Gone at 3:17: The Untold Story of the Worst School Disaster in American History  David M. Brown and Michael Wereschagin ... Gone at 3:17 is a true story of what can happen when school officials make bad decisions. To save money on heating the school building, the trustees had authorized workers to tap into a pipeline carrying “waste” natural gas produced by a gasoline refinery. The explosion led to laws that now require gas companies to add the familiar pungent odor. The knowledge that the tragedy could have been prevented added immeasurably to the heartbreak experienced by the survivors and the victims’ families. The town would never be the same. Using interviews, testimony from survivors, and archival newspaper files, Gone at 3:17 puts readers inside the shop class to witness the spark that ignited the gas. Many of those interviewed during twenty years of research are no longer living, but their acts of heroism and stories of survival live on in this meticulously documented and extensively illustrated book. Review The New London explosion – Two views of America's worst school ...On March 18, 1937, in East Texas' tiny New London community, a natural gas explosion killed some 300 students, teachers and others at London Junior-Senior ... sagecreek.wordpress.com/.../the-new-london-explosion-two-vi...