Document 1y5Y54r6DgmxYnXOYprnd01ma

?:ii. CfCAK B. L''>'.'IS, . ar ch 14, 134.0 boar c-ecar, h is i s in r e p ly t o your l e t t e r o f Parch 12th in w hich you ask e d fo r some i n fo r r e t i ;.n abou t an a c c id e n t wh ich occu rred - in. con n ecti-'n with cle an in g a tan k a t Ja c k so n v ille * e b e lie v e t h e r e ..wist h ave b om son ad s un der st an d in g in t h a t wo h ave no iu o r v ia t io u ab ou t an y d i f f i c u l t y a t an y o f t h e Ja c k so n v ille term in als* I f ;.r * Kohoa vias r e fe r r in g i n h i 3 t e le p h o n e c o n v e r sa t io n t o t h e a c c id e n t v.h loh t 'u> 'ra.:.: ,u t t a i o O il Company h ad , he p r o b ab ly in t e n d e d t o con vey tn o i u lb r u a t i a i t h a t t h i s a c c id e n t o ccu r r ed a t Tampa. Sore tiiafe &;.o. I gave you a p r elii.iin a.r y r e p o r t cn t h i s o ccu r r e n ce b u t de fe r r e d any fu r t h e r ijn o x u n t io n ir-astoucn a s Lr . Kehoe h ad ask ed fo r buo irJ'&rm ativ-u d i r e c t , an d i t eras n o t u n t i l ;h r c&y o f t i d e week t h a t %/u o r e a . l e t o f i v e an y com plete st o r y in o r d e r t h a t he m igh t p r e pare a fo r t h e Orange St a t e o i l p e o p le * I t a l red w it h h r* hoheo i n -iew O r lean s y e st e r d a y an d sm t h e b a sis ;f i d s fin d in g s an d t h e i n c o r sa t i ext wh ich we viera a b le t o p r o v id e b in , t h e r e i s e v i noe t h a t alt h ou gh m asks an d on e p a i r o f b o o t s v/ero on t h e gr ou n d , t h e .wer. w ere persicit t e d . t o r eco v e t h o se c a sk s fo r co a f o r t w h ile w orkin g in t h e sp ik e d t an k a t t h e Orange f i a t e O il Co.--u.any t e r m in a l in lam pa* t o g lo v e s h ad been p r o v id e d fo r t h e se .wrlauon. ih u w as ih c a se n ot w it h st an d in g t h e fa c t t h a t everyon e con.*oot od w it h t h e Orango c i a t o O il Company- from : a jo r C a r t e r who i s i ;i c h a r ge , down t o t h e forem an who d id t h e w ork- h ad been, co n t act e d n se v e r a l o c c a sio n s by ,"r . i.'cCo o le y * I-ioreover, t h i s sp ik e d t an k w as t a gge d a t t h e t im e t h a t t h e c le a n in g w as don e an d when, t h e man h ole cover w .8 r e p lace d , th e t a g w as y et back on th e t an k . A lso , th e regu lation - tan k clean in g in st r u c t io n s wore posted in th e orile o f th e t e r - v i n a l , and M ajor C a r t e r h ad a copy o f t h e in h i s o f f i c e in .Miami* In order to be su re about w h eth er o r n ot t h is p a r t ic u la r tan k was t agged , I h ad i-h ippa go b ack t o Tampa a l t e r t h e d i f f i c u l t y w as r e p o r t e d t o u s an d fin o cu t w h eth er o r n ot t h e t a g had bean r e p la c e d , ovan t h eugh I had boon a ssu r e d beforeh an d by 1-cCooley t h a t he h ad p e r so n lly seen t o h avin g i t at t ach ed * I c e li eve I m entioned in a p r eviou s r ep o r t t h a t we were n ot a d v ise d o f t h i s ? auk c le a n in g b efor eh an d alt h o u gh t h e Orango o t a t e O il Com;.any h ad been in st r u c t e d on a number o f o c c a sio n s t o g iv e u s uu l i c e aud h ad beea ...rovitied w it h p o st c a r d s fo r t h a t p u r p o se . Dr. Dehoo, 7 u n derstan d, v d ll sh o r t ly p rep ar e a ocm plete r e p o r t :n t h s s i t u a t i u j w h ich I proausse you w i l l o b t a in a copy o f . In t h e m ean tim e, he h as ask e d me t o d et er m in e tb p r e se n t c o n d it io n o f t h e o t h e r Sou r non who w ere em ployed i n t h e t a n k o le a n in g o p o r a- Mr. Lewis (Orange State Oil) I'ch 14-1S40 page 2 t io n b u t who a r e no lo n ge r in t h e em ploy o f t h e O ran ge St a t e O il Company, an d a lso i f p o ssi b l e t o in flu e n c e t h e company in v o lv e d a s w ell a s t h e ir in su r an ce company, in making a sa t isfa c t o r y se t t le m e n t fo r any damages t h a t ar e e q u it a b ly in v o lv e d . I t so h appen s t h a t Orange St a t e h ad fo u r sp ik e d t an k s in F lo r id a two o f which ve- looat ed a t Ja c k so n v ille ana one a t t h e Miami t e r m in al. They h ave n ot cle an e d an y t a n k s sin c e 1936 and u n d er took t o c le a n t h e one a t Tampa on ly b e cau se t h ey a r e makin g some ch an ges and r e p a ir s in con n ection w ith t h i s p a r t ic u la r t an k . I h ave had Phipps check th e oth er th ree tan ks to be su re t h at t a gs ar e proper ly in p lace and t h a t tan k clean in g in st r u c t io n s ar e su p p lied i f th ey have been l o s t sin c e McCooley p r ovid ed th em . lie, o f cou rse, ar e follow in g out th e recen t in st r u ct io n in regard t o your c ir c u la r l e t t e r ab ou t sp ik ed t a n k s, and 1 had a ch an ce t o d isc u ss t h i s w it h McCooley when I w as w it h him d u r in g t h e e a r ly p a r t o f t h i s w eek. V/e se e t h a t we now h ave no a l t e r n a t i v e b u t f o r him t o go th rou gh tn e t e r r i t o r y p e r so n a lly an d exam in e every' t a u x i n wh ich ou r r e c o r d s show t h e r e h a s been an y u n u su al b le n d in g. T r i s , o f c o u r se , was done se v e r a l y e ar s ago and a t t h a t t im e, th e t a g s were p r op er ly a f f i x e d t o a l l suoh t an k s in t h i s Liv i s i on . h ow ever, we c e r t a i n l y do n ot w an t a r e o ccu r r e n ce o f wh at h appen ed i n Tampa i f t h e r e i s an y way t o pr even t i t , fo r n o t w it h st an d in g Oran ge S t a t e ' s d isr e g a r d o f t h e t a g w h ich w as a f f i x e d t o t h e t an k a t Tampa, wo s t i l l f e e l t h a t h avin g t h e se t a g s on t h e t an k , h as c o n sid e r a b le v a lu e . For you r In fo r m a t io n , we a r e n o t a t a l l c e r t a in t h a t Oran ge St a t e may n ot do t h e same t h in g a ga in sin c e even now, t h ey secai t o lm ye.n o se n se o f r e sp o n si b i l i t y f o r what lias h appen ed in Tampa in asm uch a s t h ey a r e in clin e d to fe e l t h a t i t i s p ar t ly cur r e sp o n sib ilit y fo r h avin g sp ik ed th e t a n k , and p ar t i;/ t h e in su r an ce company*s w orry fo r an y damage t h a t i s in v o lv e d . McCooley h as h ad c o n sid e r a b le su sp ic io n ab ou t t h i s company e v e r sin c e t h e b e gin n in g o f o u r sa fe t y program fo r th e r eason t h a t n ot w it h st on ding th e f a c t he went over th e whole sit u a t io n w ith theta in Au gu st, 1936, abou t th e proper procedu re fo r n o t ify in g u s o f cle an in g t an k s and p lac in g sp e c ia l em ph asis on t h e sp ik e d t a n k s, a l a t e r i n v e st ig a t i o n showed t h a t fo u r mon th s a f t e r w a r d s, t h ey c le a n e d a sp ik e d t an k i n Miami w it h ou t t e l l i n g u s a OOUt i t . U n fortu n ately, th ey have clean ed no tan k s sin ce t h a t tim e and a l th ough Mao h as c a l l e d on them c o n t in u o u sly , we h ave h ad no 'way o f t o llin g what t h e y would be lik e ly t o do i f th ey had o ccasio n t o cle an an o t h e r t an k . As you a p p r e c ia t e , Oran ge St a t e coraes u n der t h e c a t e gory o f a jo b b e r : b u t n ot w it h st an d in g c e r t a in in st r u c t io n s we h ave had t o d isr e g a r d jo b b e r t a n k s, t h e fa c t t h a t Orange St a t e h as la r ge t e r m in als in Flo r id a and a l so becau se fou r o f t h e ir t an k s were sp ik e d , Mac made e v e r y e f f o r t t o keep on t o p o f i t in o r d e r t o p r ev en t v;h at u ltim ately happened. I b e lie v e t h e f a c t t h a t even now t h e Orange St a t e p e o p le a r e n ot K B 0021118 r* Le vas ( Orange s tate Oi l) h 1 1940 page 5 con cer n ed w it h t h in p a r t i c u l a r in c id e n t , in d i c a t e s t o me t h e kin d e v e r , x an p lan n in g on m eetin g k&c in F lo r id a 'w ith in t h e n e x t tun w eeks and a t t h a t t i n e , I e xp e ct t o go t some d e fi n i t e co:an it t m e n t s f`ro:-i th en on a ch an ge in rays in t i n s r e g a r d * I f t h i s can n ot be d on e, we w i l l t h en t a k e i t up w ith t h e A r k an sas Fuel o i l Company in Sh r evep o r t who.,,, vie u n d e r st an d , h ave now some con t r o l o f t h i s company* an d i f we s t i l l can o t g e t t h e a ssu r a n c e s t h a t we w ish , we w i l l a sk you t o d isc u ss i t w ith t h e C i t i e s Se r v ic e p eop le in hew York . I n t h e m ean tim e, we h ave been a ssu r e d t h a t t h e r e i s no tan k cle an in g plan n ed fo r a t l e a s t th e n e st month and we f e e l we ar e r e a so n a b ly s a f e n ot t o h ave a r e o ccu r r e n ce be fo r e wo a r e a c l e t o s e t up t h e n e c e ssa r y sa fe g u a r d s* Vory t r u ly your .c / f . l bCooley. J. C o st e llo . H Z 0021119