That one thing you never want to smell...

[wolfie]

No, the reason for the Hindenburg disaster was not what was on the inside, but what was on the outside. This was actually covered up for a very long time, but the material that covered the outside was painted in a highly reflective and also highly flammable paint that was known to be combustable if the temperature was high enough.

My understanding is that the trigger was a static discharge. The paint they used was aircraft dope (nitrocellulose lacquer) with iron oxide and aluminum powder in it to keep sunlight away from the fabric (and avoid ultraviolet-induced damage)..

Of course, nitrocellulose is one of the main components of smokeless gunpowder (trivia - in some jurisdictions, movie projectionists had to be licensed by the fire department, because film was originally made of nitrocellulose), and a mix of iron oxide and aluminum powder is known as "thermite" (incendiary agent).

You can tell by looking at film of the disaster that it wasn't primrarily a hydrogen fire. After all, it was a while after the fire started before it lost lift, and there were bright flames all over (hydrogen burns nearly colourless - bright flames are from glowing carbon).

[Raieth]

And it didn't help that they didn't know about metal stress at the time either.

[repsac]

One word. Tankage.

Definition: Animal residues that remain after rendering fat in a slaughterhouse, used for fertilizer or feed.


Typically entrails and anything else that can't be used.



Couple years ago, while doing some rail fanning, I happened upon this fertilizer plant I wished to take photos of. Well, after a bit of questioning, signing a release and getting my very own reflective jacket and hard hat, I was let out to wander around the dock area and the trackage to take pictures. While I was there I noticed this really old looking gondola car. This thing wasn't just old. It was ANCIENT. So of course I had to get some pictures of it. Oddly I noticed as I approached that it had some biohazard stickers on it, and there was an odd buzzing sound from around it. (buzzing?)

Moving closer, the smell hit me and I had to back away. I asked, and was told that a nearby animal processing plant would take all the entrails and portions they couldn't sell (bones too) and load them into this gondola car. Since one load of "tankage" wouldn't fill it, they'd leave the car out and take their time. Sometimes that thing would sit several days before they could get it filled. Then, the car would be brought to the fertilizer plant where it would be unloaded and then turned into nitrites for fertilizer. They said it was worse in summer.

[cloudiko]

"When working at<my workplace> the one thing you NEVER want to smell is the smell of urine while vacuuming under a booth, because that means someone decided it would be cool to take a piss under a table - and nobody noticed until you just did. Which means it's probably stale urine too. UGH."





God help us all.