Unconnected historical events in Richmond, Indiana being discussed on Beware Of The Blog for the second consecutive day? Incredibly, yes.
Cecil Pigott - The Richmond Explosion (2:46)
On Saturday afternoon April 6, 1968 Richmond, Indiana was hammered by a natural gas explosion caused by faulty transmission lines directly beneath the heart of downtown. The extensive damage was then intensified when the resulting fire reached gunpowder stored beneath a sporting goods store, causing a second explosion.
Twenty buildings were condemned in the aftermath of the devastation, which took 41 lives and injured over 100 people.
On the 40th anniversary of the tragedy, a documentary film called 1:47 (the time of the first explosion) was released to tell the story of what the town and its citizens experienced that day. Additional documentation and photography of the event can be found in Esther Kellner's book Death In A Sunny Street, published shortly after the events took place. The book is long out of print, but the entire volume has been digitized and can be perused at your convenience.
And for another topical song of tragedy from the history-minded Cecil Pigott, check out the other side of this record, which is about the collapse of the Silver Bridge.
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