1940 — July 30, Explosions/Fire Conflagration, R. M. Hollingshead Plant, Camden, NJ– 10
–11 Cohen, Phil. Camden, New Jersey. “The Hollingshead Fire July 30, 1940.”[1]
–10 AP. “Only One Body in Camden Fire Ruins.” Somerset Daily American, 8-6-1940, p. 1.
–10 Camden Courier-Post, NJ. “Hollingshead Plant Honors Fire Victims.” 7-30-1941. {Cohen}
–10 Camden Courier-Post, NJ. “Two Suits Filed…in Hollingshead Fire Damage.” 7-24-1941.[2]
–10 NFPA. “Camden, New Jersey, Conflagration.” NFPA Quarterly, V34, N2, Oct 1940, p.157.
Narrative Information
NFPA: “A fire following a series of explosions[3] in the R. M. Hollingshead Corporation plant at Camden, N. J., on July 30, 1940, quickly assumed conflagration proportions due to ignition of large quantities of flammable liquids used in the manufacture of such items as auto grease, oil, anti-freeze, metal polish, wax, auto-top dressing, tire coating, brake fluid, paint remover, soap, antiseptics, and insecticides. Ten persons lost their lives as a result of the explosions and resulting fire and more than one hundred others are reported to have received treatment for injuries. In addition to destroying a block of factory buildings, the blaze spread to near-by rows of dwellings, leaving sixty families homeless. The total loss was estimated at close to $2,000,000.
“Outstanding lessons of the fire are the importance of locating processes involving flammable liquids in properly protected and detached fire-resistive buildings, the importance of proper zoning to segregate manufacturing and residential areas, and the fact that no public fire department can be expected to overcome the inherent hazards found in such large conflagration breeding occupancies once private protection fails or is inadequate.
“The weather at the time of the fire was almost ideal for a conflagration. The temperature reached a peak of 94 degrees during the fire and averaged 85 degrees for the entire day. A fifteen to twenty-one mile per hour southwest wind was blowing. It is interesting to note that a wind-squall of almost “hurricane force” occurred between 6:30 and 7 P.M., just an hour after the fire was declared to be under control. It is said that this wind threatened to spread the fire further and it is considered fortunate that it did not occur earlier.
Construction and Arrangement.
“The main compact group of plant buildings occupied a triangular block 255 feet along North 9th .Street and 158 feet along Market Street, Camden…. These buildings were mainly of five-story and basement brick, plank and timber construction… These buildings were fully occupied for the manufacture of a wide variety of materials, involving the use of flammable oils and solvents in various portions of the buildings. There were apparently many mixing and storage tanks located throughout this main group of plant buildings and the explosion hazard was recognized to be severe….
Story of the Fire.
“There are reports indicating that there was a breakdown in the machinery which sent molten wax by gravity from wax tanks on the third floor to the filling room where cans were automatically filled before women ;employees placed lids on the cans. It is said that hot wax had backed up in a vat and that several employees had started up to the third floor to report the difficulty when the initial blast occurred.
“The first explosion is reported to have occurred in the lower floors of Building 3 near the northern apex of the triangular group of plant buildings. The explosion was described as a deep rumbling sound and appears to have been of considerable violence. A number of windows in Buildings 3 and 4 were blown out and some reports state that portions of the brick walls were also blown out.
“Portions of the first floor dropped into the basement and it is reported that employees from both the first floor and basement were trapped in the flaming debris. Several employees are said to have been blown from the plant by the explosion. In any event three men were found on the Ninth Street side of Building 2 with their clothing ablaze. Two others were found on the railroad tracks near the freight door of Building 3 with their clothing also ablaze. A man working in Building 4 was also found on the tracks behind the building with his clothing aflame.
“Persons who lost their lives as a result of the fire included four women employed in the basement wax department, five men employees including the watchman, and a city fireman who died of a heart attack while working in the ruins of the factory.
“At the time of the first explosion between 1:05 and 1:10 P.M., about 300 employees were in the building. About 50 others had not returned from lunch due to staggered periods. A number of employees in the sections nearest to the initial explosion found themselves trapped by flames and were forced to jump from windows to escape. Others are reported to have struggled down crowded inside-stairways or outside iron fire escapes….
“The effect of the explosions appears to have been felt over a considerable area. Windows in a three-block area were broken, with the flying glass adding to the number of injured.
Spread of the Fire.
“The fire quickly involved large quantities of flammable liquids and spread throughout the main group of buildings. The wind carried the fire across the railroad tracks and radiated heat ignited buildings across Ninth Street. Dwellings along Cooper and Carpenter Streets were ignited and destroyed. It is said that explosions caused the roofs of some of these dwellings to he sprayed with burning flammable liquids, hastening their destruction.
“A half hour after the fire started two tank cars on a siding beside the plant exploded. Another car filled with alcohol previously was pushed out of danger by workmen. Three large undyked alcohol storage tanks east of the railroad tracks were protected with hose streams and did not ignite. They were equipped with screened vents and at least one of them overflowed, probably due to expansion of the contents….
Fire Fighting Operations.
“….By 2:30 p.m. the walls of the Hollingshead plant began to collapse. Much water was wasted from broken sprinkler piping and hydrants….
“During the fire, Chief John Lennox of the Camden Fire Department was overcome by heat prostration and Deputy Chief Walter Mertz took charge. A number of other firemen were overcome or injured in addition to one who lost his life due to a heart attack….
“About 10:30 p.m. firemen wearing asbestos suits and gas masks attempted to search the ruins for bodies of the victims, but were forced to give up due to the intensity of the fire….
“It is reported that several homes were looted during the fire.[4] The American Legion called out three hundred men to guard the furniture of fire refugees until the National Guard arrived….
Origin of the Fire.
“The cause of the initial explosion and subsequent fire is attributed to the ignition of flammable vapors. Lack of complete explosion-proof electrical equipment introduced numerous sources of ignition. In addition an employee reported to have been repairing equipment in Building 3 may have struck a spark. That there was a large accumulation of flammable vapor appears indicated by the fact that men in Buildings 3 and 4 were found outside with their clothing on fire.
“Whatever the source of ignition, there was ample opportunity for accumulations of flammable vapors. High atmospheric temperatures on the day of the fire, together with inadequate facilities for the removal of vapors from the buildings, provided, an ideal condition for the formation of explosive mixtures in the basements and lower floors of the plant.
Zoning
“Following the fire, the N.F.P.A. Committee on City Planning and Zoning made some inquiry as to whether Camden had a zoning ordinance at the time of the fire, and if so in what zone the factory was located. The Committee was informed by the City Clerk that the city had no zoning ordinance and that the dwellings that were destroyed or damaged were built both prior to and subsequent to the erection of the factory….
Extent and Loss.
“In addition to the complete destruction of the main group of plant buildings, the fire-resistive office Building 14 sustained general damage to windows by the explosions and the basement was flooded. It is also reported that girders supporting the water tank at the roof of this building were damaged. Plant Buildings 5 and 15 across the railroad tracks were also destroyed.
“Thirty-two dwellings on Cooper, Carpenter, North Ninth, and Market Streets were destroyed and thirty-one others were damaged by the fire and explosions.
“Nearly sixty automobiles parked on streets in the fire area were destroyed or badly damaged.
“The total loss resulting from this conflagration has been estimated at about $2,000,000, with insurance losses of between $1,000,000 and $1,500,000, including substantial use and occupancy losses.” (NFPA. “Camden, New Jersey, Conflagration.” Quarterly of the NFPA, Vol. 34, No. 2, October 1940, pp. 157-173.)
Newspapers
July 30: “Camden, July 30 (AP)–Six persons were unaccounted for today two hours after a fire broke out in the R. M. Hollingshead Company’s block-long plant following an explosion. Seventeen employes were treated at a hospital.
“The explosion occurred at the noon hour. Flames spread rapidly and leaped to buildings across the street from the automobile paint and grease manufacturing plant, located in the heart of Camden. The plant employs 300 persons.
“The first explosion was followed by two more and within a half hour some sixteen had been heard as small tanks of chemicals ignited. Firemen fought to keep the flames away from larger naptha-filled tanks in other sections of the plant.” (AP. “Six Missing After Blast Sets Fire to Camden Factory.” Salamanca Republican-Press, NY. 7-30-1940, p. 1.)
July 31: “Camden, N.J., July 31–(UP)–Firemen in asbestos suits searched through still smouldering debris today for the bodies of nine men and women known missing and believed to have perished in the $2,000,000 fire which destroyed the plant of the R. M. Hollingshead and company, the world’s largest automotive chemical manufacturers.
“A series of explosions started the fire that swept the plant and leaped to 54 homes in the immediate area yesterday afternoon. The homes were all destroyed.
“Two men were known dead, a fireman and a Hollingshead employe.
“One thousand persons were homeless and 200 were injured or burned while fleeing from the factory amid blazing oil and chemicals.
“The known victims were Raymond Harter, 38, of Collingswood, an employe, who died of burns, and William Merrigan, 48, Camden fireman who collapsed while fighting the blaze and died last night at the hospital.
“Four of the 32 taken to the hospital were reported in critical condition and physicians feared they might die.
“An attempt was made last night to search the ruins but the Philadelphia and Chester, Pa., firemen were forced to give up because of the intense heat. The fire-story brick structure, located three blocks from Camden’s main thoroughfare, was in ruins a half hour after the first of the explosions. With a deafening roar, it rocked the building and was followed at once by flames. Company officials believed the first explosion occurred in the basement, possibly in the polishing plant. Within two hours, witnesses had counted 35 blasts. Walls collapsed, dropping tons of grease and paint soaked debris to the street….
“Under a state of emergency proclaimed by Mayor George E. Brunner, national guardsmen and naval reservists patrolled the streets. The homeless were cared for by the Red Cross and other relief agencies.
“The heat at the Hollingshead plant was unbearable and firemen had difficulty in approaching the was-fed flames which blazed under a sun temperature of 94 degrees.
“Neighboring buildings began to smoulder and despite efforts of fire-fighters, the flames spread to the rest of the neighborhood. In all, 54 homes were demolished, turning an estimated 1,000 persons into the streets….” (UP. “Search Fire Debris For Dead.” Dunkirk Evening Observer, NY, 7-31-1940, p. 1.)
Aug 2: “(By United Press.) Camden,, N.J., Aug. 2.–Tons of water again were poured on the still smouldering ruins of Camden’s disastrous $2,000,000 fire today to set the stage for continued search for the bodies of the missing as the city commission and the grand jury started investigations.
“The known death toll stood at four. Five persons still were missing and it appeared virtually certain they had perished in the flames and series of explosions that swept the R. M. Hollingshead Co. plant….The smoking rubble yesterday and last night yielded the remains of two cremated victims. The torso of a woman…was brought from the debris shortly before the first of two dynamite charges was set off to raze the plant’s remaining walls. Under floodlights the second torso was dug out. Officials said it was almost beyond recognition, but it also was identified as that of a woman. Two more women and three men employes still were missing….
“Fire Chief John Lennox disclosed that he had learned that a naptha tank was leaking and was under repair by Hollingshead employes at the time of the fire. It was believed that a static spark from a workman’s wrench set off the first of a series of thirty-five explosions which punctuated the worst fire in this industrial city’s history.” (UP. “Ruins Yield Fire Victims.” Altoona Mirror, PA. 8-2-1940, p. 1.)
Aug 5: “Camden, N.J., (AP)–Searchers uncovered another body in the fire ruins of the R. M. Hollingshead Company paint factory today, bringing the known death toll in last Tuesday’s $2,000,000 explosion and blaze to eight. Two plant employes are still missing and believed dead….” (AP. “Five Bodies Found in Fire Ruins.” Lock Haven Express, PA. 8-5-1940, p. 1.)
Aug 5: “Camden, N.J., Aug. 5–(AP)–Ruins of Camden’s…fire yielded three more bodies today, leaving only one to be recovered. One of those pulled from the ashes of the R. M. Hollingshead Company’s plant was identified as William P. Bennett, 64, plant engineer, who dashed inside at the first blast and apparently was trapped. A second was identified as that of Nathaniel Bank, 29, a Negro. Six bodies in all have been dug from the debris. Death toll in the fire has been fixed at ten. Three died in hospitals.” (AP. “Only One Body in Camden Fire Ruins.” Somerset Daily American, 8-6-1940, p. 1.)
July 30, 1941: “Departmental employees of R. M. Hollingshead Company will hold memorial services today in honor of 10 fellow workers who were burned to death on July 30, 1940, in the fire which destroyed the company’s plant at Ninth and Market streets….The victims were
Vida Babcock,
Bessie Busa,
Agnes Miller,
Laura Jacubowski,
William Merrigan, [fire fighter]
William Bennent,
Raymond Hartner,
Peter Lembig,
James Bordeau, and
Nathaniel Banks.”
(Camden Courier-Post, NJ. “Hollingshead Plant Honors Fire Victims.” 7-30-1941. {In Cohen})
Sources
Associated Press. “Five Bodies Found in Fire Ruins.” Lock Haven Express, PA. 8-5-1940, p. 1. Accessed 9-29-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/lock-haven-express-aug-05-1940-p-1/?tag
Associated Press. “Only One Body in Camden Fire Ruins.” Somerset Daily American, 8-6-1940, p. 1. Accessed 9-29-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/somerset-daily-american-aug-06-1940-p-1/?tag
Associated Press. “Six Missing After Blast Sets Fire to Camden Factory.” Salamanca Republican-Press, NY. 7-30-1940, p. 1. Accessed 9-29-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/salamanca-republican-press-jul-30-1940-p-1/?tag
Cohen, Phil. Camden, New Jersey. “The Hollingshead Fire July 30, 1940.” Accessed 9-29-2017 at: http://www.dvrbs.com/fire/CamdenNJ-Hollingshead-Fire.htm
National Fire Protection Association. “Camden, New Jersey, Conflagration.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 34, No. 2, October 1940, pp. 157-173.
United Press. “Ruins Yield Fire Victims.” Altoona Mirror, PA. 8-2-1940, p. 1. Accessed 9-29-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/altoona-mirror-aug-02-1940-p-1/?tag
United Press. “Search Fire Debris For Dead.” Dunkirk Evening Observer, NY, 7-31-1940, p. 1. Accessed 9-29-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/dunkirk-evening-observer-jul-31-1940-p-1/?tag
[1] “Ten employees of the plant were killed in this fire as well as Fireman William Merrigan…who died of a heart attack induced by heat exhaustion.” [Blanchard note: Cohen reproduces several articles and obituaries which note ten total fatalities.]
[2] Reproduced in Cohen.
[3] “…at least twenty-eight distinct blasts” are noted on p. 165.
[4] The sprawling plant was virtually surrounded by residential neighborhoods.