The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-11-16
CITY IS FULL
OF GLAR|NG
fire TRAPS
Graystone Tragedy Might
Be Repeated Many Places
Downtown.
OWNED BY POLITICIANS
Four Stories, No Way to
Escape; Proprietor De-
( Iivered His Votes.
BY DENNIS j. o'NEILL

BY DENNIS j. O'NEILL
The Graystone apartment hotel
disaster might be repeated in Indi-
annapolis any night at any one Of a
number of places-some within al
most stones throw of city hall.
These conditions we're disclosed by
the first day of inspection of fire
hazards in Indianapolis by Writ H.
Torbet, inspector of the city fire pre-
vention bureau, and myself. The
search for fire hazards is being di-
rected by Fire Prevention Chief
Horace w. Carey in cooperation with
The Times.
Four Stories; No Fire Escape.
One four-Story shabby corner
building near the city hall is with
out a fire escape of any description.
Families live in every available
corner from the basement to the top
story. Approximately ninety per-
sons are crowded into the ancient
wood and brick structure. A back
door in the basement is the only
rear exit.
A grim warning of what might
happen is visible from the back
windows of the building. A two
story structure across the alley is
tunbleds in, its walls blackened by
fairly recent flames.
Politicians Are Owners
Here is what was found on the
first day:
Within sight of the city hall are
at least six firetraps.
Most of them are owned by point
ically prominent persons. The build
ing described above Is good ex-
ample.
It is the first the prevention bu-
reau issued an order against when
the bureau was first founded.
The owner was politically prom
inent in the administration OF for
mer Mayor Lew Shank.
While we were inspecting the
building a State industrial board
inspector came in ard said tie place
soon would be made less dangerous.
Across the street is building
almost as old, but excellently cared
for. Fire escapes are provided, the
halls are clean and the steps are
of stone. Alas, the owner has never
delivered a vote!
Doors Block Stairway
On an avenue near by, a store
building with two stories OF apart
ments above was found to be so
dark on the second and third floors
that Torbet had to use his flash
light to find the stairways.
The second floor to this building
is reached by a stairway running
straight up from the sidewalk. Half
way I'D double doors close across
the stairway. The doors open in.
Persons rushing down the stairs in
event of fire would be forced to
pull the doors toward them-par-
ticularly dangerous if a crowd
should jam against them.
The second-story fire escape at
the front is reached by running
around those stairs. If one could
reach the fire escape he could GER
tanly reach the stairway.
No Exit From Court
The rear fire escape leads down
into a court about fifteen feet
square, from which there is no exit
except through the windows Of the
building that would be on fire, If
one had occasion to leave it via the
fire escape.
Another three story building was
inspected with the stairway from
the second floor through the mid
die of the building the only escape
from the top floor If this were cut
of by flames third-door occupants
would have no alternate but to jump
out the window.
In the basement of hat clean
ing establishment, adjoining a large
apartment hotel, gas water heater
was attached to a wall through
which light on the other side was
visible. And on the other side was
a whirling hat, in the process OF
being cleaned throwing excess gaso-
line off into the atmosphere.
Six Layers of Wall Paper
On the wall was this semi-face-
tious warning:
Careful of smoking, old man,
gasoline!"
One building on Alabama st. had
a narrow stairway running up
through the center of the building.
Everything seemed to be in good
order. The floor was clean-and
walls were newly papered.
Torbet spied a piece of loose wall
paper. At least six layers of paper
had been plastered onto the wall,
one on top of the other.
I'm case of fire those extra lay
ers would curl up from heat ahead
of the flame and furnish the driest
food imaginable for fire to run
along" Torbet said.