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Unusual Wrecker Service

To: BRHSlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Unusual Wrecker Service
From: PSHedgpeth@a...
Date: Fri, 27 Sep 2002 12:26:27 EDT
Yesterday, while perusing a book of historical items from the St. Joseph (MO) 
News Press headlines and articles, I came across photos of an event I had 
never heard about and saw a photograph of an unusual use of a wrecker.

On May 8, 1930 the Armour Plant in St. Joseph experienced a terrible 
explosion caused by an accumulation of natural gas. The plant was completely 
destroyed and no one who was in the plant survived. It was the worst 
explosion of its kind ever in St. Joseph.

Along with the various articles was a large photograph of Q Wrecker No. 
204330 on duty in the midst of the huge pile of rubble the plant structure 
had become. The machine was being used to lift and drag the remains of the 
plant in an effort to recover bodies of the victims and rescue any 
survivors...ultimately there were none of the latter. As is quite unusual 
in photos of this kind, the number of the wrecker was clearly visible. This 
would have been a great photograph to use in the BB article a few years ago 
covering the wreckers.

The photograph was from Fred Slater who was a reporter for the St. Joe paper. 
I think that he is still around and I know someone who knows him. I'm not 
looking for things to do, but if someone is interested in obtaining this 
photograph for a legitimate purpose...not just out of curiosity, but perhaps 
for a bulletin article or research of some kind, I would be willing to try to 
get a copy.

Pete Hedgpeth


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