Son Chapman explosion….Big tragedy for a small Town

Jul 08, 2018 News

…says Dr. Stephen Carryl

By Enid Joaquin
Dr. Stephen Carryl, an overseas-based Lindener who is now 56 years old, was only two, when the Son Chapman exploded at Horadia, killing his mother, Carmen Carryl, and 42 Lindeners on July 6, 1964. Carryl called the incident a “Big Tragedy for a small Town.”
“I believe that they should do different or better with this event, because if you look at the population of Linden at that time and if you look at it as a percentage, if you lose that number of people in one accident, it’s a big tragedy.
“So any tragedy has to be dealt with within the context of its proportionality and size. This is a big tragedy for a small town!”
Carryl said that his church community alone had six women.
“Imagine that kind of impact. The women in those days, they were the breadwinners -most of them, my mom was one, who sold women and children’s clothing.
“Most of those women were entrepreneurs who used to go to Georgetown to buy things to sell, so when you eliminate them from the family and the church, it has a tremendous ripple effect.”
Reluctant
Carryl said that he only started thinking of the tragedy four years ago, when he came back during the fiftieth anniversary of the incident. He however acknowledged that he was reluctant to return for the memorial. Two days prior to his journey, a patient told him of her personal journey and how she had to, “open some doors in her life.”
“ I told her that there were some doors in my life that I needed to go in, and I did exactly what she said and I came out better!”
Carryl says that it is important to keep the memory of those who died on that fateful day alive, so that it would not be lost, and our children and grandchildren can learn of our history.
He suggested that on July 6, there could a Commemoration rally where residents march from Christianburg, but that it should be done consistently to “build momentum”, as if it’s only done “sometimes, it won’t go anywhere.”
“There are young people that don’t even know about this incident, so we have to transmit this to the next generation, because eventually all of us from that era would be gone so if we don’t have a strategy that’s intentional, that is saying how do we pass this information on, it would be lost.
“We have to light a fire under somebody in their thirties, that’s how it has to be done, so that it won’t be lost!”
The memorial would be observed on Friday, July 13.

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