The O'Connor Plating Works disaster was an industrial accident that occurred on February 20, 1947. Mishandling of perchloric acid led to an explosion that killed seventeen people and injured hundreds more when a plastic rack used for electroplating was lowered into a vat of overheated acid.
O'Connor Electro-Plating Works
editThe O'Connor Electro-Plating Works was located at 926 East Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, California[1] [2]
Electroplating process modifications
editThe explosion was caused by the improper handling of perchloric acid, which the plant was using as an experimental method for polishing aluminum.
Explosion
editlarge accidental explosion at in Los Angeles killed seventeen people and injured more than one hundred.Eleven nearby buildings were damaged beyond repair. Press reports mentioned a twenty-five-foot crater.[3]
On the day of the accident, the cooling unit required to store perchloric acid safely was not working. A vessel of 130 gallons of the chemical was boiling and may have ignited when a plastic rack was lowered into it.[4]
Economic justice issues
editLike many cities in the United States prior to the Civil Rights era, real estate choices in Los Angeles were often limited by the use of restrictive covenants.[5] These covenants prevented some properties from being sold to African-Americans] and other minorities and together with other forms of racial discrimination created ghettos of majority African-American residential neighborhoods. O'Connor Electro-Plating was located in such a neighborhood and the loss of life was felt heavily by this community.[1]
Aftermath
editDick Lane, a Los Angeles television announcer, was working for the experimental television station W6XYZ located nearby and quickly began broadcasting from the disaster site. Two days later, the station was licensed for commercial operation as KTLA-TV.[4]
In popular culture
editThe event served as the main inspiration for "Nicholson Electroplating", a fictional case featured in the 2011 video game L.A. Noire as downloadable content.[6]
See also
edit- SS Sansinena oil tanker that exploded in Los Angeles.
References
edit- ^ a b "Explosion Spotlights Ghetto Housing". Los Angeles Sentinel. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ Hill, Gladwin (21 February 1947). "EXPLOSION KILLS 15 IN LOS ANGELES, INJURES OVER 100; Destroys Electroplating Plant and Smashes Near-by Area With Thunderous Violence". New York Times. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ "Five Negroes Killed in City's Worst Blast". Los Angeles Sentinel. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ a b Rasmussen, Cecilia. "Deadly Blast a Proving Ground for Live TV". Los Angeles Fire Department. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ De Graaf, Lawrence B. (August, 1970). "The City of Black Angels: Emergence of the Los Angeles Ghetto, 1890-1930". Pacific Historical Review. 39 (3): 323–352. doi:10.2307/3637655. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ R* Q (14 June 2011). "The Real Crimes Behind L.A. Noire Cases: "The Nicholson Electroplating Disaster"". Rockstar Games. Retrieved 24 July 2014.