Indiana Bicentennial 11.10: The Richmond Explosion, April 6, 1968

I will take a point of personal privilege and devote an entry to the Richmond explosion that took place on April 6, 1968. This was about 3 years before I was born, but, my folks were living in Richmond, and dad had an office downtown. As I understand it, he went into work that day, but it was a weekend, and he ended up coming home early. After the explosion, they found his window blasted out. Hard telling what might have happened, but it’s not a huge stretch to think that I might not be writing this today if things had gone a little differently that day.

Here is how my mom put it a few years ago:

I remember it well. It was a Saturday. Your dad and I had gone to Civic Theatre with Dick and Cathy Brantner the night before and then out for some beer. It was a beautiful warm Sat., the day before Palm Sunday. We had lived in Richmond for 8 days and your dad went into the office for a short time on Sat. morning and then came home for lunch. Since we had been out late the night before your dad, Cindy and I all took a nap. We were still unpacking and getting settled and had dinner at home still unaware of what had happened.

Bert Keller called around 9:30 that night and told us what had happened, we were stunned. I still can’t believe that we didn’t see smoke from the downtown and didn’t hear the sirens, etc.

We did see the horrible result of the explosion the next day and lived with the reconstruction of the downtown as well as meeting many people whose lives were affected by this tragedy.

. . .

[T]he window in your dad’s office blew in and as I recall glass was on his desk where he had been sitting not too long before the explosion. He was fortunate that he came home when he did.

The explosion happened at 1:47 p.m. that Saturday. In part because the weather was so nice, the downtown was active. The blast killed 41 people and injured more than 127.

Ground zero was the Marting Arms Sporting Goods Store at corner of 6th Avenue and Main Street in the heart of downtown Richmond. Guns, ammunition, black powder and primers were among the goods. A gun firing range was in the basement of the store.

Witnesses described the first explosion as “muffled.” It caused a severe vibration of the walls of Marting Arms and lifted the building slightly off its foundation. An investigation into the cause of the explosions determined that a gas leak occurred in the Marting Arms building and the leaking gas was ignited by a gunshot in the firing range. The second explosion, the more powerful of the two, was touched off by the first, igniting gunpowder and primers stored in the basement.

The sporting goods store was nothing but a crater. Vigran’s Department store and Holthouse Furniture were also leveled Many others were damaged. Twenty buildings had to be condemned. I’m told that golf balls from the sporting goods store were found in the next county. “Hundreds of civilian volunteers joined police, firefighters and National Guard troops in searching through brick, glass and twisted metal for survivors and bodies. Ordinary citizens helped firefighters operate hoselines and perform other functions.”

Palladium-Item writer, Bill Engle, said that Richmond would not have another normal day for a long time. The explosion ripped out the part of the city’s heart, but it also brought out the best in the citizens whose heroic efforts saved many lives. The explosion did over $100 million worth of damage.

Main Street would close, and the downtown Promenade — a five block pedestrian mall.  In response to the disaster, the 1968 Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act was passed. In 1997, 29 years after the explosion, the pedestrian mall was converted to allow traffic again as part of an urban revitalization effort.