Explosion at Fahlberg-List

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Fahlberg-List, around 1900

The explosion at Fahlberg-List was an explosion in 1931 at the Fahlberg-List chemical plant in Magdeburg . It claimed ten lives.

the accident

The explosion occurred on Tuesday, April 28, 1931, a little before 11 a.m. at the plant in the Salbke and Westerhüsen districts . The location of the explosion was a bottling plant for Hora rat poison on the ground floor of a factory building. Smoke cartridges were made there. It is presumed that during the work, potassium nitrate fell into a protective net when it was poured into a mixing drum and then red phosphorus was added. It is believed that 38-year-old worker Wilhelm Artelt accidentally ignited the dangerous mixture when rifles hit the net. As a result, the mixing drum, followed by two box vans loaded with Hora rat powder, probably exploded. The building was instantly on fire. One side wall was pushed outwards. Seriously injured people rushed out of the building on fire and caused panic among the female employees.

Arlt and seven young workers died instantly. The corpses were charred to infinity, with arms held protectively in front of their faces. The clothes were almost completely burned. Two other women were so badly injured that they succumbed to their injuries shortly afterwards. One worker sustained serious injuries, one foreman and two workers sustained minor injuries. Three, according to other information two, other workers happened to be not at their place of work.

The fire brigade was informed at 10:54 a.m. by a fire alarm and arrived with several fire engines and five ambulances. In addition to the Buckau fire brigade, the Sudenburg fire brigade and part of the main fire station's fire brigade also arrived . The plant fire brigade was also on duty. The fire service of the city fire brigade was completed at 2:18 p.m. It was possible to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings at times. The police appeared under the direction of Police President Horst W. Baerensprung . The trade office and public prosecutor's office also appeared on site. The injured were admitted to the Sudenburg hospital. The machines and systems in the affected building were completely destroyed. The other areas of the plant were not affected. A large crowd had formed on the street in front of the plant.

Memorial service and funeral

The victims were:

Wilhelm Arlt, Zur Siedlung Reform 8
Hildegard Gericke, Jenaer Straße 22
Ida Riedel, Arnold-Knoblauch-Straße 9
Helene Rost, Anstaltstraße 19
Agnes Rusche, Wolfswerder 7
Anna Schmidt, Arnold-Knoblauch-Straße 19
Frieda Schönwald, Alt Westerhüsen 163
Hedwig Schütt, Am Hünenkeller 1
Franziska Steinücken, Repkowstraße
Käthe Völker, Bülowstraße 17

Eight of the victims were buried in the Salbke cemetery. One burial took place at the Westerhüsen cemetery (Ida Riedel) and the Buckau cemetery (Agnes Rusche).

On May 2, 1931, funeral services took place in the Protestant Sankt-Gertrauden- and the Catholic Sankt-Johann-Baptist-Kirche in Salbke. Pastor Adolf Strewe held the Protestant service . The Protestant pastors of the neighboring parishes from Westerhüsen and Fermersleben , probably Albert Hosenthien and Otto Siebert , expressed their condolences to the parish there. Pastor Latta held the Catholic service. The Social Democratic press criticized his statements because he allegedly expressed allegations of free-spirited religious attitudes.

After the services, a long funeral procession went to the Salbker cemetery. First the clergy spoke there, then for Fahlberg-List the director Rasmussen and the works council Schalk spoke . On behalf of the Oberpräsident, Oberregierungsrat Rintelen spoke on behalf of Magdeburg City Councilor Klewitz.

A community grave facility financed by Fahlberg-List was built at the Salbke cemetery. It covered about 30 m² and was surrounded by a small hedge. The graves were each provided with a stone made of dark gray granite on which the names and dates were written in gold. In the 1990s, however, this grave complex was leveled.

Work-up

In addition to the police and the public prosecutor's office, the trade office and employees of the Prussian Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Trade and Industry also investigated . The Chemisch-Technische Reichsanstalt was also involved.

It was assumed that the cause of the accident was that the addition of 2% red phosphorus, among other things, which increased the effectiveness of the rat poison, contributed to the catastrophe. The red phosphorus had only been used on a trial basis for a few days. Criticism was also expressed in public that the production building had been built as a massive construction and did not meet the requirements for workplaces with a risk of explosion.

On June 1, 1931, the main committee of the Prussian state parliament dealt with the accident. The rapporteur was the MP Ernst Wittmaack (SPD). He criticized a failure of the trade inspection . Phosgene would continue to be stored during operation . In addition, there would be a “driving system” that could be dangerous for such a company via performance bonuses. There were also complaints about pollution and environmental damage in the vicinity of the plant. The management did not take sufficient account of the easily ignitable phosphorus. Furthermore, the grating of the windows and a nailed-up emergency exit were criticized. In the government statement, a representative from the Department of Commerce denied an administrative failure. The authorities were not aware of the production of the Hora cartridges. The locked door only led to an adjacent room. In fact, the windows would have been barred, although this had no effect on the course of the accident. Because of the rapid explosion, there would have been no opportunity to escape through the windows anyway.

The MP Walter Kaßner (KPD) called for a commission to be elected by the workforce to be included in the investigation. However, a corresponding request was rejected. Kaßner complained that a proletarian committee of inquiry had been made into trouble.

Ultimately, the committee voted in favor of Wittmaack's motion, which called for a strict investigation, future strict control of the company and a report to the state parliament. On June 12, 1931, the plenary session of the Landtag accepted the proposal. In the social democratic press, the communists were blamed for the misfortune. A senseless strike some time ago ultimately weakened the resilience of the workers at the plant so much that the fight against grievances would be made more difficult. Kaßner (KPD) accused the SPD in the state parliament of having no interest in the victims and bereaved.

On October 12, 1931 Ministerialrat Wasmuth presented the investigation report of October 5, 1931 to the main committee. The addition of red phosphorus, which has only been practiced for a few days, was found to be the cause of the accident. The trade inspection would have had no knowledge of this change. Criminal misconduct was not determined, so the public prosecutor's office closed its investigation against the manager. The initially existing intention to resume production of the cartridges was dropped. It was relocated to a factory with more suitable safety precautions. The saccharine factory paid 24,000 marks for the funeral costs and as a donation to the bereaved. Support was also promised for the future. The committee decided to submit a motion to the State Ministry to oblige the company to provide sufficient support. The determination of the need should be incumbent on the welfare office of the city of Magdeburg. The KPD again requested an investigation by a staff commission. However, the application was not admitted because it literally matched the originally rejected application. A KPD application for state support funds amounting to 10,000 marks was rejected. The committee proposal was later decided in the state parliament.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Heavy explosion in Magdeburg-Südost in the Volksstimme of April 29, 1931
  2. ^ Heavy explosion in Magdeburg-Südost in the Volksstimme of April 29, 1931
  3. ↑ Ten dead in Magdeburg-Südost in the Volksstimme of April 30, 1931
  4. ↑ Ten dead in Magdeburg-Südost in the Volksstimme of April 30, 1931
  5. ^ The last course of the Southeast victims in the Volksstimme of May 3, 1931
  6. ^ Day of Mourning in Southeast in Magdeburger General-Anzeiger from May 3, 1931
  7. ^ The last course of the Southeast victims in the Volksstimme of May 3, 1931
  8. ^ Phosphorus death in the southeast in the Volksstimme of May 9, 1931
  9. ^ Phosphorus death in the southeast in the Volksstimme of May 9, 1931
  10. ^ The explosion in the southeast in the Volksstimme of June 3, 1931
  11. ^ State control for the misfortune factory in the Volksstimme of June 14, 1931
  12. ↑ Who is to blame for the explosion in the southeast? in the Volksstimme of June 10, 1931
  13. ^ State control for the misfortune factory in the Volksstimme of June 14, 1931
  14. ^ The explosion in the southeast in the Volksstimme of October 14, 1931
  15. ^ The state parliament for the Salbker victims in the Volksstimme of October 22, 1931