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displayfireworks1
02-05-2015, 09:42 PM
Its the incident from 1983 that pops into my thoughts from time to time. The Webb Bait Farm explosion 1983 Benton Tennessee. I just ordered a book that discusses the event.
I actually did a video about the event in 2009. I am trying to find the physical location of the old Webb Bait Farm property in Benton. My research is leading to route 314 and ?
If you listen in my part one video starting at 9:20 min you will hear him say the name of a road in Tennessee. Tell me what you think he is saying and does it come up in a search for you.
Here is the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQxJg_GwreU
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Here is an excerpt from the book.

http://www.jeffersonbass.com/excerpt_beyond_the_body_farm.html
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Book is very inexpensive on ebay
I would really like to find the physical location in Tennessee. if you watch some of video you can see landmarks to verify once we do find it.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1312.R1.TR0.TRC0.A0.H1.Xbey ond+th+ebody+farm&_nkw=Beyond+the+Body+Farm&_sacat=0
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0A5Jk8KeOw

Westpapyro
02-05-2015, 10:28 PM
Try this
http://www3.gendisasters.com/tennessee/16520/benton-tn-fireworks-plant-explosion-may-1983
Says Welcome Valley Rd.?

displayfireworks1
02-05-2015, 11:27 PM
Perhaps we are getting closer, but I still can not find it. If you freeze the video at 9:28 that hillside cut should still be there and visible from a road view. I am curious what is on the property now and if they salvaged the one building. Anyone else have anything they can search out, please post. There is a Google road view of all of this area.
I posted that video in 2009, from time to time I receive communications from people in that area, we discuss the event via email. Then there are some that are bitter since they live in Benton Tennessee and people from outside the area always refer to Benton as being know for this one infamous event.

Westpapyro
02-06-2015, 03:09 AM
Interesting read about the explosion.
Not able to pinpoint location yet?

displayfireworks1
03-16-2015, 12:24 AM
From the Book describing the aftermath. In 1983 this may have been the largest illegal M-80 operation to date in United States.
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http://pix.epodunk.com/locatorMaps/tn/TN_12305.gif
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/tennessee/img057-b234a13cf3735036f87d5c2d4b437248742d4f14.jpg
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/tennessee/img047-0b1a3535e9156e5459d3c2206f9691f1eba75d5e.jpg
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/tennessee/img048-082aea284fddf128086dc6217f402197efa28a5f.jpg
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/tennessee/img049-bf78f476e379ff1ae04b2d90304c79e647277554.jpg
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/tennessee/img050-177da4851bd04d728c01ee202c72d011cd41fab8.jpg

displayfireworks1
03-16-2015, 12:28 AM
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/tennessee/img051-981fb3e9c82a0a87318ebbc4acf38b9079fc22b7.jpg
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/tennessee/img052-78856aa00353d13fe74a7dc194e43eccda7f253f.jpg
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/tennessee/img053-c77437b46393504fcf2a812609fcd7706bed88e7.jpg
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/tennessee/img054-bc72de4cbd7c9f0e6b2c1d729ee569d528864762.jpg
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/tennessee/img055-d04dfa1a75397a019ce683498367a3f2add86f71.jpg
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/tennessee/img056-fc44c8cecb6b8cd8a5afe53f3a42a4207d7db83e.jpg

PGH_Pyro
03-16-2015, 10:49 AM
wow, that's chilling .

NWPA
03-16-2015, 04:26 PM
Such a dreadful story. How sad, lives destroyed so a few could make some easy money. Shame, shame.

displayfireworks1
03-16-2015, 06:57 PM
Thanks to Westpapyro identifying Welcome Valley Road in Benton Tennessee, I am able to identify the exact location. I found one church on this road, the now retired pastor said it was 300 yards south of the church. Using Google Earth I identified a sign for "Big Frog". Big Frog is a expedition adventure business. I called them. Spoke with a Rob, owner of the company. He tells me he remembers the event well. He was in grade school at the time , the school is located a short distance from the then Webb Bait Farm. He told me his business is on the exact property. He has been there since 1990, I ask him if he ever found any fireworks remnants on the property such as old M-80 cartridges, he responded they cleaned the property up pretty well, he never found anything. He did tell me there are spots on the property where you can find plenty of fishing worms if you start digging. Remember this illegal operation started out as a bait farm.
I have to admit, I have a fascination with this event for two reasons, as far as I know it was the largest illegal M-80 operation in United States, a similar accident occurred that year in South Carolina, however it was not as large of an operation. Secondly, I know someone that was charged and sentenced to six months in a Tennessee Prison over this. He told me he purchased from Dan Webb, Webb told on everyone when he was arrested. From the "Tube Man" to all of his delivery spots in multiple states. The attorneys involved were looking for money to compensate the families of the deceased. Dan Webb did time in prison and according to reports he is still alive. Dan Webb was 30 years old at the time of the accident. The real punishment for him, most of the dead were members of his own family.
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Here is the location today.
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/tennessee/benton-1-6e49590ded23573cf8599d3c05a7eefcbe3919b4.jpg
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/tennessee/benton-2-151fa4c386248a369202202d8ac68a9752597fa8.jpg
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/tennessee/benton-3-118b0dbc3382c54b5f362f48ed0025d45cf6e714.jpg
http://pyrotalk.com/wp-photos/wp-content/gallery/tennessee/benton-4-53cfb91dd7d7e29099021f902e4cf571cdc0a284.jpg
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I told the current owner of the property I would email a link to this post. He wanted to read it and see the video I made of the news reports etc.
To Rob owner of the Big Frog Expedition company. Thanks for the information you gave me on the phone.

displayfireworks1
11-04-2015, 08:51 PM
To update this post and video. Six year ago I posted the two part YouTube video M-80 Fireworks Factory Explosion 1983 a retrospective look. I recently received a request from a Webb family member to remove the video from YouTube. This event in 1983 is probably the most tragic event of clandestine M-80 operation gone wrong here in United States. I will honor the family request and remove the video from a YouTube search. Those not familiar with the event can read this post for details.

Shooter
11-05-2015, 11:11 AM
This wasn't an illegal operation but, this explosion happened in LaFollette, Tn. In 1997. It was at a depot for Pyro Show display company. It killed 4.

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/07/us/fireworks-explosion-saddens-a-tennessee-town.html

displayfireworks1
11-05-2015, 09:20 PM
Unfortunately there is no shortage of fireworks accidents for legitimate fireworks companies either. Its an industry with risk.

deepdixie1979
11-25-2015, 09:19 PM
Dave, I'm not sure why you would feel the need to remove your video of the Webb accident from Youtube. Your coverage of the event is no different than the news coverage of the event circa 1983. My generation learns of such past tragic events from watching videos such as yours concerning the Webb accident. I'm 36, and have read nearly everything I have come across regarding this incident. There simply isn't a whole lot of info out there today concerning this incident. I believe that you are doing a disservice to the pyro community by removing a very informative video of yours that covered a great tragedy in the world of pyro, albeit illegal pyro.

displayfireworks1
11-25-2015, 11:28 PM
I understand your point, the videos will be viewable on my website only and will not be found on a YouTube search. Thank you for your post.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H14_ZVdJ81Y
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Find videos here
http://pyrotalk.com/fireworks-commentary.php

deepdixie1979
11-26-2015, 10:31 AM
I was under the impression that the video would be completely removed from the internet. Thanks for clearing that up. I have enjoyed your Youtube channel very much and have learned quite a bit from your videos. Thanks for your dedication to the hobby. Happy thanksgiving!

wingman
10-13-2020, 10:24 PM
Hi Dave-

Thought I would let you and everyone else know of a video I just found on YouTube, posted 8 hours ago about the Webb Bait Farm tragedy. Very well put together but it reminded me of all the research you put into this thread. I figured, no better place to add this to, even if this thread lay dormant for almost 5 years.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kiGEKh5qHOE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiGEKh5qHOE&app=desktop

-Ben

displayfireworks1
10-17-2020, 07:27 PM
Thanks for posting that video. I thought I did a better job covering the event. It has been almost 5 years since I made my video coverage of that event unlisted on YouTube. I received a few email from family members involved in the event that ask me to remove the videos. The memory of the event is very painful to them. I think I covered the event too well and it was too much for them. That event was fascinating to me because I knew someone that confided to me they were part of it. I also watched the video I posted above from 5 years ago. Now that I watched it again , I still try to keep those same things in mind when I tag and title some of my fireworks related videos. I believe of this tragic event was 1983.
On a side note , I was reading something, it may have been on Facebook . There is a European country that only permits selling a salute type effect in an aerial cake such as Thunderking , a ground based firecracker of that size if forbidden. The post from this country went on to tell of how they tear apart the Thunderking to remove the salute inserts so they can use them as ground based firecrackers. There is this fascination with ground based salutes that seems to always be in demand and always will be forever and a day. In this country that can buy all the Thunderkings they want , they still desire a ground based salute.

wingman
10-17-2020, 10:17 PM
Thanks for posting that video. I thought I did a better job covering the event. It has been almost 5 years since I made my video coverage of that event unlisted on YouTube. I received a few email from family members involved in the event that ask me to remove the videos. The memory of the event is very painful to them. I think I covered the event too well and it was too much for them. That event was fascinating to me because I knew someone that confided to me they were part of it. I also watched the video I posted above from 5 years ago. Now that I watched it again , I still try to keep those same things in mind when I tag and title some of my fireworks related videos. I believe of this tragic event was 1983.
On a side note , I was reading something, it may have been on Facebook . There is a European country that only permits selling a salute type effect in an aerial cake such as Thunderking , a ground based firecracker of that size if forbidden. The post from this country went on to tell of how they tear apart the Thunderking to remove the salute inserts so they can use them as ground based firecrackers. There is this fascination with ground based salutes that seems to always be in demand and always will be forever and a day. In this country that can buy all the Thunderkings they want , they still desire a ground based salute.

Your coverage on it was quite extensive for sure. The new video I previously linked to couldn't encapsulate all that went on in mere minutes.

As for interest in ground based salutes, isn't that the way the allure of all things forbidden go. When a law forbidding something is passed, sales go up in bootleg. But when the law is removed, the desire is curiously blunted at the very least, but in many cases it's "on to the next forbidden thing".

Arclight
10-18-2020, 03:13 AM
If you find clandestine lab stories interesting, there is a DEA newsletter that is worth reading. It covered all sorts of underground (sometimes literally underground) factories that made illegal drugs and busts of smugglers. There was even a drug runner that had a large rocket rigged to fire out of his trunk to get rid of the product if he was stopped. The human ingenuity at work here is something to appreciate, even though the goal certainly isn't. There is an archive here:

https://erowid.org/library/periodicals/microgram/
https://altgov2.org/microgram/

bingsbaits
10-19-2020, 01:10 PM
I remember this one.. All of the illegal M80s coming into our area at that time
must have been from here. After the explosion there were no more around.....

Fireworks explosion rocked Conneaut 25 years ago today
By MARK TODD / mtodd@starbeacon.com Oct 24, 2014
1 of 5







CONNEAUT — Twenty-five years ago today, a series of fireworks-fed explosions devastated a Conneaut neighborhood and altered the lives of hundreds of Conneaut residents.

Today, 909 Main St., is an empty lot that fronts busy Route 20. A quarter-century ago, the parcel contained a large, white house and garage that basically vanished amid smoke and fire at 11:40 a.m.

At that moment, homeowner Donald A. “Danny” Rossi, 57, was inside the garage, mixing chemicals he planned to use to make illegal fireworks, specifically M-80s (equivalent to a quarter-stick of dynamite) and M-500s (up to a half-stick). Something went wrong and the blend detonated with terrible force. Flames would eventually ignite an estimated 500 pounds of finished product stored in the garage and basement of the house.

The toll was heavy: Two dead, including Rossi and next-door neighbor June Riddle, 61, of Cummins Avenue, who had just exited her car and entered her home when the first explosion occurred. More than 70 homes and buildings sustained millions of dollars in damage from concussions that broke windows a mile away and were reportedly felt in Albion, Pa.

Five people — a married couple from Conneaut and three men from Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York — were eventually indicted on conspiracy charges. The three out-of-state men, accused of providing storage space and/or ingredients to make fireworks, were found guilty after a weeks-long trial in May 1991 in Akron’s federal court. Each were sentenced to more than one year in federal prison.

Federal investigators concluded Rossi was operating a “small-to-medium sized, illegal fireworks manufacturing firm” on the premises. Layers of chemical residue found in the garage floor drain indicated the operation had occurred for “quite some time,” according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Rossi made the product, while partners handled sales and storage.

Oct. 24, 1989, is one of those days many Conneaut residents, particularly first-responders, can’t and won’t forget. Here are some of their stories:

“It’s not supposed to happen in America”

Fire Station 1 firefighter Lloyd Marcy was on the first fire truck on the scene. His first impression? “It’s not supposed to happen in America,” he said.

Marcy was squirting water on the Rossi house when another explosion “rolled me across the yard like a rag doll,” he said.

“As we arrived, people across the street were hollering that Mrs. Riddle had just went into her house,” Marcy said. “I crawled through her house looking for her. It wasn’t until later her body was found in the basement.”

Marcy, a Vietnam War veteran who has been in the fire service 40 years, said he doesn’t really dwell on the events of that day.

“It’s like Vietnam,” he said. “It’s in the back of mind, but I don’t dwell on it. It’s part of the job. I look at the good things in my life, the blessings, my wife and family and keep on moving.”

“Something bigger than a gas explosion”

Conneaut Police Sgt. Randy Poore had been on the job a little more than a year and was at home on Oct. 24, when he heard a sound “like something was coming through my window,” he said.

“I knew it something big,” Poore said. “I went right to the police station and right to the scene. I thought it was a gas explosion. But when we started gathering evidence (among the debris), I knew it was something bigger than a gas explosion.”

Poore helped place the little flags next to evidence found in and around the blast scene. Yellow flags pointed out the presence of physical evident, red flags indicated “biological” evidence (body parts), he said.

Something else stood out, Poore said: “There were so many green leaves on the ground. They had been blown off the branches by the explosions.”

Poore said he recalls a city-wide spirit of cooperation in the days following the explosion. Even the routine nuisance calls to police waned for awhile, he said.

“All the restaurants were sending food to the scene for the workers,” Poore said. “It was heart-warming. I’m glad I was able to help out.”

“It changed our lives drastically”

Ron Ross operates his Ron’s Meats food and beverage store on Main Street, directly across from 909 Main St. He had been at the site for three years when the blasts rolled through his business.

“It did a lot of damage, a lot of damage that was not immediately evident,” he said. “(The force) raised up the roof and then set it down again. I think about that day quite a bit. It changed our lives drastically.”

Ross also thinks about a fortunate twist of fate he can’t explain. A few days before the explosion, he changed the location of the store’s cash register to a spot away from the door and front window. His daughter and granddaughter were standing at the register when glass went flying.

“I wasn’t going to (move the register) until Christmas,” Ross said. “But on the Sunday (before the explosion), on a whim, I moved it closer to the meat case. If I hadn’t moved it, my daughter and granddaughter could have been killed or cut up bad. I’m thankful things worked out as they did.”

“All four wheels were off the ground”

Terry Moisio Sr., was a police officer in Conneaut and enjoying vacation when he drove past 909 Main St., at 11:40 a.m.

“Suddenly my truck went into the air,” he said. “All four wheels were off the ground. I was hanging onto the steering wheel. It scared the hell out of me.”

Moisio, who now works for the Conneaut Municipal Court, pulled into the Ron’s Meat parking lot.

“Debris was falling on my truck,” he said. “I think it was from the second explosion. I was trying to stop cars and help with traffic control. I didn’t know what had happened at the time.”

Moisio said he often recalls that day. “Every time I drive by and see that empty lot, I think of it,” he said.

“It looked like a war zone”

At the same time Moisio’s truck went airborne at the scene, his son Terry Moisio Jr. — a Conneaut police detective at the time — was seated inside the police station.

“It was a warm, fall day and I had just gotten back from vacation,” Moisio Jr. said. “Then all the phone lines lit up. I thought something was wrong with the phone system.”

Moisio, a lieutenant in the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Office detective bureau, said the first call was terrifying. “The original call was that (nearby) West Main Elementary School had blown up,” he said.

Moisio and Detective Steve Gerics, now retired, were the lead local investigators on the case. The crime scene made an immediate impression.

“It looked like a war zone,” he said. “Cars were flipped. Rossi’s Cadillac was in the kitchen of Mrs. Riddle’s house. It was still raining M-80 cartridges that hadn’t been filled yet.”

The neighborhood was littered with personal effects, ranging from pages from a Bible to cash, that were “recovered blocks away.”

Moisio Jr., has been in law enforcement for many years, and the Rossi case remains a highlight, he said.

“It was one of the bigger ones because of what was eventually involved,” Moisio said. “(Gerics) and I put in 80-hour weeks, coordinating with other agencies. It was one of the bigger cases in my career.”

“Her life was suddenly over”

Lewis Shiley was Conneaut’s mayor on the day of the explosion, and he and his staff coordinated the community relief effort.

“Our emergency forces were super,” he said. “They responded as well as anyone could imagine. The (police and fire) chiefs did a remarkable job. The county had forces involved and the federal people did their job, too.”

“It was a tough year,” Shiley said. “The city took some hits, but the people came back strong.”

Shiley says he does recall the events from time to time.

“I do think about it,” he said. “The saddest part of the day was the death of Mrs. Riddle. Her life was suddenly over.”

“Hey, look at the size of that mushroom cloud”

Conneaut Fire Station 1 Capt. John Chapin was on the first fire truck to arrive at the scene, but it didn’t take an alarm to send the crew out the door.

Chapin and a co-worker had stepped outside to go get lunch “when the ground shook,” he said. “Then somebody shouted, ‘Hey look at the size of that mushroom cloud.’”

A silver plume that sparkled could be seen rising into the sky west of the downtown firehouse. “We came back into the station and took off before we were dispatched.”

Firefighters were greeted by a horrific scene, Chapin said.

“It was the worst call I’ve been on in my 44 years in the fire service,” he said. “Multiple houses were on fire and it was unknown how many people were killed or injured. We had to take the truck down Cummins Avenue because the debris field was so large. It was a mess.”

“I was trying to put out the Rossi house fire when the second explosion hit, then the third,” Chapin said. “I got sulfur in my eyes and had to have it washed out.

“The (Rossi) house was three-fourths standing after the first explosion,” he said. “After the second explosion it was gone. It was just a pile of rubble.”

Today, Chapin maintains a personal connection with 909 Main St. He purchased the lot several years ago with the idea of building a home there some day.

“I thought it was a beautiful piece of property,” he said.

displayfireworks1
10-19-2020, 08:54 PM
I did a post somewhere about that Conneaut Ohio event, can't seem to find it. It may have got lost from a couple of years back when pyrotalk was migrated from one server to another. Some people new into pyrotechnics wonder why Ohio is so strict with all of this shooter certifications , explosive storage moratoriums etc. The way it was explained to me , Ohio had too many fireworks related accidents that brought all of this about. If I remember correctly that current Ohio Exhibitor certificate started around mid 1990's. I was in a Pyrotecnico class at the time and still hear Gregg Smith who was working for Pyrotecnico at the time like it was yesterday. They even offered a small percentage more on the shooter cut for those in Ohio that would participate and get the certification. If memory serves me correctly it was 2.5 % additional. Gregg showed a video of a rooftop display he did atop a bank at the end of the class. Gregg also demonstrate an electric match at that class. I remember he slammed it against a table in the fire hall. He had to hit it twice before it went off. Electric match was sort of new at that time. That was back when a Pyrotecnico class had like 40 people at most in a fire hall.
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Back to that Conneaut Ohio event. To this day that property remains flat and basically vacant . Check it out.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/909+Main+St,+Conneaut,+OH+44030/@41.9389082,-80.5779593,3a,75y,167.59h,86.2t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sEXkClYE_g0WWGKho_0-PHA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x883211254f3c36e 1:0x40ece454f34538e!8m2!3d41.938628!4d-80.577755

displayfireworks1
11-21-2020, 06:48 PM
Hi Dave-

Thought I would let you and everyone else know of a video I just found on YouTube, posted 8 hours ago about the Webb Bait Farm tragedy. Very well put together but it reminded me of all the research you put into this thread. I figured, no better place to add this to, even if this thread lay dormant for almost 5 years.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kiGEKh5qHOE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiGEKh5qHOE&app=desktop

-Ben

Wingman: I'm glad you updated this post and added that video. I'm starting to get inquires from a few people looking for more information about that event in Benton Tennessee. I refer them to this post on pyrotalk. I'm still going to keep my videos about this unlisted from YouTube. Like I mentioned in another post, I received emails from families involved in this tragedy asking me to remove the videos. Benton Tennessee is a small town, this event in 1983 was too much for them.

displayfireworks1
11-22-2020, 08:09 PM
part of email communication re. this event.
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Thanks for your reply. What I meant was where online did you find the news clips that you played on your computer and recorded with your camcorder. Also, one thing I was wondering, all of the news reports that I've seen from the time of the explosion state that the survivor Tommy Webb was mowing the grass nearby when the explosion occurred, yet two articles you linked in the descriptions of your videos done on the 20th and 25th anniversary of the event say he was inside the barn. (Dr. Bass' book says that too, but that appears to be based on the 2003 article). I've always assumed that the former is correct, as I don't see how it would have been possible for someone inside that barn to have survived. I've wondered if he just didn't remember what happened and told someone that years later, as it is very common for people to not remember the details of sudden horrific events like this. Also, pretty sure none of the wrongful death lawsuits filed against the people involved were successful. I also just rewatched your videos, and in one of them you said you thought Dan Webb only served five years. Do you know this for certain? I haven't been able to find anything anywhere else that says whether or not he served his full sentence; however, my dad told me that he toured the Bradley County jail in 1986 as part of a local leadership program, and Dan Webb was working as a cook there.

Anyways, Dan Webb was having financial problems which is why he started the business in the first place. Pretty sure he would never have even had the idea to do it if he hadn't known Howard Bramblett, however. I seem to remember reading somewhere that he also owned a masonry business in addition to the bait farm. Most of the people that worked at the factory were laid off, and at least two of them were striking employees at Magic Chef in Cleveland, which is now Whirlpool. At least half of the employees lived in Cleveland. The sheriff actually speculated that some of the firecrackers manufactured at the plant may have been used by some of the striking employees during demonstrations earlier that year, but there was no evidence of this. That electric drill does appear to be the prevailing theory, from what I have read. I also read somewhere that the employees usually mixed the flash powder by hand, not with any power tools. Since this happened in late May, it was suspected that they may have been trying to ramp up production for the Fourth of July, and I've wondered if someone had the idea to use a drill to try to speed things up. Remember, this operation lasted for almost six months, and I don't see how they could have gotten away with it that long if they immediately started using a drill. They also appear to have been short on employees that day, as I've heard they employed as many as 14 people at once, and I've wondered if both of those two factors created the perfect storm for the disaster. Someone told me that one of the employees, whose mother and sister were killed, was out on the football field practicing for her high school graduation about three miles away when the explosion occurred. I've also wondered more about Bramblett, and the illegal fireworks ring that he was connected to. I've always wanted to find a copy of the indictment from 1985 where Bramblett and a bunch of other people (including probably the man from Pennsylvania you mentioned) got hit; have you ever seen it, and if so do you happen to have a copy of it? I've also heard about John XXXXXX and Orville XXXXXX, who I'm pretty sure was the "tube man." These people and others, I understand, had helped start up other illegal fireworks factories, including one in South Carolina that exploded just three days before the one in Benton. The Benton one, however, appears to have been the biggest and most profitable illegal fireworks factory in the US ever. Lastly, I seem to have read somewhere that Dr. Bass actually wrote a scientific paper about this event. Have you ever heard that?

I also totally understand why some of the family members would want you to remove the videos. There's a lot of people in Benton that don't like discussing it either because they feel like it makes their community look bad. It doesn't sound like the guy that owns the property now has any problem discussing it, though.

wingman
11-22-2020, 11:51 PM
You're welcome, Dave. I absolutely understand why the community would rather see this put to bed. It's also an unfortunate lesson in bootlegging and the harm it can do to those unrelated to the process, as loss of family and friends. Thanks for sharing the above correspondence as well.

displayfireworks1
11-23-2020, 09:44 PM
I am going to share some of the newspaper articles from the M-80 operation event in Benton Tennessee in 1983. The person that contacted me ( who shall remain anonymous ) is sharing some of his research with me. Remember, this is 1983, there was no internet or mass sharing of information. Newspapers were the word of the day. I now have many to post and share. Quality is not the best but here goes. May take a few to post it all. In no particular order.
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5330&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5331&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5332&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5333&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5334&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5335&stc=1

displayfireworks1
11-23-2020, 09:49 PM
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5336&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5337&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5338&stc=1
.
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5339&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5340&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5341&stc=1

displayfireworks1
11-23-2020, 09:53 PM
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5342&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5343&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5344&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5345&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5346&stc=1
.
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5347&stc=1

displayfireworks1
11-23-2020, 10:03 PM
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5348&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5349&stc=1
.
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5350&stc=1
.
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5351&stc=1
.
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5352&stc=1
.
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5353&stc=1

displayfireworks1
11-23-2020, 10:07 PM
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5354&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5355&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5356&stc=1
.
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5357&stc=1
.
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5358&stc=1
.
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5359&stc=1

displayfireworks1
11-23-2020, 10:09 PM
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5360&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5361&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5362&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5363&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5364&stc=1
.
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5365&stc=1

displayfireworks1
11-23-2020, 10:14 PM
http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5366&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5367&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5368&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5369&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5370&stc=1
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http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=5371&stc=1

displayfireworks1
11-23-2020, 10:22 PM
End of newspaper article posting from 1983. Thank you very much to our anonymous source, for allowing me to share his research into the Web Bait Farm illegal M-80 operation. Comments and opinions are welcome.