Just heard this on the radio local news. This area is so rural there is no local news on the weekends and only a weekly newspaper.

Large gas pipeline explosion Sunday morning near Ulysses, PA. Tennessee Gas pipeline. Crater 350 feet in diameter, 15 feet deep, 8 acres of woodland burned, turned night into daylight. No injuries.

I was just waking up when I heard this and the local news does not get repeated til 8am. So I will update then. Pam

-- Pam (jpjgood@penn.com), February 28, 2000

Answers

That was a 24 Inch pipeline that exploded.

It was reported that the explosion was one of the largest ever experienced on the east coast.

Pam

-- Pam (jpjgood@penn.com), February 28, 2000.

Good catch Pam. I am always very interested in pipeline explosions as I have an Olympic pipeline running through my property line just a few acres from the house. This one is a connection to the Bellingham line that exploded last year, they want to start it up again. So I am keeping watch, and protesting where I can.

-- Sammie (sammie0x@yahoo.com), February 28, 2000.

Explosion in Bellingham, Wash

-- long-term consequences (severe@environmental.damage), February 28, 2000.

Pam

Have you found any links or heard any further information? Here is a link to a map for reference only of the pipeline section you described. Thanks in advance.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline - Couder District

-- PA Engineer (PA Engineer@longtimelurker.com), February 28, 2000.

Hello PA Engineer--

The further updates: flames went 150 feet in the air; bark stripped off 400 trees; pressure drop was noticed in TEXAS(!); it blew unchecked for 45 minutes; exploded at 5 a.m. and under control by 10 a.m.; US Dept. of Transportation investigation underway.

Not much real news yet.

Thank you very much for the map. That pipeline runs about 2 miles south of our house right where it crosses the Potter/McKean County border.

Our brother-in law who worked for North Penn Gas Co. for 20+ years said they run 1000 psi pressure in that line. Seemed pretty high to us. Don't know much about commercial pipelines--our own would never have anything remotely like that.

-- Pam (jpjgood@penn.com), February 28, 2000.

Pam

Thanks for the info. 1000psi sounds about right for this line with some transmission pipelines operating even higher. Good to here OPS is on site. For your reference here is a link to the Office of Pipeline Safety:

Office of Pipeline Safety

Did alot of work years ago for National Fuel Gas in that neck of the woods. It is indeed God's Country there. Again, thanks for the info and hope it did not cause to much of a fright for you.

-- PA Engineer (PA Engineer@longtimelurker.com), February 28, 2000.

Here's a report from Bloomberg. I think its the same rupture

Natural Gas Update: Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. Fixing Rupture

Princeton, New Jersey, Feb. 28 (Bloomberg Energy) -- Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. is repairing a rupture on the 300 system near Hebron Center in northern Pennsylvania. TGP said it expects the repairs to be completed by 9 a.m. Eastern time Wednesday. For more information, see the pipeline's Internet bulletin board at http://tebb.epenergy.com/ebb/ebbmain.asp?sPipelineCode=TGP. -Andrew J. Stewart in the Princeton Energy Bureau (609) 279-425 bb -0- (BES) Feb/28/2000 15:39

http://quote.bloomberg.com/news2.cgi?T=energy_refout.ht&s=78739873

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), February 28, 2000.

Thanks Carl for the info.

Sorry about the spelling in the previous post, "here" should be hear.

-- PA Engineer (PA Engineer@longtimelurker.com), February 28, 2000.

PA Engineer-- I got confused and posted a reply to you over on Y2K and Beyond. Thank you for the additional link. While we live only a short distance from the pipeline, the place where it exploded yesterday was a good distance from us. Gerry Miller on WFRM first said it was in Ulysses, then Gold, then Brooklyn and now Drudge has it in Hebron Center! Must have been close to Ken Wingo's place because he was the one who called Texas but they were already noticing the pressure drop.

Last year gas from this pipeline seeped underground past three houses on Sartwell Creek (my road) and blew up the fourth without damaging the other three! With no oderant in the gas, it was just darn lucky that someone didn't die from encountering a pocket of gas. Thinking of 1000 psi in that line will give new meaning to my trips to the Market Basket! My husband, Jerry, remembers that line being put in 45 years ago. We both wonder if it was a valve problem, pressure fluctuation or just old pipe problem.

-- Pam (jpjgood@penn.com), February 29, 2000.