1944 – Nov 21, butane gas truck and car collide, vapor explosion, Denison TX — 10
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 3-12-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–10 Abilene Reporter-News. “Coleman Funeral Held for Victim of Butane Blast,” 11-28-1944.
–10 Abilene Reporter-News, TX. “Denison Butane Fire Claims 10th Victim.” 11-25-1944, p. 5.
–10 Khan and Abbasi. “Major Accidents in Process Industries…” LPPI Journal, V. 12, 1999.
–10 Mannan. Lee’s Loss Prevention in the Process Industries (Vol. 1, 3rd Ed.), Table A1.2
–10 National Fire Protection Assoc. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003).
Narrative Information
Nov 22, Associated Press: “Denison—(AP)—Two more deaths today brought to seven the number killed in an explosion and fire here which followed the collision of a butane gas tank truck and an automobile. Nine of more than 27 other persons injured when blasts rocked a block in Denison at 4:57 p.m. yesterday were in the hospital. Chief of Police Paul Borum, whose department was investigating, called it ‘the worst tragedy in the city’s history’. A small grocery warehouse was blown to bits and trees and residences in the block suffered fire and explosion damage.” (Brownsville Herald. “Death Toll Reaches Seven In Denison Gas Explosion,” 11-22-1944.)
Nov 22: “Denison, Nov. 22 (AP) – The toll of dead stood at eight tonight in a butane gas explosion that swept a block of this city and burned 34 persons. Five persons were still in the hospital – victims of the fiery blast which rocked homes over a wide area of the northwestern edge of Denison late yesterday. The condition of three of the injured was reported critical.
“Chief of Police Paul Borum said his department was continuing an investigation of the tragedy which occurred following a collision between a butane gas tank truck and an automobile.
“Mrs. C. A. Bass of Denison, John Marshall, Sherman real estate man, and Austin Jordan, Denison taxi driver, died today and other deaths included Mr. and Mrs. W. L. Sweney, Kansas City, Kan., F. L. Nix, Denison; E. E. Hammond, Sherman and Lonnie Iker, Denison.
“From eyewitness reports, police pieced together this version of the accident: The collision, they speculated, knocked the cap from the butane tank. Jeff Whitfield of Denison, leaped from the truck and ran; shouting for others to do likewise. A butcher came out of a grocery store and warned the crowd to get away. No one moved. A train chuffed by the intersection and an automobile passed. Perhaps one of these, police reasoned, furnished the spark that set off the highly volatile gas.
“There was an earth-shaking explosion and flames shot more than half a block to envelop victims and transform them into human torches. Houses in the area were seared. A small grocery warehouse was blown to bits. An eyewitness, Clarence Scott, said people flew through the air.
“Borum said W. P. Hammond, one of the victims who later died, was blown 250 feet and fell to the ground, his clothing aflame.
“Marshall, one of those fatally burned, was in the automobile that was in the collision with the truck. His wife, and Mrs. R. B. Marshall of Dallas, who were with him, were gravely burned. Also in a critical condition was Lonnie Joe Hammons, 12 years old, of Denison, who was on his way to a grocery store to get a can of tomatoes when flames engulfed him….” (Amarillo Daily News, TX. “Brother of Amarillo Woman Among Eight Denison Blast Victims.” 11-23-1944, 8.)
Nov 23: “Denison, Tex., Nov. 23—(AP)—The death toll in a butane gas explosion that swept a block of this city rose to nine today and four others burned in the fiery blast remained in a critical condition….” (Laredo Times, TX. “Toll at 9,” November 23, 1944, p. 7.)
Nov 24: “Denison, Tex – (AP) – The death of Mrs. John Marshall of Sherman Thursday brought to nine the fatalities resulting from a butane gas explosion that rocked the northwestern edge of Denison Tuesday. Mrs. Marshall died in a Sherman hospital at 4 a m .
“Four persons among those burned in the fiery blast were still in a critical condition. They were Mrs. R. B. Marshall, Dallas, and Mrs. Otto C. Ahlers, Sherman, in a Sherman hospital, and Lonnie Joe Hammers, 12, Denison, and Mrs. Ed Kilgore, Denison, under treatment at a local hospital.
“The explosion followed a collision between a butane gas tank truck and an automobile in which
Mrs. John Marshall and her husband and Mrs. R. B. Marshall were riding.” (Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, TX. “Toll of Dead at Denison Reaches Nine.” 11-24-1944, p. 2.)
Nov 24: “Denison, Nov. 24 – (AP) – Mrs. Otto C. Ahlers of Sherman, Tex., injured in an explosion and fire which followed the collision of an automobile and a butane gas tank [truck], here, died in the hospital at Sherman today. Her death brought to ten the number injured fatally in the mishap. Three persons injured critically remained in hospitals, where their conditions were reported somewhat improved. They were Mrs. R. S. Marshal of Dallas, in the hospital at Sherman, and Bonnie Joe Hammons, 12, and Mrs. Ed Kilgore, both of Denison, and both in the hospital here.” (Abilene Reporter-News, TX. “Denison Butane Fire Claims 10th Victim.” 11-25-1944, p. 5.)
Nov 28: “Coleman. Nov. 28 – (Spl) – Funeral services for Mrs. John Marshall of Sherman, fatally burned in the butane gas explosion in Denison last Tuesday were held in Coleman Saturday afternoon. Mrs. Marshall died in a Denison hospital Thursday morning. She was a former resident of Coleman.
“Mr. Marshall also was killed in the explosion that took ten persons and burned 34 others. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall and his sister, Mrs. A. B. Martin of Dallas, were in the automobile that collided with the butane gas truck. Mrs. Martin is also a former resident of this city. She was critically burned….
“Mr. Marshall was state representative from Grayson county at one time and during his tenure of office served as speaker of the House of Representatives.
“A similar tragedy was averted here only last Saturday when Gerald Swann’s butane truck was involved in an accident in front of the Coleman Ice company building. The local fire department stationed firemen around the truck until the damage was repaired.
“The city commission in session Wednesday night instructed City Attorney Rob O’Hair to investigate the feasibility of a city ordinance that would prohibit the transportation of the highly volatile gas through the city.” (Abilene Reporter-News, TX. “Coleman Funeral Held for Victim of Butane Blast.” 11-28-1944, p. 11.)
Dec 8: “….Another subject in which the legislature is certain to delve will be that having to do with the handling and transportation of butane gas.
“Unusual it is that the Texas Butane Gas Dealers association wants the legislature to delve into the subject; will ask the solons to tighten laws governing the butane business and wants the Texas Railroad commission, under whose direction the butane business is carried on, to do a better job.
“The reason for the legislature’s interest in the butane, business, and for butane dealers’ unanimous feeling that more and better regulation is desirable, is, of course, the recent horrible accident in Denison….The butane dealers don’t want a recurrence of the Denison mishap and neither do the legislators and the people of Texas.
“Certainly there should be more regulation of the handling and transporting of butane gas than there is now but for our part, we doubt that the Texas Railroad commission can do the job as it should be done. The Railroad commission already has more to do than it can do – or, at least, than it does well. For, a long time, many of those interested in better government in Texas have urged decentralization of the Railroad commission’s control, pointing out the» difficulty of the one agency – which always is knee-deep in politics – to regulate and control some utilities, rail, bus, truck, gas and oil business in this large state.
“The Railroad commission is the only state body, currently authorized to control and regulate butane handling and shipping and any additional control directed by the next legislature must be overseen by the Railroad commission.
“But we hope to see the day when the top-heavy commission is torn down and re-organized so that several regulatory bodies may take its place and then do the whole job much better than the Railroad commission has given evidence of doing.” (Lubbock Morning Avalanche, TX. “Coming Legislative Topics” (Editorial). 12-8-1944, p. 18.)
Dec 8: “Austin, Dec. 7 (UP) – It isn’t often that anyone asks the legislature to grant some state department more regulatory power, but that’s what butane gas dealers in Texas are planning to do. Not yet a year old, the Texas Butane Dealers association will advocate to legislators in January that statutes governing butane gas be tightened and present authority of the Texas Railroad commission over the business be extended, Association Executive Secretary William J. Lawson says.
“One trouble with the present law is that it does not provide sufficient funds for proper enforcement of rules and regulations. A charge of $25 for a license, plus posting a $2,000 bond, is required alike for butane dealers, refiners, equipment makers, transporters, plumbers and appliance dealers. The association, Lawson says, is not advocating higher licenses, but some qualification regulations are needed.
“On a slim budget, the Railroad commission oversees the 512 license holders in conjunction with
functions of its Gas Utilities division. In current operation there are about 60,000 domestic and commercial butane systems in the state.
“Wartime scarcity of certain materials has caused some irregularities in the butane business, Lawson explains, and dealers are anxious to have them corrected through closer supervision.
“Some butane operators advocate periodic inspection of trucks that haul the gas, of system installations, equipment makers and tanks in the interest of both safety and good trade practice.
“The association will map out its legislative program at a statewide meeting in Austin December 8, Lawson says.” (Lubbock Morning Avalanche, TX. “Butane Dealers To Seek More State Regulation.” 12-8-1944, p. 18.)
Sources
Abilene Reporter-News, TX. “Coleman Funeral Held for Victim of Butane Blast,” 11-28-1944, p. 8. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=73201822
Abilene Reporter-News, TX. “Denison Butane Fire Claims 10th Victim.” 11-25-1944, p. 5. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=74752100&sterm=denison+dead
Amarillo Daily News, TX. “Brother of Amarillo Woman Among Eight Denison Blast Victims.” 11-23-1944, p. 8. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=78348593&sterm
Brownsville Herald, TX. “Death Toll Reaches Seven In Denison Gas Explosion.” 11-22-1944, p. 11. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=74332901
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
Laredo Times, TX. “Toll at 9,” November 23, 1944, p. 7. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=157060341
Lubbock Morning Avalanche, TX. “Butane Dealers To Seek More State Regulation.” 12-8-1944, p. 18. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=107413910&sterm
Lubbock Morning Avalanche, TX. “Coming Legislative Topics” (Editorial). 12-8-1944, p.18. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=107413910&sterm=denison
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. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003). (Email attachment to B. W. Blanchard from Jacob Ratliff, NFPA Archivist/Taxonomy Librarian, 7-8-2013.)
Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, TX. “Toll of Dead at Denison Reaches Nine.” 11-24-1944, p. 2.
At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=16360027&sterm