Explosion Kills 11.” Galveston News, TX. 2-16-1967, p.1, col. 1.)

 

Feb 16: “The dead from Wednesday night’s explosion at the Lone Star ammunition plant, as identified by the plant:

 

  1. Mrs. Nell Marie Ashford, Hooks.
  2. Eugene Bowers Russell, 18, Clarksville.
  3. David McKinley Crabtree, Mt. Pleasant.
  4. Clarence G. McDonald, 18, Texarkana, Ark.
  5. David Arnold Skelton, 19, Texarkana, Tex.
  6. Mrs. Whittie Marie Jones, 44, Texarkana, Ark.
  7. Jessie Odell McCoy, Texarkana, Tex.
  8. Rose Mary Fleming, New Boston.
  9. J. W. Porter, Dekalb.
  10. Melvin Samuel Fisher Jr., Texarkana, Ark.
  11. Ellen Hatley, Douglassville.”

 

(Associated Press, Texarkana, Tex. “The Dead.” Galveston News, TX. 2-16-1967, p.2, col. 2.)

 

Sources:

 

Associated Press. “Ammunition Depot Explosion Kills 11.” Galveston News, TX. 2-16-1967, p.1, col. 1. Accessed 5-16-2015 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/texas/galveston/galveston-daily-news/1967/02-16?tag=texarkana+explosion&rtserp=tags/texarkana-explosion?psi=94&pci=7&ndt=bd&pd=15&pm=2&py=1967&pe=28&pem=2&pey=1967&psb=dateasc/

 

Associated Press, Texarkana, Tex. “The Dead.” Galveston News, TX. 2-16-1967, p.2, col. 2. Accessed 5-16-2015 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/texas/galveston/galveston-daily-news/1967/02-16/page-10?tag=texarkana+explosion&rtserp=tags/texarkana-explosion?psi=94&pci=7&ndt=bd&pd=15&pm=2&py=1967&pe=28&pem=2&pey=1967&psb=dateasc

 

National Fire Protection Association. “The Major Fires of 1967.” Fire Journal, Vol. 62, No. 3, May 1968, pp. 5-7.