The 1919 Torrent, Kentucky Nitro Explosion

·19 min·1 clip

How did 420 quarts of nitroglycerin survive a blast that killed four men and flattened a factory?

The episode begins with the hosts introducing a listener-submitted story about a 1919 explosion in Wolfe County, Kentucky. They explain they will cover two main stories: the Torrent, Kentucky incident and another from Marietta, Ohio. Steve provides historical context, detailing how Colonel E.A.L. Roberts patented the nitroglycerin torpedo for oil well fracturing in 1865, shortly after the Civil War. A surprising historical twist is noted: the same month Roberts got his patent, John Wilkes Booth failed in the Pennsylvania oil fields before assassinating President Lincoln. The narrative returns to April 8, 1919, describing the Home Torpedo Company explosion involving 1,000 quarts of nitroglycerin that flattened the building. The four victims were found huddled together 60 feet away, killed by the shockwave but not dismembered. A bizarre detail is revealed: 420 quarts of nitroglycerin nearby remained undisturbed. The hosts discuss a second, similar explosion in June 1920 when a wagon hauling 600 quarts overturned, vaporizing two men and six horses. Steve shares research finding over 178,000 newspaper stories about nitroglycerin explosions from 1870-1930. Rod recounts the September 1900 Marietta Torpedo Company explosion that leveled a factory and was felt in Marietta, Ohio. Additional tragic incidents are listed, including one in Frazier, Kentucky, where a child found nitroglycerin and drummed on it, killing the child and family. The hosts explain the high risk was driven by World War I oil demand. They note the industry shifted to hydraulic fracking starting in 1949, though the last nitroglycerin torpedo was used in May 1990. The conversation turns to pop culture references in cartoons and Westerns, likely inspired by these real events. A personal anecdote is shared about using nitroglycerin heart medication and the severe headache it causes. The episode concludes by comparing dynamite to nitroglycerin and making a lighthearted reference to 'The Andy Griffith Show.'

As heard by us

A Wolfe County blast leads into the perilous nitroglycerin work around oil fields.

Stories of Appalachia turns the Torrent, Kentucky nitroglycerin explosion into a compact, grounded piece of regional industrial history. The episode begins with four men killed when more than 100 gallons of nitroglycerin exploded at a plant near Torrent, then broadens into the…

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You want a Kentucky nitroglycerin story that starts near Torrent and widens into a deadly workaday danger.

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