Mar. 25, 2005 - 18:52 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Or Otherwise

Never strikes the same place twice ? Guess closies don't count but the toll, the toll, the bleeding toll. An article in this morning's Rocky Mountain News by Pam Easton of the Associated Press, In part:

Death toll climbs in refinery explosion

Hunt for cause under way, although terorism ruled out, official from FBI says

TEXAS CITY, Texas

" The death toll in a thunderous explosion at a BP refinery climbed to 15 Thursday as investigators tried to determine the cause of the worst accident in the nation's gas and chemical industry in nearly 15 years."

"It was the deadliest accident in the nation's gas and chemical industry since an explosion at an Arco chemical Co. plant in nearby Channelview killed 17 people in in 1990."

"The BP plant and Texas City, population 40,000, have dealt with two other recent refinery accidents.

OSHA fined the refinery nearly $110,000 after two employees were burned to death by superheated water in September."

"Another explosion forced the evacuation of the plant for several hours last March."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After I read the article I noticed the sidebar that confirmed a thought of mine. "Texas City is the site of the worst industrial accident in U.S. history."

"In 1947, a fire aboard a ship at the Texas City Docks triggered a huge explosion that killed 576 people and left fires burning in the city for days."

Consulting Google my memory was refreshed. The morning of April 16, 1947 a freighter in the harbor with a hold full of ammonium nitrate fertilizer exploded, killing or injuring a third of the cities population. "Population about 18,000 of which 581 were dead and 3,500 injured.

The area around Houston is heavy in industrial, chemical and oil refining. Part of the fires on shore were sparked by pieces of the freighter blown from the harbor. In Google pictures can be found of that disaster.

Further back in my memory is what I heard my Grandmother relate, after the Galveston flood she moved her family to Shreveport, Louisiana without possessions or money.

Galveston Island is a location near Houston also. On September 8, 1900 a hurricane with 120 MPH winds swept the island. It had a population of 37,789, the deaths estimated 6,000 to 10,000.

I remember seeing some of the photographs in her album of the wreckage of the Galveston flood.

It is hard for me to imagine a disaster happening now considering the growth in population over the almost 100 years since the flood there, the toll would be astronomical I think.

Pondering on things, thinking that many industrial areas, manufacturing areas and ports have histories somewhat similar.

I worked for a power plant for ten years, every Monday there would be an hour's safety meeting, I remember reading in the safety magazines about accidents in power plants wherein a turbine would fly apart or steam related accidents would happen. Life is a succession of fires, explosions, floods and miscellaneous accidents and ills that each of us must face some of, now and then. Being better off because of the way we cope with events, or worse off if we let ourselves be defeated.

I guess we get early training by playing Pachesi and other childish board games and learn to go on with things even though we are behind.

One of the things I battle is grouchiness. Recently Heather bought tickets over the phone, via Visa to Mysteries Of The Nile at IMAX for today's afternoon showing, because today was projected to be nice by the fearcasters a few days back. Tickets bought and paid for already and then the fearcasters began to say rain, light snow, yadda, yadda, yadda. Being old, retired and feeble to a point, I do NOT go out if it is going to be snowy, heavy rainy or some other extreme. Grouchy descended on my shoulders as I was eating breakfast and seeing light snow coming down. Heaving a sigh I mounted the shotgun seat and away we went. No snow visibly drifting down, but the skies frowned heavily, on me Joe Btsfplk (Lil' Abner's drifting disaster man) sneering, "I'ma gonna getcha." Heavy traffic didn't improve my mood a bit. Going in, getting tickets from Will Call and riding the elevator up the onus monkey on my back yet.

I did manage to get interested in Mysteries Of The Nile and stay that way until the lights came up and people started to go out. The gibbering gremlin granulated my brain saying, "Wonder how deep the snow is out there and how slippery it is. How long will it take to get home after our fender bender ?"

We made it across town to our area on dry pavement, had dinner and my spirits began to shine brightly. For the nonce at least, my periods of grouchiness will be back to the before coffee period in the morning, a time when no one speaks to me prior caffeine consumption.

I can't quite quote a saying but can paraphrase to where it carries intelligence, "A coward dies a million deaths, a hero but one." I can say it, now must this man live it.

I guess I can end up a cranky old man Or Otherwise . . . . . . . .

Blog