Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Day Larkinsville Almost Blew

Years ago the butane lot graced the middle of downtown Larkinsville.  (Don't laugh, of course there was no downtown).  Seriously, the butane lot was filled with huge tanks as well as small tanks.  This lot was our playground.  All of the kids in Larkinsville gathered there to play baseball during the summer.  And, we often jumped onto the smaller tanks that were lined up around the lot and jumped from tank to tank.  Some of the older boys climbed the ladder to the top of the bigger tanks and reportedly struck matches and dropped them down the pipe thing that went straight down into the tank.  Either this was not true or the match went out by the time it hit the fuel.  I think those boys were probably crazy enough that I tend to believe that the match just went out from lack of air. 
One lazy, hot summer Saturday, a commotion began in Larkinsville, people were yelling and screaming.  We heard the noise and ran out on the porch.  Neighbors were piling out into the main road, some were loading things into their cars.  "What is going on?" my Mother yelled to people next door. 
"The butane lot is about to blow," the neighbor shouted. I immediately started up the road to my Memma's house and my Mother went inside to get my sister.  Everyone was piling out of their houses and into cars and leaving.  When I got to  Memma's, she, Granddaddy and my Uncle were ready to go.  "Everyone's going down the road," she said.  "Get in the car."
Well, sure as the world, everyone --all 99 people from the community of Larkinsville headed down the road and stopped somewhere between Larkinsville and Limrock.  People were piling out of vehicles and worriedly looking back to see Larkinsville "blow".  Everybody but two people.   My Mother couldn't find my daddy and she stayed behind looking for him.  She finally found him and they were the last two to show up.
Well, we waited and waited.  About two hours later, the "butane man" (as we called the man who always brought his big truck onto the butane lot and did whatever butane men do on a butane lot) showed up and told us that we could go home.
Larkinsville didn't blow and you know, I just wonder if our little spot between Larkinsville and Limrock was safe.  If those tanks had blown, we would have all been blown to smithereens, I am sure.
So, everyone piled back into their cars and went home. 

1 comment:

  1. That was an experience. I hope something like that doesn't happen again. At least it didn't blow up. Safety first! Thanks for sharing this!...Daniel

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