Evening star., 1952-03-29
Ewing Directs
Steps 10 Remove
Howard Hazards
FotoI Chemical BIost
Spurs Elimination Of
Dangerous Explosives

A survey to eliminate possible
Explosion or fire hazards at How
lard University was in progress
today on orders OF Federal Secur-
lity Administrator Oscar r. Ewing
latter he personally inspected the
scene Of Thursdays fatal blast.
/ Meanwhile. q coroner's jury was
Ito be sworn in today for an in
quest into the deaths of four Gus
.Itodial employees in . basement ex-
Iplosion of 42O pounds Of war-sur-
lplus sodium chlorate.
/ An inquest probably viii be
called next week after reports
from the university and the Dis
ltrict fire nlarshal's Office are COM
Ipleted.
/ Several members Of the Federal
Fire Council. headed by w. e.
Reynolds, commissioner Of Public
Buildings Service, visited the
smoke -blackened scene of the ac-
lcident with Mr.. Ewing yesterday
lafternoon.
/ To Remove INT.
An immediate result was a plan
for removal and destruction of
about i've pounds Of TINT, fulmi-
nate Of mercury and other ex-
Iplosives left over from wartime
experiments and stored in base
Iment room Of the laboratory build
ling about IS feet from the scene
lof Thursdays blast.
Prof. r. Percy Barnes, acting
head Of the university's chemistry
department, told Mr.. Ewing that
several requests had been made
Ito have police or military experts
remove and destroy the explosives.
He explained the police agreed,
latter the chemical blast, to take
the job.
| Stored in q locked room with
|the wartime explosives were a
score Of high-compression cylin-
Iders Of nitrogen and hydrogen
Igas. The experts suggested that
tthe steel caps which cover the
valves during shipment be re-
placed as a precaution against
.laccident.
j Asks Inspection.
I Mr.. Ewing asked the Federal
Fire Council to inspect the condi-
ton of all buildings Of the univer-
lsity, with view to fire prevention.
The interest of the security agency
in the university is explained by
the fact that the Federal Govern
ment contributes IS per cent of the
funds for supporting the institu-
ton.
i The sodium chlorate which blew
up Thursday was stored in several
hundred cardboard boxes packed
inside metal containers.
An expert suggested the chem
lical, in crystalline form, might
Ihave set up some reaction with the
,icontainers, or that a small amount
of dust might have become ignited
land triggered the detonation.
i DR.. Barnes said that. while
there is nothing inherent in the
mature Of sodium chlorate itself
which would tend to make 1t ex-
Iplode," the workmen had been in
Istructed to handle the old material
las if it were a high explosive. The
Ichemical was to have been re-
moved and destroyed.
"Sizzling" Causes Scare.
The lone survivor of the work
crew said the chemical began
sizzling" just before the fatal
blast which rocked the five-story
building.
] Several members Of yesterdays
inspection party, including girl
stenographer, university employees
and news photographers, got a bad
! scare near the scene Of the ex-
, Iplosion.
j Suddenly a sizzling" noize and
Ia flash emenated from point in
the electric conduits overhead.
Those nearest dashed for the
exists. The noise and flash turned
out to be a short circuit in charred
wiring.