The Indianapolis times., 1927-11-14
fire CAUSE IS
MYSTERY AS
PROBES START
Four Investigations Open
on Blaze That Cost
Eight Lives.
CHIEF OFFERS THEORY
Hot Ashes Ignited Rubbish,
Belief Advanced by
HutSelI.
death and injury list on Page 2)

Probability that the Graystone
Apartment Hotel fire, in which eight
persons died and fourteen were in
jured early Sunday, was caused by
someone throwing lighted cigar or
cigaret stub into rubbish on the
freight elevator on the first floor,
where the blaze started, remained
as the most likely explanation of
the cause of the fire this after
noon.
AS authorities started four inveS-
legations to determine the cause of
the fire, Sonnie Gordon, Negro. jani-
tor, and his brother James, helper,
denied that there had been any hot
ashes in cans placed on the elevator
Saturday night.
CoSdon said that only three cans of
rubbish were left on the elevator
that night.
Chief Has Theories
The theories that hot ashes or a
lighted butt started the flames were
advanced by Fire Chief Jesse Hut
sell.
Hutsell assigned Capt. Harry
Gould of the arson investigation
and Bernard Lynch, fire prevention
bureau inspector, to question the
building janitors and management.
Their investigation so far has
shown no evidence of incendiarism.
City Building Commissioner w. D.
Osborn. Coroner G. H. Keever and
State Fire Marshal Alfred Hoston
also are investigating the cause of
the blaze.
Chief Albert Fowler of the State
arson division, assigned Investigator
George E. Coogan TO the case.
Osborn said that the structure
complied with building code require
ments and that the two stairways
in the building provided the neces-
sary means of escape from fire by
law.
Recommends Smoke Tower
In remodeling the building, he
said he would recommend that the
o. j. Smith Realty Company, own
ers Of the building, inclose the stair
cases in metal lath and plaster, Gre
ating what is known as q smoke
tower.
Coroner Keever condemned use OF
wood in building the elevator shaft
and the practice of leaving cans
filled with rubbish on the elevator
at the base of the shaft.
IT regard the building as fire.
trap, tinder box or whatever you
want to call it," Keever said. eff
there is any blame to be fixed for
the blaze we are going to find it,
or we will exoperate those who are
under suspicion"
Keever issued Jsubpoenas for fire.
man, janitors Of the apartment, fire
department investigators, city build
ing commissioners Office officials and
several who escaped from the flames,
to appear before him Tuesday to
give statements.
Police Chief Claude M. Worley
assigned two detectives to work
with the city and State fire preven-
tion bureaus.
after a personal investigation at
the building Sunday I am satisfied
there are many angles which must
be cleared" Worley said. eff no one
is to blame for the fire, we want to
find that out and set minds of citi-
zens at rest. No stone will be left
unturned to bring about a just
probe of the blaze"
Panic Costs Lives
o. j. Smith, head of the realty
company which owns the building,
declared the company always had
endeavored to follow all recon-
mendation of building authorities
and fire officials. The rubbish was
kept in metal containers, because
they believed that was the best
method of preventing fire, he said
All recommendation of firemen or
the building commissioner will be
followed in reconstruction, he also
said.
The eight persons died because, in
their frantic efforts to escape the
flames, they opened the doors of
their apartments to the dense smoke
which brought suffocation and the
flames which wrought death, ac-
cording to Fire Chief Hutsell.
The fire started in bottom Of a
freight elevator shaft to the rear OF
the building, ate itself up the grease
soaked sides of the shaft and theE