{"product_id":"when-the-river-burned-the-untold-story-of-the-jupiter-explosion-9781611865868","title":"When the River Burned: The Untold Story of the Jupiter Explosion","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn September 16, 1990, the tanker ship \u003ci\u003eJupiter\u003c\/i\u003e exploded while unloading gasoline at a Bay City pier on the Saginaw River. The blast killed one worker, injured eleven others, and triggered what the U.S. Coast Guard later described as an unprecedented crisis on the Great Lakes. For weeks, the disaster commanded national attention as officials worked to contain the damage and investigate the cause. Then, like so many industrial accidents, the story faded from public memory.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhen the River Burned\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of this overlooked chapter in Great Lakes maritime history. Drawing on newspaper archives, Coast Guard investigations, and eyewitness accounts, Joey Oliver reconstructs how a series of small oversights--in equipment, procedure, and human judgment--aligned to produce catastrophe. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe book places the \u003ci\u003eJupiter\u003c\/i\u003e explosion within a broader history of the Saginaw River, tracing its evolution into a vital artery of Michigan industry. Oliver examines the fragile interdependence of ships, piers, and river traffic, revealing how disasters emerge not from single causes but from the breakdown of complex systems. \u003ci\u003eWhen the River Burned\u003c\/i\u003e is not only the account of a deadly tanker explosion; it is a reflection on what caused it, on the safety changes that followed, and on changes that never came.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Michigan State University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781611865868\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 140\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.50lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.50d","brand":"Joey Oliver","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53195228774581,"sku":"9781611865868","price":25.46,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/9781611865868.jpg?v=1788273505","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/when-the-river-burned-the-untold-story-of-the-jupiter-explosion-9781611865868","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}