(Credit: Lansdale Historical Society)
A daily feature from our surrounding historical societies.
The quiet afternoon of March 31, 1937 was rocked by an explosion at the Atlas Asbestos Company plant. The blast was felt throughout North Wales Borough where the factory was located on East Walnut street. Albert Ruth, a 35 year old temporary worker from Ambler, was instantly killed and the resulting fire quickly engulfed the wing of the main building. Oscar Hattal, of North Wales, who was working on the second floor had to leap from a window to safety. It took firemen from North Wales, West Point, and Lansdale’s Fairmount company an hour to completely extinguish the flames.
Shortly after the blaze was extinguished, Burgess W. E. Rourke issued an order for the plant to be closed so an investigation could be held stating, “It is my opinion that naphtha has been stored illegally in that wing of the building. It is used in the business, and I have received a report that after the fire, a truck was backed up to the place and something was taken away. In view of the way things appear I feel that I am justified in closing up the plant for the protection of the workers, until a thorough investigation has been made.” However, there may have been more that played into Burgess Rouke’s decision to close the Atlas plant because, you see, this wasn’t the first fire at Atlas… nor the second.
On February 4, 1930 a fire broke out in the factory. Firemen’s efforts were hindered by thick, black smoke that was believed to have been from chemicals that were ablaze. Surprisingly, the fire itself caused very little damage and no one was reported to have been injured.
On November 21, 1934 a small explosion caused a fire to erupt on the third floor of an addition that had been built only a year prior. This fire injured two workmen, Edgar Werst, of Lansdale, and Harry Dietterich, of North Wales. Both received burns to the head, hands, and shoulders. The men said all they could remember was a flash of light near them, and immediately flames shot up toward the roof. The walls and ceilings of the third floor in both the new and the old buildings were badly charred and the machinery was destroyed. Sadly this paled in comparison to what would happen not even three years later.
Lansdale Historical Society was founded in 1971, and its purpose is to preserve the history of the Borough of Lansdale and the greater North Penn area, and to share its collection of material and resources with the greater community, particularly the youth. It has its headquarters in a two-building complex, located on Jenkins Avenue in the center of Lansdale, Montgomery County, PA. The buildings are owned by the Borough of Lansdale.
Volunteer for or donate to the Society here. Follow them on Facebook.
