Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-26
EXPLODING TANKS
DAMAGE TAKOMA
HOMES; 3 INJURED
Windows in Score of Houses
Are Shattered by Two
Terrific Blasts.
AIR FILLED WITH SHEETS
OF FLAME AND DEBRIS
Woman Treated for Shock While
Man Is Cut by Flying Fragments
and Another Sustains Burns.

Three persons sustained minor in
juries today when two terrific explosions
shattered windows in score of homes
near Sixth and Butternut streets, Ia
koma Park, filling the air with flaming
gas and flying fragments of metal and
wood.
The first explosion occurred when a
tank filled with acetylene gas gave way,
permitting the highly infiammable con-
tents to come into contact with a weld
ing torch in the hands of william
Parks, 35-year-old workman for the
Washington Railway 81 Electric Co.
The escaping gas ignited Immediately,
filling the air with sheets of flame,
which spread over the vicinity and
scared lawns nearly so feet away.
AS the startled residents Of the
neighborhood ran to the windows Of
their homes and stared, fascinated, at
the burning gas, they we're shaken by
second explosion, of much greater
force.
Oxygen-FilIed Tank Bursts.
This resulted from the bursting Of a
tank filled with oxygen, of 10 stored
on truck with the acetylene tank. The
twisted and torn tank was hurled high
in the air, clearing dwelling house and
landing in front OF garage 200 feet
away.
Parks, who lives at Seat Pleasant,
Nd, said he was working with the
torch about 10 feet away from the
truck on which the tanks were stored.
1.-The first thing knew" he said,
"a sheet of fame shot out and seemed
to envelop me. jumped back Just as
the first explosion sounded" Parks was
burned about the face.
The others injured were: George 7:
Ia,,Aka rkV aud
Mrs. Mamie Story, 6914 Sixth street.
Shannon was slightly cut by flying
fragment, while Mrs. Story was treated
by her private physician for shock.
An automobile belonging to Shan
mons brother, DR.. William A. Shannon,
was parked just behind the storage
truck. The doors were locked.
Metal and Wood Fill Air.
After the first explosion the two
brothers ran out and tried to move the
car away from the flames. The handle
Of the door which was locked, however,
had been shorn on by flying debris ana
they could not get into the car.
They had started to push tt back
and were caught by the blast OF the Sec
ond explosion.
"The air about us was filled with
flying metal and wood" Shannon said
but escaped with only one little cut.
IL SGC1iCu d1AilOob O I'LL oNAS bAAcs9 wv W~NO
not seriously hurt"
Mrs Story's first intimation of what
was happening came when she was
surrounded by a shower of plaster from
the windows in her home. Although
uncut, she was found to be suffering
from shock.
The house closest to the scene Of the
explosions and the one most seriously
damaged was that of r. B. Stein, at
6Q07 Sixth street
Windows Bulge Outward.
Virtually all of the windows in the
front of his home were broken, but
instead of being blown inward they
were bulged out.
Fire Chief Watson expressed the be-
lief that the explosion created a vacuum
on the porch Of the Stein home and
that the resulting high pressure inside
the house caused the outward bulging
of the windows.
Mr.. Stein had just turned on his
radio when he heard the first explo-
sion.
IT saw the fire." he said, land ran
out to call the Fire Department. As I
reached the street, however, saw my
boy standing near the scene and, pick
ing him up, I started to run back to
the house.
Before could get half way back
the second explosion occurred and the
broken tank flew over my head with q
screaming sound similar to that of a
large shell. 1t was at least is feet
above me, but ducked involuntarily
at the sound The air around me was
literally filled with flying debris and
was amazed to learn later that no one
had been seriously injured"
Tree Branches Mark Route.
The oxygen tank. which exploded was
found later in front of a garage in the
rear of the Stein home. It's course
through the air was clearly marked by
broken tree branches. In landing, the
tank struck and smashed a retaining
wall in front of the garage.
Several of the other oxygen tanks
were blown from the truck, one landing
on a lawn several yards away. One
could not be found after a preliminary
search.
The tanks of oxygen were intended
for the use of workmen laying new
tracks on Butternut street for the
washington Railway and Electric Co.
Fire Chief Watson, who said he be-
lieved the explosion of the oxygen tank
was caused by the heat or the fire on
the outside, ordered an immediate in
vestigation to determine, If possible,
what caused the tank of acetylene gas
to give way.
H. Mooney, foreman in charge of the
Job, said he did not know what caused
the first explosion.
Windows in every house but one in
the 5000 block of Sixth street were
shattered. Other windows were broken
in q number of homes on Butternut
street and In the $500 block of Sixth (
street.