Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-16
Deadly Vapor's
Path Clear
to Top.
AGENCIES JOIN
TO FIX BLAME
City, State and Med
ical Authorities
Investigate.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
CLEVELAND, May 16.-The fire
door leading from the X-Ray
room in the Cleveland clinic,
where the first explosion occurred
yesterday had been left open,
State fire wardens investigating
the tragedy announced today.
The warden's statement read:
"The fire door leading to the
room where the celluloid X-Ray
plates were stored and where the
first explosion occurred had been
left open. If this door had been
closed the disaster might have
been averted."
Door Damaged by Heat.
City Manager Hopkins and fire.
men, who examined the building
after the tragedy came to the
conclusion that the vault guard
ing the films had been open be-
cause the only damage to it was
from heat. 1t was intact on its
hinges.
Boffrey Bogg, plumber, called yes
terday to the Cleveland Clinic to repair
a steam pipe, today said that the fire.
proof door to the chamber in the base
ment Of the structure, which housed
the X-Ray films, where the first ex-
plosion occurred, was open Immediately
preceding the blast and that the room
itself was supercharged by steam. ap-
parently coming from a leaky steam
pipe.
Blames Blast on Steam.
He gave as his deduction Of the cause
of the blast spontaneous combustion
caused by the action of the steam on
the X-Ray plates stored there.
Six investigations Of the explosion
were put underway today.
Gov. Myers G. Cooper marshaled the
States entire investigating agencies late
last night after he came here intending
to attend horse show, and five local
groups Of officials began their own in
quiries.
Deputy State fire marshals and rep
reSentatives of the State Division of
Safety and Hygiene were assigned to go
into the reasons for the mysterious
catastrophe.
Both the Cleveland police and fire
departments organized their own in
quiries, and City Manager Hopkins had
devoted his offices to determining rea-
sons for the explosions.
DR.. George w. Grille, head OF the
clinic, declared he, too, would attemp
to learn the origin of the fire. which
ignited the film and released the gas.
Theories as to Start of Fire.
State and city fire wardens. COM
mittee appointed by City Manager Hop
kins, and the county coroners off1ce
searched the building and questioned
survivors in an effort to fix responsible
ity for the catastrophe.
Although the cause of the fire in the
X-ray Aims remained a mystery, au-
thorities advanced three theories. Some
one, it was thought, might have been
burning rubbish in the furnace, 10 feet
from the vault containing the highly
infiammable Aims, and a spark might
have been blown through the open
door.
The second theory Is that a steam
filter was working in the basement,
which might have accounted for the
door of the vault being open. Had the
workman been using torch the films
would easily have caught fire. 1t was
said the steamfitter was carried out
among the dead.
Crossed Wires Also Blamed.
The most frequently advanced idea
Is that crossed wires on the X-ray ap-
paratus provided the damaging spark
The man who perhaps holds the Sc
cret Of the whole affair was in a critical
condition TODAY. and may take the So
luton to the grave with him. DR.. Jack
H. Swafford, X-ray room physician.
was said to have leaped from window
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