1973 Staten Island gas explosion

Gas explosion in New York City May 2020 THE TEXAS EASTERN GAS TANK THAT KILLED 41 WORKMEN WHEN IT IMPLODED IN JANUARY 1973, IS NOW BEING REBUILT OVER THE... - NARA - 551983 (Color adjusted).jpg yes The gas tank that exploded in 1973 1973 02 10 13:00 EST (18:00 UTC) Bloomfield, Staten Island, New York, U.S. 40.618694, -74.197311 inline,title 40 On February 10, 1973, a gas explosion occurred inside a Texas Eastern Transmission Pipeline tank storing liquefied natural gas in the Bloomfield neighborhood of Staten Island, New York City, while 42 workers were cleaning the tank. The tank had supposedly been completely drained ten months earlier, but ignition occurred, causing a plume of combusting gas to rise. Two workers near the top felt the heat and rushed to the safety of scaffolding outside, while the other 40 workers died as the concrete cap on the tank rose 20 to 30 ft in the air and then came crashing back down, crushing them. The incident was the worst industrial accident in Staten Island's history. It resulted in a moratorium on liquefied natural gas storage facilities in New York state. Background At the time of the incident, Rossville, Bloomfield, and other Staten Island neighborhoods had numerous liquefied natural gas storage tanks. In 1970, Distrigas had announced plans to build nine 37,800,000 gal on gas tanks in Rossville, of which two were built.van der Linde Peter https://archive.org/details/timebomblngtruth0000vand/page/26 Time Bomb: LNG: The truth about our newest and most dangerous energy source Hintze Naomi A. Doubleday 1978 0-385-12979-3 Garden City, New York 26–32 77-7627126 Opposition to such tanks developed slowly, but by 1971, many Staten Island residents were opposed to the construction of gas tanks.27 Gene and Edwina Cosgriff formed the group Bring Legal Action to Stop the Tanks (BLAST) to protest the tanks' construction after hearing about the theoretical negative effects of an oil spill within the nearby Arthur Kill waterway.44–45 Patrick A. Mercurio, BLAST's chairman, later said that according to scientists, "an explosion of a tank filled with gas would extend to an area eight miles by one mile—the equivalent of a small nuclear explosion".Smothers Ronald February 11, 1973 S.I. Groups Fought Tanks As 'Time Bombs' for Area en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/11/archives/si-groups-fought-tanks-as-time-bombs-for-area-situation-pathetic.html May 5, 2020 0362-4331 The particular gas tank that exploded had a capacity of 660,000 barrels,On this day in 1973: Staten Island liquefied natural gas explosion in kills 40 workers https://www.silive.com/news/j66j-2020/02/7bf286f7952863/on-this-day-in-1973-staten-island-liquefied-natural-gas-explosion-in-kills-40-workers.html Zaffarano Steve February 10, 2020 silive May 5, 2020Hashagen Paul https://books.google.com/books?id=ubGf6Z15CiIC&pg=PA141 Fire Department, City of New York: The Bravest: An Illustrated History, 1865 to 2002 Turner Publishing Company 2002 1-56311-832-7 Paducah, Kentucky 141 2002111523 and was 108 ft tall with a diameter of 272 ft.McFadden Robert D. February 11, 1973 43 Workers Buried in Huge Gas Tank In Explosion and Fire on Staten Island en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/11/archives/43-workers-buried-in-huge-gas-tank-in-explosion-and-fire-on-staten.html May 5, 2020 0362-4331 The tank was owned by Texas Eastern Transmission Pipeline (TETCo) and had supposedly been drained in April 1972.28 However, the tank had a polyurethane lining, which enabled gas to be trapped inside the lining even after the liquid had been drained.Perlmutter Emanuel February 19, 1973 S.i. Blast Is Laid to Trapped Gas en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/19/archives/si-blast-is-laid-to-trapped-gas-a-pocket-in-tanks-lining-is-called.html May 5, 2020 0362-4331 At the time of the explosion, the men were sealing cracks in the plastic lining of the tank.The World Book Year Book 1974 Stille Darlene R. Disasters 1974 Field Enterprises Educational Corporation Chicago 0-7166-0474-4 62-4818 292 https://archive.org/details/1974worldbookyea00fiel/page/292Knight Michael February 17, 1973 Tank Blaze Laid to Lining Repair en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/17/archives/tank-blaze-laid-to-lining-repair-marshal-says-fire-started-in-foam.html May 5, 2020 0362-4331 The roof of the tank was designed to collapse in the event of an explosion. TETCo officials had been "fanatical about safety", and even on the day before the explosion, February 9, 1973, TETCo officials called Staten Island residents "hysterical" for raising concerns about the danger of storing gas near residential areas.26 Incident The explosion occurred on February 10, 1973, at about 1 p.m. EST. Jose Lema and Joseph Pecora, two survivors of the explosion, said that just before the explosion occurred, the space had heated up and a low "woof" could be heard from the ceiling. Pecora tapped Lema on the shoulder and the two workers escaped out of the stairway. Lema reported a loud explosion after the two men had escaped through an opening in the dome, though Pecora did not remember any sound.26 Another worker, John Carroll, had been on the roof and ran down the embankment around the tank, escaping with minor injuries. Hundreds of first responders went to the site, including New York City Fire Department rescue companies 1 and 2, and found the bodies 12 hours after the explosion. Rescuers developed a system to retrieve the corpses. Rescue and truck companies worked in shifts to recover the bodies, with one rescue company being assisted by several truck companies at any given time.26–27 Most of the bodies were retrieved quickly, with 28 victims having been extricated by February 12.McFadden Robert D. February 12, 1973 28 Victims Found, 12 Still Missing in S.i. Explosion en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/12/archives/28-victims-found-12-still-missing-in-si-explosion.html May 5, 2020 0362-4331 The recovery process was stymied by the presence of debris on the site, including granite slabs from the roof of the tank.Kaufman Michael T. February 13, 1973 Debris Foils Hunt for S.I. Blast Victims; Cause of Explosion Still Baffles Officials en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/13/archives/debris-foils-hunt-for-s-i-blast-victims-cause-of-explosion-still.html May 5, 2020 0362-4331 The last body was not retrieved until February 22.February 22, 1973 Last Body Is Recovered From Staten Island Tank en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/22/archives/last-body-is-recovered-from-staten-island-tank.html May 5, 2020 0362-4331 A few bodies were identified by artifacts such as "rings, watches, and bracelets".27 Some sources claimed that 43 workers were killed,Cashman John R. https://books.google.com/books?id=-gAgf9qeJ7cC&pg=PA268 Hazardous Materials Emergencies: The Professional Response Team Technomic Publishing Company 1995 1-56676-322-3 Lancaster, Pennsylvania 268 95-61048 possibly based on initial media reports that counted Lema, Pecora, and Carroll, though the final death toll was 40. Aftermath The incident was the deadliest industrial accident in Staten Island's history. Investigators from the New York City Fire Department and from the United States Department of Labor found that natural gas pockets had been found both in the tank itself and in surrounding areas.March 11, 1973 Gas Pockets Found at S. I. Blast Scene en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/11/archives/gas-pockets-found-at-s-i-blast-scene.html May 5, 2020 0362-4331 Massachusetts Institute of Technology mechanical-engineering professor James A. Fay said that TETCo's storage of liquefied natural gas and naphtha, both volatile substances, was very dangerous.Spiegel Irving February 11, 1973 Expert Told Council Storing Gas at Site On S.I. Was Unsafe en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/11/archives/expert-told-council-storing-gas-at-site-on-si-was-unsafe.html May 5, 2020 0362-4331 Experts from the gas industry disputed the fact that the explosion could have been caused by gas, saying "a construction accident" was the cause of the explosion.Kihss Peter February 12, 1973 Gas Tanks Called 'Safe' by Experts en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/12/archives/gas-tanks-called-safe-by-experts-industry-men-tie-si-blast-to.html May 5, 2020 0362-4331 In response to TETCo's claim that the liner was not flammable, scientists at the United States Bureau of Mines built a model of the tank and set it on fire, observing that the model had burned in a similar manner to the real tank.27 After investigators suggested that the tank may have been sabotaged, two TETCo workers confessed to breaking the lining to extend the tenure of their jobs, and were fired.28 Politicians quickly took regulatory action. The New York City Council passed a bill imploring the New York City Department of City Planning to prohibit any gas storage tanks from being constructed. Mayor John Lindsay signed a bill on March 25 that prevented the New York City Board of Standards and Appeals from granting zoning variances for tanks, meaning that they could not be larger than 500,000 gal.March 25, 1973 Lindsay Signs Bill Limiting Big Tanks For Storage of Gas en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/25/archives/lindsay-signs-bill-limiting-big-tanks-for-storage-of-gas.html May 5, 2020 0362-4331 The explosion resulted in a moratorium on liquefied natural gas storage facilities in New York state.Shapiro Rachel Staten Island liquefied natural gas explosion in 1973 led to decades-long ban in New York silive January 31, 2015 https://www.silive.com/news/2015/01/staten_island_liquefied_natura.html May 5, 2020 The construction of two under-construction tanks in Rossville was subsequently abandoned.Goodwin Michael October 1, 1979 Utility Dropping Plan to Ship Gas To Staten Island en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/01/archives/utility-dropping-plan-to-ship-gas-to-staten-island-public-service.html May 5, 2020 0362-4331 The Public Service Electric and Gas Company attempted to store natural gas in the two tanks, but dropped these plans in 1984 due to opposition.Ap December 19, 1984 S.i. Gas Storage Plan Dropped en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/19/nyregion/si-gas-storage-plan-dropped.html May 5, 2020 0362-4331 The statewide ban was repealed in January 2015, except within New York City, where it remained active.State ban on liquefied natural gas storage remains in effect for New York City https://www.silive.com/news/2015/01/state_ban_on_liquefied_natural.html Shapiro Rachel January 31, 2015 silive May 5, 2020 Numerous lawsuits were filed by the estates of the victims, the first having been filed in December 1973.December 13, 1973 Metropolitan Briefs en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/13/archives/metropolitan-briefs-new-york-certifies-transitbond-vote-310000.html May 5, 2020 0362-4331 TETCo was charged with 40 counts of negligent homicide in 1974.Montgomery Paul L. March 8, 1974 Concern Is Indicted In Tank Blast on S.I. en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1974/03/08/archives/concern-is-indicted-in-tank-blast-on-si-concern-indicted-in-si-tank.html May 5, 2020 0362-4331 Two years later, courts reached settlements of a combined $11 million in 33 civil lawsuits related to the explosion.March 25, 1976 33 Cases Settled in S.i. Explosion en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1976/03/25/archives/33-cases-settled-in-si-explosion-11million-resolves-claims-as.html May 5, 2020 0362-4331 The tank's site was cleared in 1993 and bought by NASCAR in 2004;Bagli Charles V. Dash Eric 2004-05-28 Staten Island, Start Your Engines: Nascar May Be On Its Way en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/28/nyregion/staten-island-start-your-engines-nascar-may-be-on-its-way.html 2020-05-05 0362-4331 since then, it has lain unused. References Category:1973 in New York City Category:1973 disasters in the United States Category:1973 industrial disasters Category:Building and structure fires in New York City Category:Construction accidents in the United States Category:1973 explosions Category:Gas explosions in the United States Category:History of Staten Island Category:Explosions in New York City