By C. Collins
It was said “the flames shot
more than one hundred feet into the air, lighting up the entire south section
of the city.”[1]
This was the scene of the Commercial Solvents Corporation as it burned on
October 4, 1940 in Terre Haute, Indiana.
What exactly happened that fateful night at the Commercial Solvents Plant? It all begins with the first of three explosions. This first explosion was the largest. It was the result of a small conversion still exploding.[2] The explosion was so powerful that “It shook the city and the violence of the disturbance burst windows more than a quarter mile from the twenty acre factory plot.”[3]Following the original explosion within fifteen minutes were two smaller explosions.[4] What’s truly amazing about this is not the explosion itself. It is the way in which the people reacted and how swift that reaction was. Minutes following the first explosion all gas mains in the immediate area were disabled by the gas company.[5] Along with the gas company were the local firefighters and the National Guard. “As firemen began to bring the blaze under control 100 national guardsmen appeared to help keep the crowd behind firelines.”[6] This was necessary due to the high number of on lookers, 45,000[7], that had gathered. Ironically enough it began to drizzle, but only after the firemen had gotten the real threats of the fire under control.[8] The explosion did attempt to claim three lives, but in the end claimed one. Tom Sanky was his name and he worked in the area in which the explosion occurred, the derivative plant.[9] He was fifty years of age and was thought to be burned to death.[10] The other two men, Joe and Jim Roman were slightly injured and transported to St. Antony’s Hospital for treatment.[11] The president of the Commercial Solvents Corporation at that time, Theodore P. Walker, announced that at the time of the explosion the company was not involved with any government contracts.[12] This did not make a difference though. In Indianapolis, Earl J. Winn who was the head of the FBI office in Indianapolis was sent to Terre Haute.[13]
Why would the FBI feel the need to investigate what
appeared to most as an accident? It isn’t uncommon for factories to have
instances like that of the Terre Haute plant every so often. The Indianapolis
office of the FBI had an interesting start. The Indianapolis branch can be
traced back to 1924 when E.L. Osborne was in charge and only employed five special
agents.[14] Then things took a turn
for the worse. Just five years later the office was closed, but was later
reopened in 1934.[15] The branch really took on
a different role, like most, as the United States entered World War II. The
agents were tasked with things like monitoring “enemy aliens”, providing plant
security surveys for manufacturers, and identifying saboteurs.[16] This explains why the
branch would send Winn to investigate an explosion at the Commercial Solvents
Corporation. The Commercial Solvents Corporation produced solvents that could
be used in explosives. With the United States entering World War II it is
likely they would begin getting contracts from the government. The FBI was
investigating the company as much as it was searching for the “enemy”. This
distinction is important because it shows the Company was in good standing
legally.
The Commercial
Solvents Corporation can be traced back to Terre Haute as early as 1917, when
it was using fermentation to convert grain into solvents.[17] Near the end of World War
I the company was established officially in 1919.[18] What made Terre Haute the
ideal location for this company? The land available allowed for the “convenient
translation of new processes from laboratory and pilot plant to full scale
production.”[19]
Terre Haute was also in “the heart of the corn belt and near a plentiful supply
of coal and water.”[20]The Commercial Solvents
Company dealt with two major areas of chemical technology. First, was
high-pressure synthesis chemistry which used natural gas as the primary raw
material.[21]
Second, was fermentation chemistry which used agricultural materials as the
primary raw material.[22] The fermentation process
that they were utilizing was that of Dr. Chaim Weizman. Dr. Weizman was
approached by the British military because they wanted him to develop a better
quality acetone to be used as a solvent for high explosives.[23]The result was the
fermentation process that the Commercial Solvents Corporation would go on to
use in their production.
Terre Haute went through quite the battle to become the
industrious city that it did. Terre Haute was a city that spanned the Wabash
River and faced a similar problem many cities of the time faced and that was
corruption[24].
“The city faced twenty years of sin that was later followed by a reform under
the mayor Vernon Mcmillan.”[25] Terre Haute benefitted
from this reform because it was made an economic asset due to its strong city
government.[26]
A major leader outside of the mayor in this reform was Anton Hulman Jr.. His
family, were the owners of a wholesale food corporation making him an heir to a
multimillion dollar company.[27] Both Hulman and Mayor
Mcmillan wanted to entice more business to set up shop in Terre Haute. The only
issue was that the labor relations in Terre Haute had a bad history. In one instance, in 1936, the National Guard
had to break-up armed gangs.[28]There were three
requisites: labor-industry cooperation, improved facilities, and air
facilities, that Terre Haute met and the Commercial Solvents Corporation found
these enticing.[29]
The result of this was the Commercial Solvents Company adding a penicillin wing
to its old properties located in Terre Haute.[30] “The Commercial Solvents
Company was the first to mass produce penicillin and to put it into crystalline
form permitting its shipment in bulk without refrigeration.”[31] The company was also able
to survive the depression relatively unscathed. This was done due to its
“patent monopoly on the production of butyl and ethyl alcohol and with the
repeal of prohibition, by going into making whiskey for wholesale buyers.”[32] This is significant for
the company because in 1924 the Company had to shut down two plants. The plants
in Peoria, Illinois and Terre Haute, Indiana stopped production completely.[33] The company was suffering
from a two million pound surplus of butanol.[34] The purpose of shutting
down the plants was to allow shipments to catch up with production in order to
rid company of the surplus.[35]
Who was facing the brute force of all these obstacles?
That would be Theodore P. Walker. Theodore P. Walker was the president of the
Commercial Solvents Corporation at the time of the explosion. He was described
as “one of those colorful individuals who had been to all sorts of interesting
places and done the unusual. For example, after college he spent some ten years
in the Philippines with the constabulary.”[36] How does someone who
seemed to avoid settling down settle down? Well for a woman of course. Theodore
P. Walker also went by Major Walker and while he was over in Europe during
World War I he met his wife, a French Grand Opera Star.[37] After the war and back in
the United States Maj. Walker was looking to settle down. In 1922 he went to
Terre Haute and was placed in a department of the Commercial Solvents
Corporation that was border line along the red.[38] It wasn’t long after he
was there that this department that was along the red was turning a profit.[39] Due to his success at
turning this department around, he was sent to the Commercial Solvents Plant in
Peoria, Illinois.[40] Three years after this
Maj. Walker was the vice president of the Commercial Solvents Corporation.[41] In 1938 on March 31, Maj.
Walker was elected president of the Commercial Solvents Corporation.[42]
In his time as president Maj. Walker showed much
enthusiasm in his job. Right from the start he was aggressive with pushing the
company forward. The first act of his aggressive approach was making two
additions to the board of directors. These additions were Samuel M. Greer and
Linus C. Coggan. [43] One of the first areas of
attack was industrial alcohol. Commercial Solvents Company became one of the
second largest producers by bringing in the Rossville alcohol properties and
the American Distilling Co..[44] The company was also
beginning to work hard in developing its spirit and whiskey beverages.[45] This benefitted Terre
Haute because the distillery located there was ordered to produce on a full
operating basis.[46]
That following year, 1939, Maj. Walker and the Commercial Solvents Company were
in the process of developing new techniques. This technique was a new way of
“applying lacquer finishes developed in commercial solvents laboratories has
strengthened the position of these solvent using coatings.”[47] This aggressiveness was
nothing new for Maj. Walker. For example in 1934 he went up against the Mid-West
Council of Agriculture and Business. Maj. Walker was fed up because at the time
the “liquor industry accepted the corn alcohol provision because it wished to
cooperate with the AAA, Agricultural Adjustment Act, in helping the corn-belt
farmer.”[48]
This wasn’t seen as much of an issue at the time because the liquor industry
did not want bad blood with a group that had voters with the power to strongly
influence prohibition.[49] The only problem was the
behavior that followed. Following the signing of the code proposed the AAA
allowed the use of liquor to contain blackstrap alcohol.[50] As a result, the purpose
of Maj. Walker’s meeting, Commercial Solvents Corporation stopped production
and had millions of gallons of alcohol made from the grain that was not being
sold because of the competition of blackstrap liquor.[51] Maj. Walker’s theory was
that this sudden betrayal was the work of two banking houses in New York that
had an interest in Cuban sugar, thus they had something to gain from the
blackstrap market.[52]
In 1946 the Commercial Solvents Company suffered another
explosion. The origin of this explosion was unknown. At the time of this
explosion Maynard Wheeler was the Vice President and the general manager of the
plant.[53] He said “twelve employees
were in the building when the explosion occurred 4:45 a.m.”[54] Following the explosion a
fire ignited, but was tamed after two hours.[55] Out of the twelve
employees in the building seven made it out unharmed, but five were injured.[56] This event occurred near
the end of Maj. Walker’s time as president of the Commercial Solvents Company.
On December 1, 1947 Henry E. Perry, vice president of company, was elected
president of the Commercial Solvents Company.[57] Maj. Walker was not
finished with the company though. He became chairman of the board for the
Commercial Solvents Corporation.[58] Perry did not hold the
position of president for very long. At 8:20 A.M. on March 15, 1950 Perry
suffered a fainting spell.[59] This fainting spell
occurred while he was in the process of opening a window in his office.[60] “He fell to a second
story abutment in the rear of the building and was killed instantly.”[61] In 1922 Perry joined the
Commercial Solvents Corporation and went on to become the vice president and
director of organization in 1946.[62]
Though the explosion rocked the town for one night that
seems to be the only influence it had on Terre Haute. The Commercial Solvents
Corporation remained in the town and continued to flourish. There was not much
to be found on the one and only victim of the explosion Thomas Sanky. In the
end this disaster seemed to be treated as one of the unfortunate events of
working in a factory.
[1] “Terre Haute is Rocked by Plant
Blast," Valparaiso Vidette Messenger,
October 5, 1940, 14 edition
[2] “Chemicals Explode at Plant in Indiana” New York Times, October 5, 1940
[3] “Terre Haut is Rocked by Plant Blast”,
2.
[4] “Terre Haute is Rocked by Plant Blast”, 2.
[5] “Terre Haute is Rocked by Plant Blast”, 2.
[6] “Terre Haute is Rocked by Plant Blast”, 2.
[7] “Terre Haute is Rocked by Plant Blast”, 2.
[8] “Terre Haute is Rocked by Plant Blast”, 2.
[9] “Terre Haute is Rocked by Plant Blast”, 2.
[10] “Terre Haute Is Rocked by Plant Blast”,2
[11] “Terre Haute Is Rocked by Plant Blast”,2
[12] "Chemical Plant Blast Kills One; FBI
Investigates" The Washington Post, October 5, 1940.
[13] "Chemical Plant Blast Kills One; FBI
Investigates"
[15] “A Brief History” FBI
[16] “A Brief History” FBI
[17] "Commercial Solvents Corp." Harvard
Business School Baker Library.
[18] “Commercial Solvents Corp." Harvard
Business School Baker Library.
[19] “Commercial Solvents Corp." Harvard
Business School Baker Library.
[20] "Industrial Terre Haute: Commercial
Solvents Corporation" Terre Haute
Saturday Spectator, October 11, 1952
[21] “Commercial Solvents Corp.” Harvard
Business School Baker Livrary
[22] “Commercial Solvents Corp." Harvard
Business School Baker Library.
[23] “Industrial Terre Haute: Commercial
Solvents Corporation”
[24] “Triumph in Terre Haute” Kiplinger
Magazine: The Changing Times, February 1947
[25] “Triumph in Terre Haute”
[26] “Triumph in Terre Haute”
[27] “Triumph in Terre Haute”
[28] “Triumph in Terre Haute”
[29] “Triumph in Terre Haute”
[30] “Triumph in Terre Haute”
[31] Charles Grutzner.“Commercial Solvents, Formed
in World War I, Soared, Then Wavered” New York Times, June 14, 1962.
[32] Charles Grutzner, “Commercial Solvents”
[33] "Commercial Solvents Shuts Down
Plants" Wall Street Journal (New
York), August 8, 1924.
[34] “Commercial Solvents Shuts Down Plants”
[35] “Commercial Solvents Shuts Down Plants”
[36] "Industrial Terre Haute: Commercial
Solvents Corporation" 13
[37] “Industrial Terre Haute” 13.
[38] “Industrial Terre Haute” 13
[39] “Industrial Terre Haute” 13
[40] “Industrial Terre Haute” 13
[41] “Industrial Terre Haute” 13
[42] "Heads Commercial Solvents"
New York Times, April 1, 1938.
[43] "Agressive Policy Is Inaugurated By
Solvents Corp." Wall Street Journal,
August 12, 1938.
[44] "Agressive Policy Is Inaugurated By
Solvents Corp."
[45] "Agressive Policy Is Inaugurated By
Solvents Corp. "
[46] "Agressive Policy Is Inaugurated By
Solvents Corp. "
[47] "Prospects for Solvents: T.P.
Walker Sees New Products and Processes Widening Market” New York Times, January 3,
1939.
[48] "A Trust, But No Brain" Chicago
Daily Tribune, March 19, 1934.
[49] “A Trust, But No Brain”
[50] “A Trust, But No Brain”
[51] “A Trust, But No Brain”
[52] “A Trust, But No Brain”
[53] “5 Injured in Mystery Blast at Terre
Haute” Chicago Daily Tribune, August
3, 1946.
[54] “5 Injured in Mystery Blast at Terre
Haute”
[55] “5 Injured in Mystery Blast at Terre
Haute”
[56] “5 Injured in Mystery Blast at Terre
Haute”
[57] "Elected to Presidency of
Commercial Solvents” New York Times, December 2, 1947
[58] "Elected to Presidency of
Commercial Solvents”
[59] "H.E
Perry, Corporation Head, Killed in Fall from HIs 14th Floor Office in Midtown"
New York Times, March 16, 1950.
[60] “H.E
Perry, Corporation Head, Killed in Fall from His 14th Floor Office
in Midtown”
[61]
“H.E Perry, Corporation Head, Killed in Fall from His 14th Floor
Office in Midtown”
[62]
“H.E Perry, Corporation Head, Killed in Fall from His 14th Floor
Office in Midtown”
