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Overview
The cargo ship Grandcamp was docked in Texas City, Texas, loaded with bags of fertilizer bound for farmers in Europe. The fertilizer seemed harmless, but it contained a substance that is also used to make bombs. When blue smoke began to rise from the bags, dockworkers rushed to put out the fire that had begun. Yet the flames kept growing. They caused an explosion that set roofs ablaze, hurled fireballs toward tanks filled with dangerous chemicals, and even created a giant tidal wave. The terrible chain of events formed the worst industrial accident in U.S. history and raised questions about safety that would eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court.Editorials
School Library Journal
Gr 3-6
Titanic describes the 1912 collision of this "unsinkable" ship with an iceberg, and the resulting horror. Three Mile Island discusses the 1979 malfunction of a nuclear reactor that could have cost thousands of lives and devastated the area but, fortunately, did not. A 1911 fire in a New York City sweatshop where 146 people died because of dangerous conditions is the subject of Triangle , which also describes resulting changes in workers' rights. Texas covers the 1947 explosion of a ship loading fertilizer that set off a chain reaction in which 550 people died. The disaster might have been prevented by warning labels on the fertilizer. In each of these titles, the writing is clear and concise, and nothing is described purely for shock value; the facts are allowed to speak for themselves. The books are liberally laced with pertinent period photographs and numerous quotes from people who played significant roles in the events. Brief profiles of these figures are also provided. While none of the books actively seeks to place blame, there is also no attempt to gloss over failings. Emphasis is on the laws and policies that have been adopted to ensure that such tragedies do not reoccur. Useful additions to explain painful but important pieces of history.
—Grace OliffCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.