By Gray                                              H.C.R. No. 193

         75R11092 JHS-D                           

                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 1-1           WHEREAS, The citizens of Texas City will commemorate the 50th

 1-2     anniversary of the Texas City Disaster of 1947 during the three-day

 1-3     "Rebirth Celebration" on April 16-18, 1997; and

 1-4           WHEREAS, The disaster, the worst industrial catastrophe in

 1-5     American history, was triggered when the French freighter Grandcamp

 1-6     caught fire in the harbor of the Monsanto Chemical Company on the

 1-7     morning of April 16, 1947; as local firefighters struggled to

 1-8     extinguish the fire, the ship's cargo of ammonium nitrate

 1-9     fertilizer erupted violently, sending a column of smoke 2,000 feet

1-10     into the sky; and

1-11           WHEREAS, A second blast rocked the harbor and started a chain

1-12     reaction of fires and other explosions in the buildings encircling

1-13     the bay; early the next morning, the High Flyer, a freighter loaded

1-14     with fertilizer as well as sulfur, exploded after an unsuccessful

1-15     attempt to tow it away from the smoldering harbor, and this

1-16     continued the devastation that has forever changed the city's

1-17     history; and

1-18           WHEREAS, The Texas City Disaster claimed the lives of nearly

1-19     600 people and seriously injured hundreds more; brave residents

1-20     worked steadily through the night and into the next day caring for

1-21     injured relatives, friends, and neighbors and organizing rescue

1-22     attempts for those individuals trapped within the many collapsed

1-23     and burning buildings; and

1-24           WHEREAS, This unprecedented tragedy has undeniably altered

 2-1     the face of this venerable city, yet in true Texas fashion its

 2-2     citizens have overcome this adversity, rebuilding their homes and

 2-3     businesses in an effort to reclaim their city and reconstruct their

 2-4     lives; and

 2-5           WHEREAS, The three-day "Rebirth Celebration" offers residents

 2-6     an opportunity to remember and reflect on this terrible tragedy

 2-7     while at the same time celebrating the remarkable renaissance of

 2-8     the City by the Bay; the dedication and resilience displayed by

 2-9     Texas City's citizens have enabled this thriving port to recapture

2-10     its former glory and successfully build its bridge to the 21st

2-11     century; now, therefore, be it

2-12           RESOLVED, That the 75th Legislature of the State of Texas

2-13     hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Texas City Disaster

2-14     of 1947 and extend sincere best wishes to the citizens of Texas

2-15     City as they continue in their efforts to "Remember the Past and

2-16     Celebrate the Future."