EDITOR’S NOTE: This text was written by former staffer Susan Carroll and was initially revealed in 2016. Saturday marks the seventy fifth anniversary of the 1947 Texas Metropolis Catastrophe, the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. historical past. To honor the 581 victims, a memorial service will probably be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday April 16 at Memorial Park in Texas Metropolis. The ceremony will transfer to Doyle Conference Middle within the occasion of rain.
They ate breakfast and gave their 6-month-old son, Kent, a bottle in his crib. Then they went exterior to look at smoke rise from the French freighter SS Grandcamp docked within the city’s port, alongside the west shore of Galveston Bay.
Fred Jr.’s father, Fred Sr., labored on the Monsanto Chemical Co., about 300 toes from the docks.
The couple and Fred Jr.’s mom received into their Oldsmobile with Kent and headed towards the orange smoke.
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They have been a couple of soccer subject away when the ship, carrying ammonium nitrate, exploded.
“Fred,” Yvonne Atwood remembers her mother-in-law saying, “begin this automotive and get us away from right here.”
The Houston Chronicle described the devastation in Texas Metropolis, 40 miles south of Houston, within the subsequent day’s version: “The wartime increase city of Texas Metropolis lay in warlike devastation Thursday.”
Texas Metropolis Catastrophe 1947
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The demise toll finally reached 576, together with the lacking. All however one member of the Texas Metropolis Hearth Division died.
The Texas Division of Public Security counts it because the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. historical past.
The explosion despatched a fireball into the sky, shrapnel throughout city and broken or destroyed greater than 1,000 buildings.
“A younger mom, wounded and with blood streaming down her face, roamed the streets, clutching a small child in her arms,” the Chronicle article mentioned. “The child was lifeless. The mom didn’t appear to comprehend it, for she violently fought off all makes an attempt to take the newborn from her.”
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Houston Chronicle entrance web page – April 20, 1947 – part 1, web page 1
The blast blew out Fred Jr.’s automotive window and dented the roof. Kent received a sliver of glass behind his head, recalled Yvonne Atwood, now 90.
The household drove again to their residence on Seventh Avenue, the place home windows had damaged out, Yvonne Atwood mentioned. An enormous piece of glass was in Kent’s crib.
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Jewel Turner, 90, remembers driving via downtown along with her uncle and daughter that day and seeing ambulances and “lifeless our bodies in all places.”
“It was identical to charcoal, identical to it had burned up,” she mentioned. “We actually thought it was the final. We thought it was Judgment Day.”
Jewel Turner, who survived the 1947 Texas Metropolis Catastrophe, in her residence Monday, June 6, 2016 in Texas Metropolis. ( Michael Ciaglo / Houston Chronicle )
Michael Ciaglo/Employees
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Fred Jr. regarded for his father at clinics and first assist stations, however could not discover him.
The explosion ignited a fireplace on the SS Excessive Flyer, one other ship loaded with ammonium nitrate, used to make dynamite and fertilizer. Practically everybody was evacuated, and the Flyer was towed about 100 toes from the docks earlier than it exploded.
04/17/1947 – The names of the recognized lifeless are listed on blackboards exterior the makeshift emergency morgue on the Texas Metropolis highschool gymnasium.Maurice Miller/HP employees
Later that day, Texas Metropolis officers opened the doorways of the Central Excessive College gymnasium, the place 189 our bodies have been specified by six lengthy rows, and “bade Texas Citians to enter and start the heart-rendering job of placing a reputation to the anonymous ones,” the newspaper reported.
The Chronicle featured a photograph of a younger mom crying and being supported by two males as she walked out of the health club after figuring out her husband. “Oh, God, how can I inform my child,” the newspaper quoted her as crying.
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Fred Jr. discovered his father, who had been on the pier when the ship exploded.
“It blew all his garments off besides his belt and his pocket watch,” mentioned Yvonne Atwood.
Two days after the blast, greater than 1,000 folks attended a memorial service on the gymnasium. Assist for Texas Metropolis poured in from throughout the nation. Celebrities, together with Frank Sinatra and Jack Benny, carried out in fundraisers.
The Coast Guard opened an inquiry into the blast. Officers spent months attempting to determine all of the our bodies. The newspaper carried descriptions of the belongings discovered together with the stays: “Physique 343, fragment blue-grey shirt, Herringbone weave, fragments of blue overalls, tan leather-based jacket and white ribbed undershirt.”
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“Physique 391, man’s marriage ceremony ring, plain yellow-gold band, belt buckle and screw-type roofing nail.”
1of17Texas Metropolis Catastrophe 1947Present ExtraPresent Much less2of17Texas Metropolis Catastrophe 1947Present ExtraPresent Much less3of17Texas Metropolis Catastrophe 1947Present ExtraPresent Much less4of17Texas Metropolis Catastrophe 1947Present ExtraPresent Much less5of17Texas Metropolis Catastrophe 1947Present ExtraPresent Much less6of17The demise toll within the 1947 Texas Metropolis catastrophe finally reached 576.Present ExtraPresent Much less7of1704/17/1947 – Accompanied by her injured buddy (left), Robert Gaeway, Nina Faye Adams emerges sobbing from the Texas Metropolis emergency morgue. She had simply recognized the physique of her brother.Maurice Miller/HP employeesPresent ExtraPresent Much less8of17
Texas Metropolis explosion, April 1947. Photograph offered by Story Sloane III
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04/16/1947 – Longshoreman G.A. Trusky smokes a cigarette, tries to recuperate from combating fireplace ensuing from the explosion on the Grandchamp in Texas Metropolis. Caroline Valenta / Houston Publish
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1947 – Texas Metropolis Catastrophe – The pressure of the SS Grandcamp explosion, coupled with flying particles produced by the blast, left this scene of destruction. A surge of water – a tidal wave – pushed from the harbor added to the harm. Jerry Maze / Houston Publish
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Houston Chronicle entrance web page – April 19, 1947 – part 1, web page 1.
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Houston Chronicle entrance web page – April 18, 1947 – part 1, web page 1
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Houston Chronicle entrance web page – April 17, 1947 – part 1, web page 1.
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Houston Chronicle entrance web page – April 30, 1947 – part 1, web page 1.
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Present ExtraPresent Much less15of17A lifeless rose sits within the lap of a sculpture titled “Grief” on the Texas Metropolis Memorial Cemetery, the place victims of the 1947 Texas Metropolis Catastrophe are honored Monday, June 6, 2016 in Texas Metropolis. ( Michael Ciaglo / Houston Chronicle )Michael Ciaglo/EmployeesPresent ExtraPresent Much less16of17Jewel Turner, who survived the 1947 Texas Metropolis Catastrophe, sits in her residence Monday, June 6, 2016 in Texas Metropolis. ( Michael Ciaglo / Houston Chronicle )Michael Ciaglo/EmployeesPresent ExtraPresent Much less17of17Jewel Turner, who survived the 1947 Texas Metropolis Catastrophe, sits in her residence Monday, June 6, 2016 in Texas Metropolis. ( Michael Ciaglo / Houston Chronicle )Michael Ciaglo/EmployeesPresent ExtraPresent Much less
In June 1947, the 63 our bodies that remained unidentified have been buried in a metropolis park throughout a mass funeral service.
The accident prompted greater than 3,000 lawsuits in opposition to the federal authorities, as a result of the ammonium nitrate got here from U.S. ordnance vegetation. Congress resolved the lawsuits in 1955 by passing a particular act that settled all claims for $16.5 million.
The accident additionally resulted in new laws for the manufacturing and transport of chemical substances. The principles required specialised containers for ammonium nitrate and prohibited its storage close to different reactive substances.
Nonetheless, 69 years later, the U.S. authorities is grappling with ammonium nitrate regulation.
Security advocates referred to as for the Environmental Safety Company so as to add it to its listing of harmful chemical substances that require firms to take larger security measures after an explosion in West, Texas, in 2013 killed 15 folks and injured 160.
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However the company didn’t add ammonium nitrate when it launched proposed reforms earlier this yr.
Turner, who was 19 when the SS Grandcamp exploded, mentioned she drives previous the memorial for the unidentified victims of the catastrophe as soon as every week, and it at all times brings again recollections.
She remembers being struck by the fantastic thing about the smoke earlier than the explosion.
“It was so many fairly colours,” she mentioned. “You simply could not describe it.”
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She remembers holding her 8-month-old daughter as she surveyed the charred stays of downtown.
“It was a horrible sight. Individuals screaming, packing little infants. They did not know the place to go,” she mentioned. “It was simply turmoil.”
She nonetheless thinks about it each day, she mentioned.
“You lay there and take into consideration how good God was to deliver you thru it,” she mentioned. “It might have killed me, too.”
Yvonne Atwood mentioned Fred Jr., who labored in a Texas Metropolis refinery most of his life, died of most cancers in 2006.
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He was buried in Hitchcock, in the identical cemetery as his father.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Jewel Turner handed away in 2017, and Yvonne Atwood handed away in 2021, per obituaries within the Galveston County Every day Information.
Former Texas Longhorns wide receiver Johntay Cook has found his next home.
And it is with a familiar foe.
According to reports from On3’s Hayes Fawcett, Cook has committed to the Washington Huskies, picking the Big Ten team over pursuit from Florida.
The Longhorns, of course, fell to the Huskies in the 2023 College Football Playoff semi-finals, coming up just short of a national title appearance as a result.
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The 5-foot-11, 175-pound speedster had originally been predicted to stay in the SEC and sign with the Florida Gators. That said, with the Huskies, he should have a tremendous opportunity to be the No. 1 receiver in the program.
Texas Longhorns receiver Johntay Cook II (1) makes a touchdown catch over UTSA safety Elijah Newell (22) during the game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Cook II, a five-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, had just eight catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns this season. He had three catches for 35 yards and two scores in the win over UTSA on Sept. 14.
There was an expectation entering the 2024 season that Cook II would see an increased role after minimal usage as a freshman but has instead become buried on a depth chart that features Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, DeAndre Moore Jr., Silas Bolden, and true freshman standout Ryan Wingo.
Cook ranked as the No. 31 player in the nation, No. 3 wide receiver and No. 5 player in the state of Texas for his class. As a transfer, he ranks as the No. 44 player available in the portal and the No. 14 wide receiver.
Cook ends his Longhorns career with just 16 catches for 273 yards and two touchdowns across two seasons.
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Texas State Bobcats (6-4) at Marshall Thundering Herd (5-6)
Huntington, West Virginia; Sunday, 1 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Marshall will try to keep its four-game home win streak intact when the Thundering Herd face Texas State.
The Thundering Herd have gone 4-2 at home. Marshall ranks ninth in the Sun Belt in team defense, giving up 66.7 points while holding opponents to 39.3% shooting.
The Bobcats are 4-1 on the road. Texas State has a 1-0 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
Marshall averages 71.8 points, 6.1 more per game than the 65.7 Texas State gives up. Texas State averages 3.8 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.6 fewer makes per game than Marshall allows.
The matchup Sunday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams in conference play.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Aislynn Hayes is averaging 17.7 points for the Thundering Herd.
Jaylin Foster is scoring 10.0 points per game and averaging 7.1 rebounds for the Bobcats.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Biden administration on Friday said it would stop selling off materials slated to be used to build a border wall ahead of the incoming Trump administration, which has promised to bring back tougher efforts to combat illegal immigration.
The Biden administration confirmed to a court that it will agree to a court order preventing it from disposing of any further border wall materials over the next 30 days, allowing President-elect Trump to use those materials, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said.
The Biden administration has been auctioning off border wall parts since at least 2023, with parts listed for sale on auction marketplaces, after it abruptly shut down most border wall construction in 2021.
GOP SENATOR MOVES TO BLOCK FEDS FROM DISPOSING OF BORDER WALL MATERIALS AMID AUCTION BACKLASH
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Piles of unused border fence sit at one of the border wall construction staging areas on the Johnson Ranch near Columbus, N.M., on Monday, April 12, 2021. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
President-elect Donald Trump then urged the Biden Administration to stop. Fox News Digital has reached out to Trump’s representatives.
“We have successfully blocked the Biden Administration from disposing of any further border wall materials before President Trump takes office,” Paxton said.
“This follows our major victory forcing Biden to build the wall, and we will hold his Administration accountable for illegally subverting our Nation’s border security until their very last day in power, especially where their actions are clearly motivated by a desire to thwart President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda,” he added.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a news conference in Dallas on June 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
In a news release, Paxton’s office said that if the Biden administration disposes of border wall materials purchased with funds subject to an injunction in violation of a court order, “it would constitute unethical and sanctionable conduct and officials could be held in contempt of court.”
Texas has said it intends to do all it can to help the incoming administration build the wall at the southern border when Trump enters office.
The Biden administration abruptly ended border wall construction in January 2021 after 450 miles had been built in the first Trump administration. While border hawks say a wall is a critical tool to stopping illegal immigration, some Democrats have said a wall project is xenophobic and ineffective.
HOUSE OVERSIGHT REPUBLICANS INVESTIGATING BIDEN ADMIN’S SALE OF BORDER WALL PARTS: ‘WASTE AND ABUSE’
President Donald Trump tours a section of the border wall, Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in San Luis, Ariz. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The auctioning off of border wall parts began in 2023 with parts listed for sale on GovPlanet.com, an online auction marketplace. The Defense Department’s logistics agency told media outlets that the excess material had been turned over for disposition by the Army Corps of Engineers and was now for sale.
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Those auctions have continued, with officials in Arizona telling Fox News Digital that auctions have been occurring weekly for some time. The practice drew attention last week when The Daily Wire published video showing unused wall parts being transported on flatbed trucks in Arizona, even though the materials could be used in the next Trump administration.
Trump previously called Biden’s efforts to sell unused border wall materials at a discounted rate “almost a criminal act.”
Trump said the auctions would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars to re-purchase the large steel bollards and concrete. He called on President Biden to “please stop selling the wall” and suggested his team would obtain a restraining order to halt the sales.
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“What they’re doing is really an act, it’s almost a criminal act,” he said. “They know we’re going to use it and if we don’t have it, we’re going to have to rebuild it, and it’ll cost double what it cost years ago, and that’s hundreds of millions of dollars because you’re talking about a lot of, a lot of wall.”
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Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw, Brooke Singman and Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
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