The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-07-22
DAv,v DELAYS
PROBE into
GARY BLAST
Prepare to Whitewash
Steel Trust
BY LAURENCE TODD,
Federated Press.

WASHINGTON, July 2o.--Chairman
6ynum Of the Indiana Industrial COM
mission has disclosed to The FEEDER
ated Press the inner reason for his
failure to investigate the explosion in
the steel trusts by-product plant at
Gary last month, where, according to
his own account, ID workers were
killed and 40 injured.
A Fine Concern.
II am going to send a factory in
spector down there" he said, when
called upon to explain why the steel
trust had been able to clamp down
lid of secrecy on the causes of the
horror, They are such a fine concern
that l did not want to trouble them
now, when the inside of the plant is
all blown out, but when Superintend-
ent Gleason of the plant has COM
pleted his investigation l shall look
into it, and shall make a report"
us that the spirit of the law under
which your commission was estab-
lished?' he was asked.
Perhaps not in general, but have
confidence in the company and its re-
port will be straight. Why, the death
of these IA men and the injuries to
40 more will cost the company
100000 in workmen's compensation
payments!"
Denies Politics.
Hasn't the United States Steel
Corporation strong drag with the
state government of Indiana. that
they get this sort of treatment"
They never have employed me, and
they won't. Nor will they influence
the governor. But I'll tell you what
they have done for me. They have
enabled me to transfer 1000 unem-
ployed coal miners to jobs in their
plants. and I am going to get 1000
more of the $4,000 unemployed miners
into their employ
Bynum was asked whether these
miners were not union men, who must
sign an agreement when they go to.
work in the trusts plants that they
will not join any union. He said they
are union miners, but they will not
have to agree to stay out of unions
when working for the steel company.
Blame Worker.
According to unofficial information
given Bynum by company represen-
tative, the fatal explosion was due to
the careless act of some worker who
left open a cock in the cupola where
coke was being heated. and gas which
escaped came in contact with flames
at distance. He is assured that an
outside covering, with lock con-
trolled by the shop foreman, is being
built over similar containers in the
place. He says he is sure the explo-
sion was not due to any experimental
process, and that there is No danger of
its being repeated. He admits he is
only a lawyer-not an engineer nor a
chemist.
Dodge Inquiry.
Tie Federated Press sought this in
terview with Bynum because Secre-
tary on Labor Davis had shown
marked reluctance to make even a po-
lite inquiry of Judge Gary's plant SUI
perintendent in Gary as to why the
IA workers were killed and the 40
we're injured. Ethelbert Stewart,
commissioner of the bureau of labor
statistics, had declared that the fed
eral government has no power to in
vestigate such accidents, except under
special resolution by congress. He
and Davis had both advised that you
ask the governor of Indiana" Finally
Davis had agreed to ask Bynum for a
look at Bynum's report. He had re-
fused to announce to his national in
dustrial accident conferetce that he
was going to inquire into the cause OF
the Gary disaster.
The Federated Press representative
waited half an hour in Davis outer
Office, hoping to learn that inquiry
would be made, and all that time
Davis was writing his speech of greet
ing TO the industrial accident parley.