Document BRGwKNwnqJYRpQnjwqGz7nk9k

fi i1 IN T E R -O F F IC E CORRESPONDENCE E t h y l Ga s o l i n e Co r p o r a t i o n Ch r y s l e r b u i l d i n g 4 0 5 LEX IN G TO N AV EN UE ,N e w Y o r k Jo v , 1 9 1940 D r. b i l l a r d '.a c h le Dev'.r B i l l ; A ttach ed lie r e to i s a memorandum c o v e rin g th e \{t 0022555 LimiORA! UM: D e t r b i t Te s t i n g Labor a t o r y C o n ta c t i On S ep tem b er 6 , 19 4 0 , i t was n e c e s s a r y f o r t h e D ix ie F u e l T e rm in a l Company, lo c a te d on Zug Is la n d i n D e t r o i t , M ich ig an , to c a l l i n t h e C hicago B rid g e & I r o n Company to r e p a i r t h e i r ta n k ^8 w hich had b u r s t open due to a fa u lty s a fe ty p re ssu re valve This ta n k has a cap a c ity o f 55,000 b a rre ls and has b e e n used t o s t o r e K oolm otor, C i t i e s S e rv ic e O il Company's le a d e d regular gasoline. Yihen t h e ta n k had b e e n steam ed f o r f o u r d a y s , t h e D e t r o i t T e s tin g L ab o rato ry was c a lle d to check on th e co m b u stib le gas co n ten t to fin d out w hether o r not th e ta n k was s a fe to e n te r and com plete th e n ece ssary r e p a ir s . Mr. A. H. M azeika, a s s i s t a n t to M r. C. E. G reenlaw , m anager o f th e D e tr o it T estin g L ab o rato ry , re p o rte d to make th e n e c e ssa ry t e s t s and attem p ted to e n te r th e tan k vri-thout u sin g a mask or g lo v e s, b u t was stopped by our Mr. P e n ro se , who in fo rm ed him of th e h a z a rd s . A fte r le a r n in g o f th e d an g er, Mr. M azeika d id use th e mask and g lo v e s b u t seemed q u ite r e lu c ta n t and tre a te d the m atter very lig h tly . A fter hearing about the above in c id e n t, 1 called a t th e D e tro it T e s tin g L a b o ra to ry w here, i n th e ab sen ce o f Mr. G reenlaw , I c o n ta c te d M r. M azeika, h is a s s i s t a n t who i n c i d e n t a l l y does a l l o f th e t e s t i n g , and explained fu rth e r th e hazards asso ciated w ith th e entrance of a tank w h ic h had s t o r e d a le a d e d g a s o l i n e . M r. M azeik a, a f t e r h e a r in g t h e com p le te sto ry , re a liz e d h is ignorance in th e m atter and prom ised to tak e th e n e c e ssa ry p re c a u tio n s in making fu tu r e t e s t s . On r e c e i p t o f M r. K a le y 's l e t t e r , I had in te n d e d t o c a l l b a c k a t th e L ab o ra to ry b u t f e l t th a t i t would be b e t t e r i f someone such as our Mr. E a rl Bartholom ew , w ould c a ll on th e owner, D r. Putnam, and e x p la in o u r S a f e ty Program and r e q u e s t h i s c o o p e r a tio n . To c o m p le te t h i s c o n t a c t , Mr. B artholom ew had M r. J u l i a n F rey c a l l D r. Putnam , who w as v e ry co o p era t i v e and p ro m ise d t h a t i n t h e f u t u r e h i s men w ould w ork w ith u s i n e v e ry d etail. Signed IEFihb 1 1 /1 3 /4 0 KE" 9SS2Z00