A huge cylindrical gasometer – the largest in the world at that time – located in the heart of the industrial center of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, developed a leak. On the morning of November 14, 1927, repairmen set out to look for it – with an open-flame blowlamp. The resulting explosion sent chunks of metal, some weighing more than 100 lbs, scattering over great distances, and the combined effects of air pressure and fire left a square mile of devastation. 28 people were killed and hundreds were injured.

The Cornfield Meet: Technology Disaster's Edition presents The Pittsburgh Gasometer Explosion by Michele Sargent.

Contact or follow us in the following:

Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/thecornfieldmeet

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thecornfieldmeet

Twitter: @CornfieldMeet

Instagram: thecornfieldmeet