The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-09-26
To CHE OK
BUREAU
BI ASTS
Report to Hoover on Result Of
Inquiry Into Deaths Mould
Eliminate Causes.


Steps to prevent q repetition Of
the explosion at the Bureau of
Standards last week, which cost
the lives Of four. scientists and the
injury Of six others, are being
carried out by a special commit
tee appointed by direction of Sec
rotary Of Commerce Hoover, ac-
cording to a report submitted to-
day by Lyman J. Briggs, physicist
at the bureau and chairman OF
the committee.
Safer Methods Sought.
Methods Of throwing greater safe.
guards around the testing Of air.
plane and automobile motors and
fuel, during the progress of which
the explosion occurred are being
sought by the committee. These
safeguards, according to progress
in the investigat iona, 90 FAR made
will probably consist OF some means
of securing and testing air samples
from the testing chamber during
the tests and some means Of de-
tecting leaks in the fuel lines with
in the chamber.
The committee is also making al
investigation to determine the stu
alton OF families Of the men killed
or injured in the explosion, with a
view to recommending to Congress
adequate relief measures.
The committee is further charged
with examination of the damaged
structure at the bureau and deter
mining the amount of damage in
| flicted. The personnel of the com
mittee includes Chairman Briggs
/ #. C. Brown, e. F. Mueller, w. s.
James and II. d. Hubbard.
HerOism is Praised.
In its report on the cause Of the
accident the committee takes occa
| sion to praise the heroism showed
by survivors Of the crash and res
cuers.S The bravery of C. M. Smith
engineer in charge of the ammonia
plant, and one OF the six men in.
jured, is especially commended.
A summary of the report, sub
mitted today to Secretary Hoover
follows:
1.-THE explosion was caused by the
| ignition Of a mixture of gasoline
| yapor and air in the altitude cham
Der. The research under way was
concerned with comparative tests CT
fuels of differing volatility, and
aviation gasoline was under test al
the time. The board believes that
the presence of the gasoline vapoI
in the Gambler was due either to a
leak in the feed line leading to the
| ,arburetor of the engine or to q
leak from the carburetor due to the
sticking of the float mechanism.
This conclusion is supported by g
remark made by one of the mem
bers Of the testing staff an instant
before the explosion, to the effect
that the gasoline readings which he
was taking indicated the presence OF
a leak -. .
Leaks Cause Mystery. q
| THE condition of the set-up fol
lowing the fire is such that 1t is not
| possible to establish which one o.
the above causes occasioned thu
leak. Since it Is known that only
three gallons of gasoline had beer
1rawn for the test, that the engine
had been running from about 4
a. m. to IL noon with the chamber
open, that the chamber was CLOSED
at about 1890 for the purposes
II running at lower temperature
and that the engine had beer
operated from about to p. m
with the chamber closed, it is be
lieVed that not more than a quar-
of gasoline coul Id have escaped int
the chamber. This amount, how
ever, If vaporised would have beel
sufficient to account for the energ,
of the explosion.
| THE probable source of the igni
ton was a backfire through tn
carburetor. Support to this cor
clusion Is given by the statement O
one of the survivors that he heart
the engine backfire Immediately be
fore the explosion.
Results of Blast.
"The explosion threw out of thu
chamber a closed apparatus contain
ing about ten gallons of heav!
lubrtcating oil and about five gallon
of toluol, breaking the pipe con
nections and thus releasing part O
the contents which furnished addl
ti@al fuel for the fire which fol
lowed
''The explosion also shattered TIL
Misunderstanding system used in tn
test, which was outside the chambe
and contained about two quarts o
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