The sound must have been deafening with explosions going on for 2 - 3 days and 187 building destroyed!Today in #NJhistory: #OTD, July 10, 1926, there was an explosion at the Lake Denmark Naval Ammunition Depot (aka Lake Denmark Powder Depot) near Dover, #NewJersey. The Depot was established in 1891, when the Navy acquired 317 acres of the Picatinny Powder Depot. On July 10, lightning struck one of the explosives storage structures during a thunderstorm and started a fire. As a result, several million pounds of explosives detonated over a period of 2-3 days. It caused $47 million in damage, massive structural devastation (187 of 200 buildings destroyed), and 21 military and civilian casualties. As a result of a full-scale Congressional investigation, Congress directed the establishment of the Armed Forces Explosives Safety Board to provide oversight on every aspect of explosives under the control of the US Armed Forces. #SpreadTheHistory ...
