The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-07-08
TWO BLAzES
AT BREWERY
ARE PRODED
Al Feeney Orders Several
Persons to Appear for
Questioning.
DAMAGE KEPT SECRET
Second Fire Breaks Out
With Guards on Duty
at Plant.


State and city officials today are
investigating two fires Friday and
this morning in the Indianapolis
Brewing Company plant, 1330-1340
Madison avenue, and several per-
sons have been ordered to appear
Monday for questioning in the
statehouse Office of AL Feeney, state
safety director.
After a visit to the fire scene,
Feeney placed Glen Smith, state
fire marshal in personal charge of
the state inquiry. The other in
quiry is being made by the fire pre-
vention bureau of the city fire de-
partment.
Smith will take personal charge
Of the investigation" said Feenev
and I have instructed him to start
a probe Immediately Ordinarily, the
state does not step in to investigate
fires In the city unless requested to
by the city fire department.
Requires Immediate Attention
But due to circumstances sur
rounding the two blazes at the brew
cry, l feel that it requires our imme-
date attention"
Among those called for testimony
are Harry E. Cohen, Chicago; James
Ryan and James J. Darmody In
dianapolis, officials of the Home
Brewing Company, which was re-
fused beer permit by Paul Fry,
state excise director, after a start
had been made on rehabilitating the
brewery plant.
Bookkeepers and others who were
in the employ of the Home COM
pany also have been ordered to APP
pear and Feeney instructed Smith to
impound all books and documents
of the company for use as evidence.
Present tenant of the plant, which
as yet has no permit to make beer
is the International Brewing Com
pany.
100000 Insurance Carried
Insurance of 100000 is carried
Feeney declared today.
First fire was discovered in the
four-story plant at GAS p. M. Fri
day While five guards were on
duty, the second fire broke out at
3 a. m. today in malt bins.
Brewery employees fought the fire
which started in the old wing of
the building today until the arrival
of the fire apparatus. The owners
would not state what the damage of
the early morning fire was, but
feared that some of the hoppers
valued at more than $4,000 each
were damaged beyond repair.
Loss in the Friday night fire was
estimated by the fire department
to be about $4,000.
COmmendS Fire Fighters
John O. Spahr, attorney and
spokesman for the International
Company, commended work of the
salvage corps, stating that iU had
saved thousands of dollars worth OF
new equipment which just had been
moved in, pending start of manu-
facture.
He pointed out that Paul Fry,
state excise director, had not yet
granted the brewery permit to OPP
crate. Spahr said that despite the
fire the brewery would start opera
ton in about two weeks, employing
about 300 persons and would manu-
factue good beer
Spahr said he believed the build
ing was covered fully by insurance
against fire loss.
Less than an hour before the
blaze swept through the older por-
ton of the building Friday where
malt bins and elevator equipment
were stored, 100 men employed in
renovation work had quit for the
day.
Flames Shoot Into Air
Flames which shot more than 100
feet in the air enveloped the old
wing of the structure. Thirteen
pieces of fire apparatus responded
to the alarm. Firemen, fighting
their way through the dense smoke,
soon had the flames subdued.
But brands carried by wind
started a half dozen small fires on
the roof of the GeiSen Products
Company. bottling concern, oc-
cupying the northern portion of the
brewery plant. Firebrands also fell
on a dozen roofs of homes north
east of the plant.
Considerable confusion has sur
rounded efforts to open the brew
cry. Gold Medal beer, the name of
the brand originally manufactured
by the City Brewery Company, the
original owners, was pre-empted
when the Home Brewing Company
began to rehabilitate the plant early
in July.
Frank Mayr Jr., secretary of state,
Turn In Pare Threel