The Daily Spectrum from Saint George, Utah • 10

10 -Spectrum Sunday, January 26, 1992 1935 well explosion cast pall of tragedy over 'Dixieland' Bart Anderson II I I I II 41 unifies i rffc 1 Mil ifiHMHDHtl ume was not found. A "shot" was decided, upon. The term "shot" refers to the practice by oil-workers of exploding nitroglycerin underground. The crumbling oil-producing rock formation permits the oil and gas to seep more rapidly to the surface. The "shots" were also a great spectacle for the waiting public.

Six cartridges, each 10 feet long, were suspended from cables above the ground and hung in mid-air from the steel tower. Mystery veils the cause of the fatal explosion, but with the violent burst, the watching crowd was hurled back. The steel housing, like a grenade, shattered into thousands of bits, and pierced the bodies of the nearest victims. The derrick, with its beams saturated with oil brought up by previous seepage, burst into flames. As the holocaust enveloped the area, the red glow could be seen from St.

George. Most of those who lost their lives had been standing within the rig itself, hoping to obtain a better view of the operation. Gelatin dynamite, at the time, was considered to be the safest explosive. As this explosive ages it becomes exceedingly sensitive. The slight jar of the container against the tower could have produced a spark that would have caused the burning inferno.

A coroner's inquest was held and the decision was that the fatal catastrophe was an accident "Search abandoned for four whose bodies were blown to bits by explosion of giant power Dixie oil well." Those were the headlines in the Salt Lake Tribune, March 8, 1935. Sometimes opening up old news, puts "salt on open wounds," but sorrowful remembrances were part of the building history of the Southlands. Quoting again from the Salt Lake paper, "The capital of Utah's Dixieland today counted its dead from Wednesday night's oil well explosion at ten, with an eleventh death momentarily, and planned to hold memorial services for those whose bodies were not recovered from the number two well in the barren hills seven miles south. Throughout this pioneer settlement the pall of tragedy was felt "It took but a split second Wednesday night at 9:30 o'clock to turn a semicivic celebration into catastrophe when the 750 pounds of giant power, intended for use in "shooting in" the well, exploded on the surface, hurling death and destruction into the closely packed crowd of almost a hundred spectators gathered about the well." As I read the horrid description of the bloody scene, I felt a sickness in my stomach along with a tear in my eye. How could a tragedy like this happen? To understand this event, the geology of the surrounding country must be dealt with.

The Hurricane fault, which is 170 miles long, runs through part of Washington County. It was formed with the building of the Bart's Ballads Rocky Mountains. The occurring fracture opened into an oil deposit from which gases and oil were escaping. In the early 20's, a series of ten oil wells were drilled in and around the town of Virgin. The depth of these wells were from 500 feet to 3,300 feet.

While workers drilled at about the depth of 740 feet, they encountered hot sulpher water. This polluting slowed down 6il production in this county. With the coming of the 30's, another attempt was made for the black gold. The Arrowhead Petroleum Company felt sure that oil lay hidden beneath the ground close by St. George.

Folklore stories say that even Brigham Young predicted that oil would be discovered within a stone's throw from St. George. Close to Bloomington Hills, the oil well known as the "Escalante no. 2" was first drilled by a Canadian group. After reaching a depth of 3,700 feet, the group gave up.

The well was taken over by the Arrowhead group with high hopes. The new company drilled down to the depth of 4,300 feet. They discovered traces of gas and oil. Seepage of oil coated the workings. But the expected vol 1, -j i a i' jtl fK Hit a courtesy Cleon Davenport) Pictured: Virgin Dome Oil Company Stock Certificate belonging to Archie Wallis.

(Photo memories." Naturalist Bart Anderson writes Bart's Ballads for The Daily Spectrum. He resides in St. George. If you have a question or column idea, write: Editorial Daily Spectrum, P.O. Box 1630, St.

George, UT 84771 claims that the photos traveled from St. George to Salt Lake in one hour and twenty minutes with the help of a biplane and a strong tail wind. "Our hearts feel a great pain in the suffering of the families mat were left with horrible How sad for the surviving families If anything of value came from this sorrowful incident, the first pictures to appear in the Salt Lake papers came by airplane a first. This portion of the story Report: Army needs to rethink disposal methods Analyst OKs plan to hire child abuse investigators have slowed the destruction of the weapons far below the Army's estimates and caused costs to jump, the General Accounting Office report said. In three years, from 1988-91, the program's cost has doubled to $6.5 billion, the report says.

Tischbin acknowledged that costs have soared but said she could not comment on the report because she had not seen it. The Army had hoped to have all its chemical weapons destroyed by 1999, but that deadline is in jeopardy, Tischbin said. It is likely to take at least a year. process last week to push for alternatives to burning. Williams said he wanted to strike while the iron was hot and while studies were under way to evaluate the incineration technology.

But Williams questioned how independent the study by the National Academy of Sciences would be and whether it was being done just to placate opponents. The Army's incineration technology is being tested at Johnston Atoll in the Pacific. But the program has been plagued by mechanical difficulties, which we have a technology that has been demonstrated to be safe and environmentally sound." Craig Williams of Richmond, a member of Common Ground and director of the Kentucky Environmental Fund groups created to fight the incinerator at nearby Lexington-Blue Grass Army Depot doesn't agree. "The law says that the environment and safety come first not some inappropriate deadline" for burning the weapons, he said. Williams met with Kentucky congressional staff and with scientists studying the incineration RICHMOND, Ky.

(AP) The Army should consider alternatives to burning its aging chemical weapons stockpile, says a new government report. The report says burning of the stockpile is likely to be fraught with further cost overruns and delays. The report, released Friday by the General Accounting Office, came on the heels of a "60 Minutes" show on community opposition to building eight nerve gas incinerators in the United States. The opposition is strongest in Madison County, the most highly populated area among the eight, where residents fear safety, health and environmental risks. The Army has asked the National Academy of Sciences to je-evaluate its earlier endorsement of incineration.

Army spokeswoman Marilyn Tischbin said the academy study would be independent and scientific. But, she said, "We believe resolved. "It's premature to say some of those things are going on. It's also premature to say some of those things aren't going on," the governor said. The now-disbanded Task Force on Child Abuse recommended the hiring of investigators to look into the allegations.

The question of whether ritualistic child abuse occurs in Utah has been hotly debated since the public disclosure of a 12-page memorandum written by Bishop Glenn L. Pace to Mormon Church leaders. Pace wrote that he had interviewed 60 victims of ritualistic child abuse. He said the victims included eight children who reportedly witnessed human sacrifices. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -A legislative budget analyst has approved a proposal from the governor to hire four new investigators for the attorney general's probe of ritualistic child abuse allegations.

The Appropriations Subcommittee for Executive Offices, Courts and Legislature is scheduled to vote Monday on the $250,000 proposal in the attorney general's budget for the next fiscal year. "We're not on a witch hunt. We simply want to follow up on any reports of ritualistic child abuse," Gov. Norm Ban-gerter said Friday. Bangerter said he is "not prepared to say this terrible thing is prevalent in our state," and recommended the investigators so the issue can be laid to rest or the problem longer, she said.

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