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Hammond Indiana

Subject	Message	Replies
�On Saturday morning of August 27, 1955, at 6:15 " Date: 08-14-2009 By: BobK	Standard Oil blew up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPAldyzfSUg We lived on the north side of Hammond on the corner of Torrence and 140th. My parents were in bed on the first floor on the other side of the blast and I was on the second floor under a window facing the blast. My mother said they were almost knocked out of bed by the blast and I didn't feel a thing. Our house was about 3 1/2 miles from the blast with only the houses on the other side of Torrence between us and the blast. Beyond those houses was nothing but swamp and slag filled swamp on either side of Calumet Avenue. It was my and many of my friends playground and the Toll Road wasn't there yet. As I watched the fire, I could see the large storage tanks blow up and 10 to 15 seconds later the heat from the blast would hit you making you glad you weren't any closer than Calumet Avenue. I took my Dad's camera and took pictures as the tanks blew. It was color slide film but my Dad never had it developed and being only 13 I didn't have any money to have it done. Sure were some good shots that didn't get developed. Bob [img]http://home.comcast.net/~rkekeis/Bob1.jpg[/img]	8

Replies

Date	Member	Message
08-15-2009 ( Reply#: 3569 )	tom w	Bob: I'd like to comment on 2 threads at once here. Elsewhere I remarked about everyone in our neighborhood climbing out on their roofs to watch the fire. It was very surreal to me. Yes, I remember Cathy Yonkers well. Stanley Ignace Lived right near 149th and Columbia too. Also where you lived was near the Cavalier Inn and Roller Rink. I believe you had David Tyrka for a neighbor too. Also the Sunshine Inn. I also mentioned playing on the hills north of Columbia and south of the tank farm too as a kid. It was fun when you got used to the smell LOL Tom W
08-15-2009 ( Reply#: 3572 )	BobK	I was a little further north near where the Toll Road entrance is. East of Calumet there used to be a garbage pit and we would go out there and shoot rats with our BB guns. Cathy was my first love. It didn't last long though. We just never seemed to get together after I went off to Hammond High. One Friday she said we couldn't get together Saturday because she had a wedding to go to. I said no problem I had a wedding to go to also. Turned out to be the same wedding. Her brother married my cousin. We dated a couple of times when we were out of high school but we had different interests and just didn't click. She died way too young. I think it was kidney failure but I don't remember what caused the kidney failure. Bob [img]http://home.comcast.net/~rkekeis/Bob1.jpg[/img]
08-15-2009 ( Reply#: 3574 )	tom w	Bob; So sorry to hear that. As I remember she was a very quiet and VERY pretty girl. My first major was Carol Rose. She ran off and got married to another friend, Kenny Hawkes. I understand they are still married and living in Calif. Good for them. I'm still wracking my brain trying to remember your last name cause I knew that Cathy had a boyfriend but couldn't remember who. (don't tell me yet) tom w
08-15-2009 ( Reply#: 3575 )	BobK	Do you mean Stanley Ignas? He was in my class at Hammond High. My love affair with Cathy was only one Summer when I was 13 or 14. Bob [img]http://home.comcast.net/~rkekeis/Bob1.jpg[/img]
08-15-2009 ( Reply#: 3584 )	tom w	Bob; Yeah he was K thru 6 with me at Irving. I saw him later in a Hammond police uniform that didn't fit on the corner of Hohman and Sibley in front of Walgreens. Nice kid. You mentioned the ICE dances at Irving, do you remember the Stoogen dances (Edison?) or the YWCA downtown on Ogden? Tom W
08-15-2009 ( Reply#: 3585 )	BobK	No, I never went to the Y. Bob [img]http://home.comcast.net/~rkekeis/Bob1.jpg[/img]
12-07-2009 ( Reply#: 4124 )	Jay	Although I know it was a huge news story, I have vague memories of the fire. Does anyone remember what the cause was?
12-07-2009 ( Reply#: 4127 )	Tom J	quote: Originally posted by Jay Although I know it was a huge news story, I have vague memories of the fire. Does anyone remember what the cause was? I have a DVD from Mid America Heritage Preservation Foundation which includes some old footage of a reporter and the manager of the refinery giving a description of what happened. A valve failed to totally close in a hydroformer, and air (oxygen) was allowed to leak into the system that should have been filled with inert gas. The mixture of air and naptha (petroleum ether) fumes blew up during the start-up cycle of the unit. Hydroformers are used to increase the octane level of gasoline. It was the hot shrapnel from this explosion that started the fires in the adjacent storage tanks. Tom