Finding aid for the East Ohio Gas Explosion and Fire Photographs
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| Repository: |
Western Reserve Historical Society
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| Creator: |
Various |
| Title: |
East Ohio Gas Explosion and Fire Photographs |
| Dates: |
1944 |
| Extent: |
0.42 linear feet (1 container and 2 oversize folders) |
| Abstract: |
The East Ohio Gas Company Explosion and Fire occurred in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 20, 1944. A tank, constructed at the
northern end of East 61st Street in 1942 to store reserves of liquid natural gas for local war industries, began to leak vapor
which, when mixed with air, became combustible and exploded. It contained the equivalent to 90 million cubic feet of non-liquified
gas and set off the most disastrous fire in Cleveland's history. A second tank exploded about twenty minutes after the first.
Homes and businesses in the largely Slovenian-American neighborhood were set ablaze through an area of more than one square
mile of Cleveland's east side. The affected area had boundaries of St. Clair Avenue NE, East 55th Street, East 67th Street,
and the Memorial Shoreway. A wall of fire engulfed the area, destroying some homes while leaving others untouched. As the
gas vaporized, it flowed through gutters and along curbs until it reached catch basins and the underground sewage system,
causing streets to explode and manhole covers to blow off. The gas eventually flowed into homes and businesses via the sewage
system, causing further explosions, destruction, and injuries. By the following day the fire had largely burned out but the
damage was immense, including 79 houses, 2 factories, and 217 cars. The explosion and fire killed 130 people. As a result
of the fire and the analysis of its causes, new and safer alternatives to storing natural gas were developed. The collection
consists of 432 black and white prints of various sizes including six panoramas detailing the damage caused by the East Ohio
Gas Company explosion and fire on October 20, 1944.
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| PG Number |
PG 575 |
| Location: |
closed stacks |
| Language: |
The records are in English |
History of the East Ohio Gas Explosion and Fire
The East Ohio Gas Company Explosion and Fire occurred in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 20, 1944. A tank, constructed at the
northern end of East 61st Street in 1942 to store reserves of liquid natural gas for local war industries, began to leak vapor
which, when mixed with air, became combustible and exploded. It contained the equivalent to 90 million cubic feet of non-liquified
gas and set off the most disastrous fire in Cleveland's history. A second tank exploded about twenty minutes after the first.
Homes and businesses in the largely Slovenian-American neighborhood were set ablaze through an area of more than one square
mile of Cleveland's east side. The affected area had boundaries of St. Clair Avenue NE, East 55th Street, East 67th Street,
and the Memorial Shoreway. A wall of fire engulfed the area, destroying some homes while leaving others untouched. As the
gas vaporized, it flowed through gutters and along curbs until it reached catch basins and the underground sewage system,
causing streets to explode and manhole covers to blow off. The gas eventually flowed into homes and businesses via the sewage
system, causing further explosions, destruction, and injuries. By the following day the fire had largely burned out but the
damage was immense, including 79 houses, 2 factories, and 217 cars. The explosion and fire killed 130 people. As a result
of the fire and the analysis of its causes, new and safer alternatives to storing natural gas were developed.
click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for East Ohio Gas Co. Explosion and Fire
Scope and Content
The East Ohio Gas Company Explosion and Fire Photographs, 1944, consist of 432 black and white prints of various sizes including
six panoramas detailing the damage caused by the East Ohio Gas Company explosion and fire on October 20, 1944.
This collection is of value to researchers studying disasters and public safety issues in Cleveland, Ohio, as well as the
history of the East Ohio Gas Company and the natural gas industry in America, particularly in regard to concerns surrounding
the storage of liquefied natural gas. It is also relevant to those interested in the events on the home front during World
War II. Those interested in photographic documentation of the East Ohio Gas Explosion and its aftermath will find this collection
useful. This collection contains rare images of interior residential damage caused by the exterior explosion and the gas
that flowed through sewage pipes.
Statement of Arrangement
The collection is arranged in twelve series. Each series represents a different donation of East Ohio Gas explosion photographs
and thus a slightly different aspect of the event. Special notes about some of the series are included here. Series I: Photographs
Donated by Mark and Carol Myers contains several photographs of various sizes given in in honor of photographer Lydia Luth.
Series II: Photographs Donated by Lois Tomsic of Clearwater, Florida, has been retained in the order in which it was received.
Tomsic's mother, Helen Pecjak Tomsic, occupied a house on East 63rd Street with her father when the gas explosion occurred.
She took the photographs in this donation, including some shots of the interior damage to the house, wrote descriptions on
almost all of the images, and sent them to her husband, Bill Tomsic, who was overseas in the army at the time. 37 original
photographs are paired, when possible, with 22 copies. Series VI: Photographs Donated by Tom Berensfeld, Cleveland Press,
contains 40 7x9 inch photographs, one 6x9 inch photograph, and two 9x14 inch photographs. These were taken by or for the
Cleveland Press. Series VIII: Photographs Donated by Susan Konn McCormick were taken by the donor's father, Frank Andrew
Konya while he was a student at the Cleveland Institute of Music. The first 15 photographs are views of the damage caused
by the East Ohio Gas Explosion. The 16th image is a view of tornado damage on Avon Avenue in Cleveland in 1943. Series X:
Panoramas are all stored in panorama storage separately from the rest of the collection. They were donated by Bill Thailing,
Kenneth and Barbara Carlson, The Berea Historical Society, and Mark and Carol Myers.
Restrictions on Access
None.
Related Material
The researcher should also consult PG 205 Marvin Clinton Harrison Photographs and MS 4035 Thomas A. Burke Papers.
Separated Material
The panoramas are all stored in panorama storage separately from the rest of the collection.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Subjects:
Disasters -- Ohio -- Cleveland -- Photographs
East Ohio Gas Company. -- Photographs
Fires -- Ohio -- Cleveland -- Photographs
Natural gas -- Accidents -- Ohio -- Cleveland -- Photographs
Natural gas -- Storage
Public safety -- Ohio -- Cleveland
Preferred Citation
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] PG 575 East Ohio Gas Explosion and Fire Photographs, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland,
Ohio.
Acquisition Information
Series I: Mark and Carol Myers, 1992
Series II: Lois Tomsic, 2010 Series III: John P. Goss, 1994 Series IV: Glenn W. Myers, 1993 Series V: Janine Wochna, 2009
Series VI: Tom Beresfeld, Cleveland Press, 1977 Series VII: Mr. and Mrs. David Fisher and Alan Fisher, 1990 Series VIII:
Mary Bennett, 2007 Series IX: Susan Konn McCormick, 2004 Series X: Bill Thailing, 1975; Mark and Carol Myers, 1992; Kenneth
and Barbara Carlson, 1994; Berea Historical Society, 1998. Series XI: Greg Radecky, 2014 Series XII: Claudia Stewart-Manning,
2015
Processing Information
Processed by Scott Ondercin in 2012. Updated by Hannah Kemp-Severence in 2016. All photographs in this collection (with the
exception of Series X: Panoramas and Series XII: Photographs Donated by Claudia Stewart-Manning) have been digitized.
Detailed Description of The Collection
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Folder |
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Twenty-three 3x4" black and white photographs 1944 |
| 1 |
2 |
Eight 4x7" and twenty 6x10" black and white photographs 1944 |
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| Box |
Folder |
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3 |
Thirty-seven original black and white photographs (3.5x5 and 4x3), plus 22 copies including descriptions written on back 1944 |
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Folder |
| 1 |
4 |
Forty-nine 8x10" black and white photographs 1944 |
| 1 |
5 |
Forty-two 8x10" black and white photographs 1944 |
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Folder |
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6 |
One 3.5x5" black and white photograph 1944 |
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Folder |
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7 |
Eighteen 3.5x5" black and white photographs likely taken by Elmer Hrabek 1944 |
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Folder |
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8 |
Twelve 7x9" black and white photographs, one 6x9" black and white photograph, and one 9x14" black and white photograph of
buildings affected by the explosion, taken by/for the Cleveland Press 1944
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| 1 |
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Twenty-eight 7x9" black and white photographs and one 9x14" black and white photograph of victims of the explosion/fire, taken
by/for the Cleveland Press 1944
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| Box |
Folder |
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10 |
15 black and white photographs, 4.5x2.75 inches, depicting damage, including residential and commercial streets, automobiles,
crowds, East Ohio Gas facilities and National Guard and Navy troops 1944
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| 1 |
10 |
1 black and white photograph, 4.5 x 2.75 inches, depicting tornado damage on Avon Avenue April 27, 1943 |
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| Box |
Folder |
| 1 |
11 |
Nineteen black and white views of the aftermath of the East Ohio Gas Explosion, including views of damage to buildings, streets,
electrical poles, automobiles, and sewer lines; views of personal belongings and furnishings lined up on the shore of Lake
Erie; and explicit/graphic views of burned bodies and bones. These images are probably press photographs 1944
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| Oversize 1 |
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Sixty-eight black and white photographs ranging in size from 4.5x2.75" to5x4" and excerpts from local school newsletters removed
from a scrapbook 1944
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| Folder |
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| Oversize 2 |
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Six panoramic views and two 8x10" copies of one of the panoramas showing damage from the East Ohio Gas explosion and fire
on October 20, 1944 (removed to Panorama Storage) 1944
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| Box |
Folder |
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12 |
Thirty-eight black and white photographs, approximately 3.5x5", depicting the aftermath/destruction of the East Ohio Gas explosion
and fire 1944
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| Box |
Folder |
| 1 |
13 |
Twenty black and white photographs, approximately 3.5x5", depicting the aftermath/destruction of the East Ohio gas explosion
and fire 1944
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