The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-04-01
EXPLOSION IS NOT
 FAULT OF ANYONE
(Continued from Page D

"This station was fourteen and one-half feet wide, and sixteen and a half feet long with an eight foot ceiling. It was rent ed from Buckley Brothers by An- sel Atkins, of 3o82 East Main street, Waterbury. Hager was employed by Atkins and Ciano on some occasions would tend the station while Hager was absent, but he received no wages or re- muneration therefor.
 Inside the station was a 50- gallon drum of an anti-freeze compound, commonly called ze- rone. This is about ninety nine per cent methyl alcohol. There were also in the station some cans of motor oil. four quarts of motor oil in glass con- tainers and about five or six gall Ions of an anti-freeze solution. commonly called Super-Pyro. This Super-Pyro was contained in one and two gallon cans.
 "The station was heated by means of an oil stove with a bowl type burner. This burner had been in the station for at least six months, and during the en- tire tenancy of Atkins. It had not been functioning properly, and about six weeks before this explosion Hager had cleaned 1t. On February 7th, prior to this explosion the burner had popped" that is, a jet of flame would shoot out from the burner. This had happened about two or three times on that day. The steel drum which was just to the left of the entrance on the inside con- tained about five gallons of this anti-freeze mixture known as Zerone. The weather was quite cold, and the oil stove had been burning all day, causing consid- erable vaporization of the mixture in the drum. The drum was equipped with pump having a hose connection leading from the inside of the drum to the out side, and 1t was by this means that the fluid was drawn off Prior to the explosion there is some evidence that Biondi and Ciano had attempted to fix the hose connection on the outside, which was leaking. Some of the vapor that had accumulated in- side the drum escaped into the small station, and at this time the oil burner in the stove threw off a jet of flame. This ignited the vapor that had escaped from the drum, and violent explosion resulted that set fire to the building and the clothing of the men in the station. The bot tom of the steel drum containing the anti-freeze solution was blown out, as were the windows in the station. All of the men sustained severe and painful burns, as a result of which Biondi died on February 8th. 1888 at 12:o7 a. m., at St. Mary's hospital in Waterbury. and Ciano, on February 23rd, 1888, at the same hospital.
 'It seems to me that good judgment and ordinary foresight would preclude the keeping of inflammable material in small building containing defective oil burner where persons are liable or are required to be. From all of the evidence, however, I am of the opinion that there is insuf- ficient basis for criminal charge.
 T find that the death of the said Andrew Biondi was due to first, second and third degree burns involving the entire body; that the death of said Armand Ciano was due to extensive burns involving the face. hands, but. tocks, anterior surfaces and some of the posterior surfaces of the lower extremities; that said burns, with the resulting deaths, were sustained in the manner above described, but that said deaths were not due to the criminal act, omission or carelessness on the part of any other person or per- sons.
 "In compliance with the Statute I have filed with the Clerk of the Superior Court for New Ha- ven County at Waterbury my re- port of the inquest together with the testimony taken.
 Dated at Waterbury, Connecti- cut, this 1st day of April, A. D., 1888.
 WALTER w. SMITH.
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