Episode 47: The 1947 Texas City Disaster

Disaster Area

Truecrime, Explosions, Aviationaccidents, Floods, Fires, Earthquakes, History, Shipwrecks, Volcanoes, Disaster, Hurricanes, Planecrashes, Disasters, Tornadoes, Massshootings, Society & Culture

4.2 • 839 Ratings

🗓️ 16 September 2017

⏱️ 71 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Something was burning down by the Texas City waterfront on April 16, 1947. Everyone in the growing town built on the petrochemical industry could see the plumes of smoke billowing upward from whatever was on fire. There was just one strange thing -- the smoke was bright orange. The curious sight drew many people down to the north slip at the docks to what was going on, a site which would soon turn into the most dangerous spot they could be.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, everybody. This is Jennifer Matarise, and before I get started on the podcast today, I'd just like to take care of a few bits of housekeeping.
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0:38.8	tablet so I can get a lot more work done on my podcast and my writing. And this is a really good
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0:51.9	episodes about the AIDS epidemic a few days before they come out.
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1:23.7	recounted their favorite crimes. And their most recent episode is about the crime that I talked
1:29.3	about. So go and do that. Go on. Go run and subscribe. Thank you very much for listening,
1:37.3	by the way, and welcome to disaster area.
1:53.2	Okay. Episode 47, the 1947, April 16th, 1947, over 500 deceased, thousands injured.
2:05.6	If that wasn't a fire, that would be one of the prettiest things I've ever seen. High school student Elaine DePuy looking out a central high school window at the burning SS grand camp
2:11.6	shortly before it exploded on April 16, 1947.
2:16.6	Sixteen years ago this week, the New York City Fire Department suffered the highest day on April 16, 1947.
2:17.7	16 years ago this week, the New York City Fire Department suffered the highest death toll in American
2:22.7	history, specifically of firefighters.
2:26.1	There had been other major losses of firefighters in the past, the Great Fire of 1910,
2:31.1	for example.
	...

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