New London Cenotaph - New London, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 32° 14.353 W 094° 56.519
15S E 317031 N 3568606
Two 20-feet high, eight-sided columns support a cenotaph block which features twelve figures in relief, representing the victims of the 1937 New London school explosion.
Waymark Code: WMWFXE
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/30/2017
Views: 3
Smithsonian Art Inventory
The memorial is set atop a stepped granite platform. On a beveled curb bordering the base, the names of 296 victims are recorded according to the grade they were in when they died. Steps lead up to the memorial.
Inscription on front and back of the monument: "DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF THE/TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY-THREE/CHILDREN, TEACHERS AND VISITORS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE LONDON SCHOOL DISASTER OF MARCH THE EIGHTEENTH 1937."
Wikipedia
"The New London School explosion occurred on March 18, 1937, when a natural gas leak caused an explosion, destroying the London School of New London, Texas.
The disaster killed more than 295 students and teachers. As of 2017, the event is the third deadliest disaster in the history of Texas, after the 1900 Galveston hurricane and the 1947 Texas City disaster.
The London School, a large structure of steel and concrete, was constructed in 1932. The school was built on sloping ground and a large air space was enclosed beneath the structure. The school board had overridden the original architect's plans for a boiler and steam distribution system, instead opting to install 72 gas heaters throughout the building.
Early in 1937, the school board canceled their natural gas contract and had plumbers install a tap into Parade Gasoline Company's residue gas line to save money. This practice—while not explicitly authorized by local oil companies—was widespread in the area. The natural gas extracted with the oil was considered a waste product and was flared off. As there was no value to the natural gas, the oil companies turned a blind eye. This "raw" or "wet" gas varied in quality from day to day, even from hour to hour.
Untreated natural gas is both odorless and colorless, so leaks are difficult to detect and may go unnoticed. Gas had been leaking from the residue line tap and built up inside the enclosed crawlspace that ran the entire 253-foot (77 m) length of the building's facade. Students had been complaining of headaches for some time, but little attention had been paid to the issue.
March 18 was a Thursday. Friday's classes were canceled to allow students to participate in the neighboring city of Henderson's Interscholastic Meet, a scholastic and athletic competition. Following the school's normal schedule, first through fourth grade students had been let out early. A PTA meeting was being held in the gymnasium, a separate structure roughly 100 feet from the main building. Approximately 500 students and 40 teachers were in the building at the time, although some numbers claim there were roughly 694 students in the building and at the campus. At 3:17 p.m., Lemmie R. Butler; an "instructor of manual training" turned on an electric sander. It is believed that the sander's switch caused a spark that ignited the gas-air mixture."