Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-09-08

ireConfer''elnce
Seeks toCurb
NitrafeHazafd.
Boys Termed Factor
In Ship Explosions;
Gen. Fleming Speoks

Paper bags are factor In the ex.
plosion of ammonium nitrate con.
fined in the hold Of . ship under
heat, and studies are under way to
obtain more suitable containers, the
Presidents Conference on Fire Pre-
vention, was told today.
Laboratory tests on the explosive
qualities Of this chemical, which
caused the Texas City and Brest
disasters, are being conducted BY .
number Of groups.
Maj. Gen. Philip B. Fleming, Ed.
eral Works Administrator, and con.
ference chairman, In an opening adj
dress, declared controls must not
stifie shipment of this needed
fertilizer here and abroad. The con-
ference Is being held in the Inter-
departmental Auditorium, Thir-
tenth street and Constitution ave-
niue NV. 1t Is attended BY repre-.
sentatives of business groups, trans
portation, research and Govern
ment. ..-.. =
Stresses Common Sense Handling.
Gen. Fleming declared 1t would be
q great loss II the ammonium
nitrate should become 50 burdensd
with bans that 1t would not b
available as q fertilizer. He And
other speakers stressed the point
that ammonium nitrate Is safe, II
handled carefully, under common
sense regulations. go
The general observed that New
York, Norfolk and Seattle will now
have nothing to do with 1t, And
he said If more cities put an EN-.
barge on it, I'VE will be in d bad AK"
Secretary of the Treasury Snyder
in July set up an inter-agency COM
mittee, representing Government
and other experts, because the Coast
Guard, under his jurisdiction, has
port responsibilities. This study was
discussed at today's session.
Details of manufacture Of Ann
monium nitrate, loading and trans
portation, were discussed ana the
point made that there never has
been an explosion in the rail ship
ment of the material, although
there have been fires.
Texas City Blast Reproduced.
The Texas City blast has been re-
produced on a small scale ! IN tho
laboratory and speakers stressed
that paper bags were q factor, under
confirmed conditions Of q ships
hold, with heat applied. "
Col. H. T. Miller of the ,Armys
Transportation Corps told the con-
ference that lit Is important We
operate safely and we do not I'M
mobilize a valuable product by max.
ing 1t too expensive to move" He
pointed out that stevedores are paid
high wages for handling ammonium
nitrate and declared Q major general
commanding a port drew less pay
than the head steyedore.
The answer to the problem, the
colonel said, is adoption and en-
forcement of common sense. rules,
cleanliness of q vessel and its port
facilities, strict enforcement of fire.
prevention rules, both aboard ship
and at dockside; speed in handling
the fire when 1t starts and appro.
PIRATE fire-tighting equipment.
DR.. r. o. E. Davis, principal
chemist in the Agriculture Depart
ment, cited bad features" OF the
chemical as being its ready Absorp-
ton of moisture from the, dir and
caking. If properly handled, the
chemical is q relatively safe mate
rial, DR.. Davis said, although he
conceded more research ID needed
to get fuller understanding Of 1t.
Lack of Precaution Stressed.
w. A. Minor, assistant To the
Secretary of Agriculture, declared
the world is short of nitrogen fer.
tilizer and so needs ammonium
nitrate. The Army, he explained,
has been operating plants to send
it abroad to avoid draining the
domestic supply.
A. C. Feldner, Bureau Of Mines
expert, told of laboratory tests
after the Texas City blasts, which
showed that when mixed with paper
ammonium nitrate detonatAd Ut 4
lower temperature. DR.. Bernard
Lewis, explosive expert, Bureau OF
Mines, said, I'VE do not know
enough about the inorganic chem.
istry Of ammonium nitrate."H
DR.. W.. G. McKenna, chief cheni-
list Of the Association Of American
Railroads, said precautions were
disregarded at Texas City and Brest
and good judgment was not used
in preventing the disaster and get
ting the fire out quickly. 1ntAnsive
investigation is being carried cut
to determine the safest way to
transport ammonium nitrate, he
said, adding there had Been no
explosion In rail shipments, but 4
dozen fires in freight ears