On the 31st of October, 1963, a spectacular holiday skating exhibition took place at the
Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Just minutes before the grand finale, however, the stadium was shaken by a massive explosion
– one that would change hundreds of lives.
After a lengthy investigation the blast would finally be traced back to something that should
never have been allowed in the building in the first place.
The Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum was built in 1939 by President Franklin D Roosevelt’s
Works Progress Administration, or WPA.
The WPA was a government agency designed to create jobs, bolster infrastructure, and rapidly
improve the US economy in the wake of the Great Depression.
And, indeed, the construction of a brand new, 6,500-seat indoor multi-use arena in Indianapolis
was a massive boost to the city – providing countless jobs, bringing in revenue, and creating
an indoors venue for large-scale performances and sporting events.
In its early years the Coliseum hosted many sold out events, including various ice hockey
games, concerts and public speeches.
As the winter of 1963 approached, a series of Holiday on Ice shows were planned.
These would be spectacular, family-friendly performances which featured live music, complex
choreographed skating, extravagant costumes, dance and special effects.
The 31st of October, 1963, would be the opening night of the run of Holiday on Ice shows in
Indianapolis.
Given that this coincided with Halloween, extra police officers were assigned to the
venue to manage the crowd, and respond to any vandalism or attempts at practical jokes
that might disrupt the show.
Around 4,000 people attended the opening night performance, taking seats in the stands which
surrounded the ice.
All went well until just after 11:00pm.
There were only three minutes left in the performance, when a huge explosion shook the
arena.
An entire section of seating on the south side of the Coliseum was lifted up by the
blast, sending chunks of concrete flying across the space.
Moments later, the damaged stand caved inwards, before a secondary explosion took place.
This created a column of flame, estimated by survivors to be around 12 meters (or 40
feet) in height, which shot upwards from the wreckage of the devastated stands.
News anchor Howard Caldwell, who attended the scene, later described what he saw with
the words, “Piano-sized chunks of concrete were tossed into the air and crashed downward.
With the blast came fire and death.
For survivors, the tragedy was so immense it was unbelievable.”
Despite the sudden and incomprehensible nature of the disaster, uninjured members of the
audience evacuated both quickly and calmly.
As they filed out through every available exit there was no notable sense of panic – though,
of course, many were keen to leave the arena as soon as possible, lest another explosion
were to take place.
To help maintain calm, the orchestra that had provided music for the evening’s performance
continued to play until the arena was almost empty of spectators.
As the audience flooded out of the arena, rescue workers made their way in, to be greeted
by a scene of complete devastation.
An off-duty firefighter who had been in the crowd had quickly identified the disaster
as a gas explosion, and passed this information on to the Indianapolis Fire Department by
telephone.
The first police car arrived on scene by 11:15pm, with more resources routed to the Coliseum
as the scale of the disaster became apparent.
Several tow trucks were sent to the site to assist with the movement of wreckage and chunks
of concrete, but these proved ineffective.
By 11:35pm a request had been made to commandeer a mobile crane and other heavy lifting equipment
– vital for freeing injured persons trapped beneath the rubble.
Firefighters controlled the fires that were burning in the wreckage, then worked on extracting
casualties, who were transported to several nearby hospitals, including a nearby military
medical facility.
To deal with the overwhelming number of casualties, a temporary morgue was established on the
ice which, just hours ago, had been the site of the evening’s performance.
So many ambulances were directed to the Coliseum that it became necessary to institute a one-way
system, with ambulances entering the fairgrounds from the north and exiting on the opposite
side.
Hundreds of rescuers worked through the night, supported by volunteers from the Salvation
Army and the Red Cross.
By 1:00am the following morning, the last injured person had been transported to hospital.
In total, 81 people would lose their lives as a result of the disaster, with many of
those passing away later in hospital.
Hundreds more suffered life-changing injuries in the explosion.
An investigation headed by the Indiana Fire Marshal, the Indianapolis Fire Prevention
Chief, and the State Police quickly zeroed in on five Liquid Petroleum Gas canisters
that had been found in the wreckage.
These tanks had been stored in an unventilated store room directly underneath the section
of seating where the explosion had taken place.
Forensic examination of the canisters revealed that one had rusted, and at some point fallen
over.
None of the tanks were fitted with safety valves, and the valve on the rusted tank was
found to be faulty.
It appeared that gas had leaked from this tank, and collected in the unventilated room.
A few minutes before the explosion a manager employed at the Coliseum had smelled gas.
Opening the door to the store room, they noted a thick white haze filling the room, and correctly
concluded that there was a gas leak.
As they began to urge their employees to evacuate, the gas came into contact with the heating
element of a popcorn warmer, and ignited.
This had been the first explosion, and it had been followed by the collapse of a section
of flooring, and a secondary explosion which consumed the remaining Liquid Petroleum Gas
tanks.
The presence of the gas tanks was alarming, as tanks of their type and size should not
have been stored inside without a permit – a permit that the Coliseum did not have.
Had there been a permit in place, it is possible that the tanks would have been inspected regularly
enough, or moved to a more appropriate storage location, before the damaged tank could begin
to leak.
A Grand Jury was convened, and indicted seven people for their roles in the disaster.
Those indicted included various managerial staff at the Coliseum, and representatives
of the company that had supplied the gas canisters – the Discount Gas Corporation – who had
failed to properly advise their customers on the use and storage of the gas they supplied.
Also charged with misdemeanour offences were a Fire Marshal and the Indianapolis Fire Chief,
who had failed to inspect the Coliseum as regularly as they should have done.
Inspections should have taken place before any large public gathering, but in reality
they had happened only once per year.
Despite this, only one person – the President of the Discount Gas Corporation – was found
guilty, and this judgement was later overturned.
Though many people had in some way contributed to the disaster, nobody was found to have
an overwhelmingly direct part in creating the conditions whereby the explosion could
take place.
Survivors and the relatives of those who had died or been injured in the explosion were
compensated – either by out-of-court settlements with the Discount Gas Corporation, or by claims
against insurers.
The Coliseum was closed for 41 days in the wake of the explosion, during which time it
was cleaned up, partially repaired, and inspected to ensure that there was no critical damage
to the structure.
It was decided that public events should resume as soon as possible, and so just six weeks
after the disaster the arena re-opened to host a two-day cattle show.
The venue remains open to this day, and in the years since the disaster has been host
to many large-scale events, including concerts by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin
and Johnny Cash.
The Holiday on Ice show returned for another run the year after the explosion, and was
watched by a crowd of almost 5,000 spectators.
The Coliseum is currently known as the Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
In 2002, a memorial plaque was installed at the Coliseum, bearing the names of those who
were killed in the explosion.
Though the building is now more than eighty years old, it remains a much-loved part of
Indianapolis, and a venue that should continue to welcome crowds for many years to come.
Thanks to lessons learned in this disaster, those who visit today may do so in safety
and comfort, knowing that another explosion on the scale of the 1963 blast is extremely
unlikely.