128-136 Blanchard estimated range.*
— 138 Sandusky Register Star-News, OH. “74 Unidentified…Fire Fatal to 138.” 10-30-1944, p.6.
— 137 Hamilton Daily News Journal, OH. “Cleveland Fire Toll Set at 137.” 10-30-1944, p. 11.
— 136 NFPA. “Cryogenic Container Caused ’44 Catastrophe.” NFPA Quarterly, 54/1, July 1960, p.71.
— 136 NFPA. “The Deadliest U.S. Fires and Explosions.” Fire Journal, May/June 1988, 49.
— 136 Republican-Courier, Findlay, OH. “Cleveland Blast Probe is Started.” 10-28-1944, p. 14.
— 135 Benson. The Greatest Explosions in History. 1990, p. 78.
— 135 Gunn. “Cleveland, Ohio, gas explosion.” P.377 in Encyclopedia of Disasters, V.2, 2007.
— 135 Lima News, OH. “Witnesses Will Describe Blast Fatal to 135.” 10-27-1944, p. 1.
— 134 Lima News, OH. “Fire is Fourth Major Disaster.” 2-3-1946, p. 1.
— 134 Republican-Courier, Findlay, OH. “Ohio Blast Toll Increased to 134.” 10-27-1944, p. 1.
— 133 Evening Independent, Massillon, OH. “Tanks Drained.” 11-1-1944, p. 1.
— 133 National Fire Protection Assoc. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003).
— 131 History.com, This Day in History, Disaster, Oct 20, 1944.
— 131 Ohio Historical Society. “East Ohio Gas Company Explosion.” Ohio History Central.
— 130 Albrecht. “East Ohio Gas explosion 70 years ago…” Plain Dealer, Cleveland. 10-16-2014.
— 130 Case Western Re. Univ. Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. “East Ohio Gas…Explosion…”
— 130 Evening Independent, OH. “East OH Blast…OH Major 1944 Disaster,” 12-28-1944, 8.
— 130 Hamilton Daily News Journal, OH. “Unidentified Cleveland Fire Dead…” 11-14-1944, 1.
— 130 NFPA. “Gas Explosions.” Quarterly of the [NFPA], Vol. 43, No. 4, April 1950, p. 302.
— 130 PA Bureau Mine Safety. World’s Worst Fires and Explosions.
— 130 Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH. “Disaster Deaths in Ohio 4,500 in ´44.” 12-29-1944, p10.
— 128 CH·IV International. “A Brief History of U.S. LNG Incidents.”
— 128 Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria OH. “Fix Death Toll in Cleveland Blast at 128.” 11-4-1944, 2.
— 128 Khan and Abbasi. “Major Accidents in Process Industries…” LPPI Journal, V. 12, 1999.
— 128 Mannan. Lee’s Loss Prevention in the Process Industries (V1/3rd Ed.), 2005, Table A1.2
–>125 Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 285.
*We have not been able to come to decision as to which source presented an authoritative and definitive accounting. It does seem that Cornell (noting “at least” 125 deaths) can be excluded as well as the Sandusky Register Star News report of 138 deaths on October 30, 1944 and the Hamilton Daily News Journal report of 137 deaths on the same date. No non-newspaper report we have seen since that date has used 137 or 138 as the death toll. Thus our range of 128-136.
Narrative Information
Case Western Reserve University: “The EAST OHIO GAS CO. EXPLOSION AND FIRE took place on Friday, 20 Oct. 1944, when a tank containing liquid natural gas equivalent to 90 million cubic feet exploded, setting off the most disastrous fire in Cleveland’s history. Homes and businesses were engulfed by a tidal wave of fire in more than 1 sq. mi. of Cleveland’s east side, bounded by St. Clair Ave. NE, E. 55th St., E. 67th St., and the Memorial Shoreway. At approx. 2:30 P.M., white vapor began leaking out of Storage Tank No. 4, which had been built by the East Ohio Gas Co. in 1942 to provide additional reserve gas for local war industries. The gas in the tank, located at the northern end of E. 61st St., became combustible when mixed with air and exploded at 2:40 P.M., followed by the explosion of a second tank about 20 minutes later. The fire spread through 20 blocks, engulfing rows of houses while missing others. The vaporizing gas also flowed along the curbs and gutters and into catch basins, through which it entered the underground sewers, exploding from time to time, ripping up pavement, damaging underground utility installations, and blowing out manhole covers. The immediate area surrounding the burning district was evacuated and refugees were sheltered in Willson Jr. High School on E. 55th St. where the Red Cross tried to care for approx. 680 homeless victims.
“By late afternoon Saturday much of the fire had burned itself out, electricity was restored in some areas, and the next day a few residents began returning to their homes. The fire destroyed 79 homes, 2 factories, 217 cars, 7 trailers, and 1 tractor; the death toll reached 130. The fire and subsequent analysis of its cause led to new and safer methods for the low-temperature storage of natural gas.” (Case Western Reserve University. Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. “East Ohio Gas Co. Explosion and Fire.”)
CH·IV International: “The East Ohio Gas Company built the first “commercial” LNG peakshaving facility in Cleveland, Ohio in 1941. The facility was run without incident until 1944, when a new, larger tank was added. As stainless steel alloys were scarce because of World War II, the new tank was built with low nickel content (3.5%). Shortly after going into service, the tank failed. LNG spilled into the street and storm sewer system. The resultant fire killed 128 people, setting back the embryonic LNG industry substantially. The following is extracted from the U.S. Bureau of Mines report on the incident.
On October 20, 1944, the tanks had been filled to capacity in readiness for the coming winter months. About 2:15PM, the cylindrical tank suddenly failed releasing all of its contents into the nearby streets and sewers of Cleveland. The cloud promptly ignited and a fire ensued which engulfed the nearby tank, residences and commercial establishments. After about 20 minutes, when the initial fire had nearly died down, the sphere nearest to the cylindrical tank toppled over and released its contents. 9,400 gallons of LNG immediately evaporated and ignited. In all, 128 people were killed and 225 injured. The area directly involved was about three-quarters of a square mile of which an area of about 30 acres was completely devastated.
The Bureau of Mines investigation showed that the accident was due to the low temperature embrittlement of the inner shell of the cylindrical tank. The inner tank was made of 3.5% nickel steel, a material now known to be susceptible to brittle fracture at LNG storage temperature ( -260°F). In addition, the tanks were located close to a heavily traveled railroad station and a bombshell stamping plant. Excessive vibration from the railroad engines and stamping presses probably accelerated crack propagation in the inner shell. Once the inner shell ruptured, the outer carbon steel wall would have easily fractured upon contact with LNG. The accident was aggravated by the absence of adequate diking around the tanks, and the proximity of the facility to a residential area. The cause of the second release from the spherical tank was the fact that the legs of the sphere were not insulated against fire so that they eventually buckled after being exposed to direct flame contact.
Further, it should be noted that the ignition of the two unconfined vapor clouds of LNG in Cleveland did not result in explosions. There was no evidence of any explosion overpressures after the ignition of the spill from either the cylindrical tank or the sphere. The only explosions that took place in Cleveland were limited to the sewers where LNG ran and vaporized before the vapor-air mixture ignited in a relatively confined volume. The U.S. Bureau of Mines concluded that the concept of liquefying and storing LNG was valid if “proper precautions are observed”. (CH·IV International. “A Brief History of U.S. LNG Incidents,” citing: “Report on the Investigation of the Fire at the Liquefaction, Storage, and Regasification Plant of East Ohio Gas Co., Cleveland, Ohio, October 20, 1944”, U.S. Bureau of Mines, February, 1946.)
History.com. “It took all of the city’s firefighters to bring the resulting industrial fire under control….The circular tank had a diameter of 57 feet and could hold 90 million cubic feet of the highly flammable gas….The resulting out-of-control fire necessitated the evacuation of 10,000 people from the surrounding area…. It…took nearly an entire day to bring the fire under control. When the flames went out, rescue workers found that 130 people had been killed by the blast and nearly half of the bodies were so badly burned that they could not be identified. Two hundred and fifteen people were injured and required hospitalization.
“The explosion had destroyed two entire factories, 79 homes in the surrounding area and more than 200 vehicles. The total bill for damages exceeded $10 million. The cause of the blast had to do with the contraction of the metal tanks: The gas was stored at temperatures below negative 250 degrees and the resulting contraction of the metal had caused a steel plate to rupture.
Newer and safer techniques for storing gas and building tanks were developed in the wake of this disaster.” (History.com. This Day in History (Disaster), October 20, 1944)
NFPA, 1950: “Gas Holder, Cleveland, Ohio, Oct. 20, 1944. Disaster struck and devastated part of Cleveland’s industrial zone, taking the lives of 130 persons and causing $6,000,000 damage. The explosion and fire involved natural gas stored in insulated tanks at less than 5 psi pressure and at -250°F. Reports of eyewitnesses indicate that an insulated cylindrical tank of 150,000 cubic feet capacity failed, releasing its liquefied contents into the plant area. Ignition was almost immediate and flames soon caused an adjacent spherical tank of 1000,000 cubic feet capacity to fail also. Burning liquefied natural gas flowed over the plant area and to adjacent properties. Even before fire department operations had commenced a large number of buildings in the neighborhood were burning fiercely. Gas accumulation in various sewers, underground electrical conduits, well-holes, basements and other depressions exploded repeatedly, blowing manhole covers into the air, raising pavements, rupturing water mains and sewers, and blowing hour hundreds of windows. An area of 29 acres was completely consumed, including factory buildings, homes, automobiles and public utility equipment. Even hydrants and car rails were destroyed.” (National Fire Protection Assoc. “Gas Explosions.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 43, No. 4, April 1950, p. 302.)
NFPA, 1960: “Failure of a cryogenic liquefied natural gas storage container at Cleveland, Ohio, on October 20, 1944, killed 136 people and caused $6,000,000 damage.
“The natural gas was stored as a liquid at minus 270⁰F…The storage container consisted of a 76-feet-diameter cylindrical outer shell with a 70-foot-diameter inner cylindrical container constructed of 3.5 per cent nickel steel. The 3-foot space between the two shells was filled with mineral wool insulation. Probable cause of the container failure was the use of materials of construction inadequate for low temperature cryogenic storage.
“Burning liquid and vapor spread so rapidly that many of the victims did not have time to try to escape. Most of the gas company’s property, 79 dwellings in an adjoining residential area, and approximately 200 automobiles were destroyed. Many other dwellings, two factories, eight mercantile properties, telephone, light, water, and sewer distribution systems were severely damaged….
“Design of cryogenic natural gas storage containers…is believed to have eliminated the construction weaknesses responsible for the Cleveland disaster.” (National Fire Protection Assoc. “Cryogenic Container Caused ’44 Catastrophe.” NFPA Quarterly, 54/1, July 1960, p. 71.)
Ohio Historical Society: “On October 20, 1944, a natural gas storage tank at the East Ohio Gas Co. plant in Cleveland, Ohio, exploded….witnesses stated that a leak in one of the tanks occurred. Some spark must have then ignited the gas, although, with World War II currently raging, some residents initially suspected a German saboteur. This was one of the worst disasters in Cleveland’s history, with 131 people killed….
“The explosion occurred at 2:40 PM on a Friday afternoon. The death toll may have been even higher if schools were not still in session, keeping many children away from the heart of the explosion. Numerous homes and businesses were entirely destroyed over several city blocks. To store more natural gas in the tanks, the East Ohio Gas Co. had liquefied the gas. The liquid gas seeped into the city’s sewer system, causing manhole covers to explode into the air and creating a fireball underground that ignited numerous homes and businesses. The fireball supposedly was more than three thousand degrees Fahrenheit in temperature. Soon other storage tanks…exploded. Cleveland residents could see…fireballs from at least seven miles away and the smoke from an even greater distance….windows broke more than one mile away, and the bells of St. Vitus Church began to ring….
“For the people who survived, most lost everything. The flames destroyed several blocks of homes. Many of these people also had withdrawn their savings from banks during the Great Depression, as numerous banks had failed. The flames destroyed these people’s life savings. As a result of the explosions…East Ohio Gas…began to store its natural gas underground. The company also helped rebuild the community by paying more than three million dollars to neighborhood residents and an additional one-half million dollars to the families of the fifty-five company workers who lost their lives. The East Ohio Gas Co. continues to operate in the neighborhood, but it is now known as Dominion East Ohio. It operates the largest underground storage facility for natural gas in North America, with much of the gas stored near Canton, Ohio.” (Ohio Historical Society. Ohio History Central: An Online Encyclopedia of Ohio History, “East Ohio Gas Company Explosion.”)
Newspapers:
Oct 27: “Cleveland, Oct. 27 – INS) — The first eyewitness testimony concerning the East Ohio Gas Co. explosion and fire that so far has cost the lives of 135 persons will be given today before Mayor Frank J. Lausche’s board of inquiry….
“That those who died in the disaster may have been the indirect victims of war production necessity was indicated by a gas company spokesman who said the tank, believed to have been the center of the explosion, was erected only to provide additional supplies for war industries.” (Lima News, OH. “Witnesses Will Describe Blast Fatal to 135.” 10-27-1944, p. 1.)
Oct 27: “Cleveland, Oct. 27 – (AP) — Jets of white vapor, apparently liquefied gas resuming its natural state, spurted from one of the East Ohio Gas company’s four liquid gas tanks before last Friday’s fiery disaster in which at least 136 persons perished, witnesses told a 12-member board of inquiry Friday. As formal testimony relating to the holocaust was heard, East Ohio announced the ill-fated liquefaction plant ‘will not be rebuilt in its old location, nor will the remaining half of it, although still workable and safe, continue in use.’” (Republican-Courier, Findlay, OH. “Cleveland Blast Probe is Started.” 10-28-1944, p. 14.)
Oct 30: “Cleveland, Oct. 30 (UP) — The death toll in the East Ohio Gas Co. fire disaster rose to 138 today with the death in Lakeside Hospital of Conrad Daiber, 46, a company employee. Detective Inspector Frank W. Story said that police will attempt today to identify additional bodies of some of the unclaimed dead through automobile keys found on or near the bodies. Coroner S. R. Gerber reported that 74 unidentified bodies still are at the morgue and that he will confer with Mayor Frank J. Lausche on plans for a mass funeral service for the victims.” (Sandusky Register Star-News, OH. “74 Unidentified Bodies Remain in Fire Fatal to 138.” 10-30-1944, p. 6.)
Nov 1: “Cleveland, (AP) – Draining of the 2 liquefied gas storage tanks which remained intact after the explosion and fire which struck the East Ohio Gas company’s plant Oct. 19 was completed last night.
“The death toll in the disaster remained at 133. The list of unidentified dead dropped to 67 when one body was identified as that of Lawrence J. Timothy, a gas company employee.” (Evening Independent, Massillon, OH. “Tanks Drained.” 11-1-1944, p. 1.)
Nov 4: “Cleveland – Cuyahoga County Coroner S. H. Gerber today issued a report fixing the fire death toll in the East Ohio Gas company explosion at 128 of which 68 have been identified. Dr. Gerber said that plans for mass services for the unclaimed dead are being held up temporarily pending efforts to make further identifications.” (Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria, OH. “Fix Death Toll in Cleveland Blast at 128.” 11-4-1944, p. 2.)
Dec 28: “…on Oct. 20, 2 huge storage tanks burst into lethal flame throwers that took 130 lives, wrought damage close to $10,000,000 and laid waste a 50-block sector of the city’s industrial east side.
“Lives of 73 of the victims were snuffed out in the plant itself; 4 in nearby factories and 32 were burned to death in homes in the area. Only 53 were identified, most of those from rings or other personal effects that were found beside the charred remains.
“For 3 days and nights the fire burned on, even as salvage crews began probing the blackened ruins for more bodies. Thousands were made homeless. The flames reached into underground utility mains disrupting service and causing danger of further explosions. Manhole covers popped into the air for dozens of blocks in all directions as subterranean explosions rocked the area for hours.” (Evening Independent (Massillon OH). “East Ohio Blast, Fire Was Ohio’s Major 1944 Disaster,” December 28, 1944, p. 8.)
Dec 29: “By Associated Press….Flaming headlines told the story of the state’s greatest disaster in 1944 – an explosion and fire in the East Ohio Gas Co’s Cleveland liquid gas storage plant. There on Oct 20 two huge storage tanks burst into lethal flame throwers that took 130 lives, wrought damage close to $10,000,000 and laid waste a 50 block sector of the city’s industrial east side. Lives of seventy-tree of the victims were snuffed out in the plant itself, four in nearby factories, and 32 were burned to death in homes in the area….For three days and nights the fire burned on even as salvage crews began probing the blackened ruins for more bodies. Thousands were made homeless….” (Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH. “Disaster Deaths in Ohio 4,500 in ´44.” 12-29-1944, p. 10.)
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