1956 Bush Terminal explosion

The December 3, 1956, explosion at Bush Terminal occurred at the Luckenbach Steamship Co., Inc. pier at 35th Street in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York. The blast killed 10 persons and injured 270 more. It resulted in "major destruction" within a 1,000-foot radius and broken glass in a one-mile radius, shook buildings in the Financial District of Manhattan, and was heard 35 miles away.[1]

At 3:15 p.m., dockworkers were using an oxyacetylene torch to cut a column of the structure atop the pier. Sparks ignited a pile of 26,365 pounds of ground foam rubber scrap packed in 500 burlap bags. Longshoremen did their best to put out the blaze with handheld extinguishers. The inferno and smoke proved too great for them, so they waited for firefighters to arrive.[2]

At 3:41 p.m., 37,000 pounds of Cordeau Detonant Fuse caused an explosion, eviscerating the south-central part of the pier. Cordeau Detonant Fuse was not considered a major explosive hazard at the time, and its presence on the pier was not discovered until the investigating authorities reviewed the pier's inventory two days later.

Earlier in the day, there had been an additional 11,415 pounds of rubber scrap on the pier, but the burlap bags holding them had broken. The investigators believe that pieces of the highly inflammable scrap had been strewn across the dock in the process of being removed, leaving a trail for the flames to follow.

The explosion launched the steel frame of the structure atop the pier in all directions. One piece landed in a cargo shed at Erie Basin in Red Hook half a mile away, starting a fire there. The flying steel caused all ten deaths, with one victim a full 1,000 feet away.

The shock wave rattled buildings miles from the epicenter and shattered glass for a mile around, which proved the source of most of the injuries. Amazingly, no firefighters died.[3] They were too close to the blast, which ejected the shrapnel over their heads.

The follow-up report[2] suggested several changes in policy to prevent similar future accidents. It called for training for all dock workers on recognizing fire risks. It proposed limiting hazardous materials to specified areas, “away from other materials that might augment their hazards in any fires.” It advocated special markings for explosives, and a periodic review of government codes and regulations.

Damage from the explosion is still apparent at Industry City; iron on the fire escapes is mangled, and several windows contain shrapnel.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Williams, Keith. "The great Brooklyn explosion of 1956". The Weekly Nabe. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Brooklyn, N.Y. waterfront fire and explosion. The New York Board of Fire Underwriters Bureau, et al. 1957.
  3. ↑ "Miracle on 35th Street". MARINE 1 F.D.N.Y. Retrieved May 15, 2013.

Coordinates: 40°39′35″N 74°00′39″W / 40.65961°N 74.01094°W / 40.65961; -74.01094

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