Texoma Eagle Scouts recognized, eight from Howe

Next Article

City

PUT

APRIL 8 ON YOUR CALENDAR FOR THE ANNUAL SAVE THE CHURCH BBQ AND AUCTION

Dr Ken Bridges

Dr. Bridges is a Texas native, writer, and history professor. He can be reached at drkenbridges@gmail com

It is every parent’s worst nightmare And it is a tragedy that still haunts a small East Texas town On one terrible day in 1937, a school building in New London exploded, killing nearly 300 children.

The oil industry had transformed Rusk County in a very short time since oil was first discovered in 1930 Oil workers and investors had swarmed into the area The oil industry was creating many jobs, shielding the community from the effects of the Great Depression that affected the rest of the country In the ensuing years, oil workers were injured or killed in natural gas explosions or oil rig accidents Safety and environmental regulations did not exist, and company owners viciously fought any suggestion that they should ever be enacted The easy money kept coming in, and practically no one thought about the consequences

The New London School District reaped the rewards of the oil money in the meantime, and built the impressive $1 million London School building ($17 6 million in 2016 dollars) in 1932

In January 1937, school district officials, with the full knowledge and consent of the school board and the superintendent, cancelled the $300 monthly natural gas bill (or $5,028 in 2016 dollars)

Instead, a team of plumbers tapped into a residual gas line from Parade Gasoline Co , owned by H L Hunt, and connected the unrefined gas to the school This was a common practice among some homeowners and local businesses, and Parade was aware of the school district’s plans

Not long afterward, some students reportedly began complaining about headaches, a symptom of gas