Les_F. I sure do remember that explosion. I was living in Ville LaSalle at the time. If I recall it happened around 8:00am. It really shook the area. Winston Allison
THANKS for stopping by, I do my best to acknowledge when someone leaves a comment,you do not have to be a member here & everyone is welcome. Ps: This site is monitored but not actively posting on a regular basis. Mostly these are stories & some photos saved from a defunct site known as Verdun Connections which was on MSN Groups initially then on a social network called Multiply.
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ReplyDeleteAlways hated those postmen.
ReplyDeletePFQs
----- Original Message -----
From:
Dave
To: Verdun Connections
Sent: Friday, January 14, 2005 6:14
PM
Subject: Re: Natural gas explosion
New Message on Verdun
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Natural
gas explosion
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Message 2 in
Discussion
From: Dave
There was also another gas explosion, on Allard Ave near
Bananatyne, left side of
street even numbers. The house was next to the
alleyway. The postman ran the
doorbell and the house exploded.
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category.
I remember both explosions ...the one one Allard was caused by a man who turned on the gas to committ suicide and when he hadn't taken in the mail in a few days....the postman rang the bell and the spark from the doorbell ignited the gas filled house....I lived in LaSalle (in the Bronx) at the time of the LaSalle explosion...we were quite far from the location, but the windows shook so hard and the noise was so loud that I originally thought that a tree crashed through the roof.....probably small potatoes compared to what they are currently experiencing in SE Asia.......
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ReplyDeleteHi Judy, when was the explosion on Allard? I lived on Allard from about 60-74. I do remember the Lasalle explosion.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletethe allard explosion was in the fifties.
i think 56 or 57.
we were playing during recess at st thomas more when it exploded.
shayne
I think it was more like between 1958 and 1960. The houe that exploded was on the south west corner, I think.
ReplyDeleteYes the Allard explosion was on the SE corner of Banantyne and Allard. I lived just across the street from it on Allard. I was in my room with my friend Gary when it happened. He lived in the house right next door to it. The explosion happened in the early afternoon, I know this as we were both home from school. Being in Kindergaten we only had half a day of school. My older sister was in grade one and was at school still when it happened. So that would put the year at either 57 or 58 depending on wheather it was the fall or spring. Cant remember if we were in the baseball or the football playing mode. There is another slight variation version of how the explosion happened. The basic story is the same. The man who was trying to commit suicide wanted to gas himself by asphixiating himself. The old type of gas would actually asphixiate someone by breathing it. However the building was just recently upgraded to the "new" natural gas that wouldnt asphixiate you. The man went to sleep drunk and later when he woke up he litt a cigarette which ignited the gas. The postman just happened to be there at the time. Which version is actually correct I am not sure. But it was an incredible explosion. My father had taken a movie of it with his 8mm movie carmera. I dont think that film is around anymore though. JohnnyO
ReplyDeleteI was only around 3 or 4 years old when I lived on Bergevin (Spelling?) St in LaSalle. We lived in a Basement apartment, it exploded while we were home. Thankfully, we all got out unscathed. It was after that, we moved to Verdun (I guess some good comes from everything). Myself, Leslie & Marian were the only three McKiernons then I think it was '59 or '60
ReplyDeleteHello Bro! It must be the Age because if it was 59/60 I be there also.
ReplyDeleteChristine McKiernon and by 60 there was two more sisters so better check
that out bro. We are watching you.
Always your
Little YOUNGER Sister Tina
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ReplyDeleteI remember helping move Chuck Catto from there , known as dewline here, he lived across the street , early 60's Jimmy
ReplyDeleteHi Les, I thnk I remember 'feeling' that LaSalle explosion when I was a little 8-year-old kid , and then listening to news reports about in on the CJAD morning news ('eight hundred on the am dial', remember?) before running off to St. Thomas Moore school for the day. Anyways, do you know which street those apartments and nearby gas tanks were on? Ray
ReplyDeletei certainly remember this explosion...i was home sick in bed that day from school . the only thing i was doing that day was listening to the radio as well. i distnctly remember the "on the scene" reported sifting through the rubble and finding the house address plate while he was on the air.
ReplyDeletei always remember this date as march 1 which happens to be "st.davids day".....go figure
david
Hello David! Are you speaking of the LaSalle one, If so what year.
ReplyDeleteHello David! Are you speaking of the LaSalle one, If so what year.
ReplyDeletethe lasalle explosion...i'm not " OLD" enough to remember back to the 50's (chuckle)
ReplyDeletedavid
the Lasalle Explosion was March 1st , 1965 .........I believe the date was indicated in the newspaper photo ,that was previously posted.......definitely not ,the fifties......
ReplyDeleteMy family lived in that very building and my parents had reported the smell of gas on numerous occasions. Nothing was ever done so my parents decided to get the hell out of there. So did several other families that we knew personally. My guess is it happened sometime early 60's. Someone earlier says 1965. It seems to me it was earlier than that. I remember that it happened around breakfast time. Glen
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteIt did happen in 1965 the beginnig of March as I had cousins
living there.
Margo
There were several ,for example the Allard st, Monsanto chemical factory, the Lasalle apt block near the navy base. In Verdun....does anyone remember the Lamarres hardware fire (bannantynr between argyle & woodland) How about he Omar Barry fire?
ReplyDeleteLots of fires around and I know willie, leslie, Marion, Margret and tina remember chasing fire trucks.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning Andy!
ReplyDeleteSure do! Wasn't that car we chased them in RED also Andy.
HF & RV
Stay Young Tiny
Tina
P.S. When you coming out this way?
I met a guy that works out here in Calgary and he is from The Pointe but did live in LaSalle during one of the explosions. Peter Smith. We were talking about the explosions and there were actually 2 in LaSalle. One was a gas station the other homes. June McKiernon
ReplyDeleteThe Date of the LaSalle explosion was March 1, 1965. This was confirmed on the net. I remember it well, my folks had friends there and we used to visit there. Dina Steenhorst-Penning
ReplyDeleteHi there ... just browsing ... for those OF's who do remember the 50's ... there was a gas explosion in the early 50's on the south-east corner of Bannantyne right across from Riverview School. It happened between 8:30 and 9 am when the postman rang the bell, resulting in spontaneous combustion and an explosion due to a build-up of natural gas. Come to think of it, we watched all the excitement from our classroom and I don't recall an evacuation. Barbara
ReplyDeleteMemories, I can picture my mother lighting her ciggie from the gas burner in the kitchen, wonder how she did not burn her hair off, I also remember moving Chuck Catto from around the blast in LaSalle , it was a terrible tragedy , Tempus fugit , time flys , have great day Jimmy 253 3rd York 7143
ReplyDeleteWe used to live on Bergevin right across from the apartment explosion. I looked out the window to see toilets, sinks and other debris landing. The lucky thing is that school kids used to wait for the bus in the lobby but they had just been picked up. There was more than one we moved to chateauguay after the big one . Jim Jennings
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