The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-12-16
ACME-EvANS
BLAST TAKES
$4,000 TOLL
Elevator Wrecked, Flames
Menace Factories, Homes
in Vicinity.
PERILS EMPLOYEES LIVES
Flremen Risk Death in Fiqht
With Blaze; Grain Loss
viii Add to DAMAGE.


pany plant, $50 West Washington
street, shortly before 10 this morn
ing, injuring three men and result
ing in damage to the elevator and
grain estimated at from 100000 to
$4,000.
Houses and factories near the
plant were threatened with destruc-
ton as flames scared from the ele-
vator, destroying ten freight cars
and periling the lives of scores of
firemen.
After battling the blaze for more
than two hours, firemen brought it
under control, and shortly after
ward all that remained of the ele-
Vator was a scared, blackened skele-
ton, which fire officials believed
might collapse at any moment.
f. 9. johnson, Acme-Eyans treas
urer, said that, while no accurate
figures were available, he did not
believe the loss would exceed 100000
Other officers of the company are
Edgar H. Evans, president; I. E.
Woodland and j. A. Refs, vice presi-
dents, and S. r. Harrell, secretary.
Other employees stated that at
least 5000 worth of grain was de-
stroyed.
Slides Down Rope to Safety
Sparks from a freight elevator in
the basement of the structure were
believed to have caused the blast.
Ten employees were in the struc-
ture as smoke and flames poured
from the basement.
In less than minute there was
terrific blast, the roar of which
could be heard for blocks.
Alvine Kidwell, 26, of 3107 Boule-
ward place, foreman, miraculously
escaped death while standing on a
platform at the top of the Strlic-
ture, ITO feet above the ground.
Nearly suffocated by the sitting
gas that followed a first explosion,
Kidwell staggered toward window
and tossed a rope to the ground be-
low. He slid to safety, and escaped
with only minor burns.
Three alarms were sounded, and
all downtown fire apparatus was
summonded after two more blasts
sent dense clouds of smoke over the
city.
Employe Is Injured
The elevator, containing thousands
of dollars worth of wheat was a
roaring mass of fire as the first APP
paratus arrived Fireman poured
thousands of gallons of water on to
the flaming structure.
Tom Mathews, II North Harding
street, an employe, was injured on
the head and legs when falling
beam struck him a glancing blow
Sixty-two small grain Silos ad-
Joining the elevator we're saved
from destruction as firemen played
streams of water on their sides to
prevent spread of the blaze.
These elevators contain nearly
half a million bushels of grain. &C
cording to Edgar Evans, president
of the company. ~
Fan Spreads Flames
A suction fan in the bottom OF
the elevator shaft is believed to have
caused rapid spread of flames. The
fan was shut off by Kidwell before
he descended to the ground from
the top Of the elevator building.
Kidwell told flremen that when
ne discovered he was trapped on
top of the elevator, he attempted to
descend the stairway, but was met
by sheet of flame as an explosion
occurred in the middle of the
building.
He made his way to the top again
through dense smoke and shut of
the suction fan and also the grain
chute, before escaping through the
window.
Kidwell was the only employe
above the ground floor of the ele-
vator when the fire started.
Six firemen, headed by Roscoe
Mckinney, acting fire assistant
chief, narrowly escaped death in
the explosion in the elevator.
Firemen Endangered
Mckinney, Carl Malcolm, Joseph
Hancock, and three other firemen
from Station 6, we're among the first
to reach the fire. They rushed UP
the stairway to the second floor and
just had entered the main room
when the explosion occurred.
Hurled through the doorway into
the hall, they all escaped injury.
The main part of the plant is
believed to have been saved because
the southwest wind blew the flames
away from it and toward the huge
concrete storage elevators. The
concrete elevators prevented flames
from spreading to wooden buildings
across the street.
In the confusion that reigned a;
scores Of hose lines were laid from
blocks around the blazing StIuc-
ture. Lieutenant Gale F. Racobs o.
engine house No. IS was injured
when a huge hose line nozzle he was
holding tipped suddenly, tossing
him against freight car.
Nine other firemen. holding The
giant nozzle with Lieutenant Racobs
were scattered in all directions a.
the hose suddenly buckled anC
twisted itself from the grip of thu
fireman.
Assistant Fire Chief Roscoe Nc
Kinney, stationed near the nortl
door of the elevator as the fire
man played the stream through /
pail of smoke, picked Lieutenan
Racobs from the ground and car
ried him to an ambulance. Racob
was unconscious. He lives at 103
Shannon avenue.