First , Freeth was charged with finding a way to purify TNT from hot alcoholic solution . Freeth invented a vacuum cooling process ; it was , however , very risky , and led to the Silvertown explosion on 19 January 1917 , which killed 73 people . Writing in 1962 , Freeth said that the process was " very dangerous " ; a second , safer , process that he devised was implemented at Gadbrook and produced larger volumes of explosives . The Gadbrook plant almost suffered a similar disaster , but two courageous Brunner Mond employees put out the fire before the plant exploded . Freeth wrote that he would , on a monthly basis , remind the Silvertown plant of the risk that the plant would explode , but that it was deemed " worth the risk "
Silvertown explosion
Silvertown explosion
Francis Arthur Freeth