Evening star., 1948-07-29

Sergt. Howard Mckee of Muir
phreesboro, Tenn. Mckee ran a
bulldozer through smoke and fumes
to the danger area where eight tank
cars containing highly volatile
chemicals had been knocked from
a track.
With the help of Capt. Joseph
Dumic of Elizabethton, Tenn, and
Warrant Officer Chester Warner, he
righted the cars and toWed them
away from the fire.
1T wasn't quite as bad as the
Battle of the Bulge" in the last
winter of the war" said Sergt. Nc
Kee, a combat veteran, "but it was
pretty bad"
Like other rescue workers, Sergt.
Mckee was covered with red and
purple dyes.
Special efforts were being made to
prevent the flames from reaching
underground storage tanks, reported
to contain highly volatile chemicals.
One by one rescue workers dragged
out bfood-Smeared men and women
from under beams or walls that had
escaped the fire. Sometimes the
person on the stretcher was still
breathing. Sometimes the victim
was dead, distorted by heat or dis
colored by chemicals.
Survivors Suffer Shock.
Strong fumes from burning chem
icalS sent survivors reeling about
the streets like blind men. Sur
vivors were SO shocked and daZed by
concussion that few could realize
what had happened. Even those
wounded only slightly were unable
to give clear accounts of their ex-
perienceS.
A woman chemist said: "I had
just started washing my hands to
get ready to go home when a ter
rible blow smashed the windows and
destroyed all our laboratory equip
ment. I rushed out as fast as I
could and luckily enough, here I
am
Karl Ludwig, a Farben executive,
was in his Office, about 300 yards
from the probable spot of the blast.
He said:
Il was sitting at my desk when I
heard a terrible noise. The windows
in the room were smashed and I
could see flames 300 or 400 meters
1925 to 425 yards away"
Americans Lend Aid.
The scene early today was a grim
one resembling wartime. Throughout
the night ambulances raced here
with their sirens wailing. Six hun
dred American soldiers crossed the
Rhine from Mannheim to help in
tire-fghting and rescue work.
The entire disaster area was
evacuated late last night of all ex-
cept firemen and rescue workers,
because of the constant explosions.
Some 1000 doctors and nurses were
aiding the burned and injured.
They came from all sections of
Western Germany. Field hospitals
sprouted around the sprawling
plant.
Wartime bombing raids on the
giant industrial works caused Moth
ing like the damage of Yesterdays
explosion and fire.
Water from the Rhine was
pumped through $4,000 feet of hose
to play on the flames.
Air Force Offers Help.
The United States Air Force, al
ready burdened with the task of
flying supplies to blockaded Berlin,
offered to help. Tons of medical
supplies and food are being rushed
here by truck.
Frankfurt sent 10 ambulanceS.
Heidelberg dispatched 80. As hos
pitfalls near here became filled and
could take no more patients, the
injured were taken to dozens of
cities and towns farther away.
Eventually, amgbulance loads of
wounded were being rushed to
KaiSerlauten and Karlsruhe, 60
miles from Ludwigshafen. A United
States Army statement said 2,700
persons were treated for injuries
suffered in the plant when the first
blast occurred. At least $500 others
were injured by falling walls and
flying glass and debris. outside the
plant. Police said 1000 persons
were hospitalized in Ludwigshafen,
300 in Heidelberg and 300 in Mann
helm.
Others, even in Mannheim, Amer
lean zone city across the Rhine.
were injured and dazed by falling
brick walls and shattered glass.