The Express.
London, England, 1867-10-30 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, 'WEDNESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 30, 1867.

THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE METROPOLI-

TAN RAILWAY.

SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE.-(THIS DAY.)

This day Dr. Lanketter resumed his inquest
2.2 the body of Elizabeth fitainsby, whose death was
to have been caused or accelerated through the
frures of the air in the tunnels of the underground rail-
way. The evidence up to this time had shown that the
deceased was 'Miming from disease of heart at the time of
her death.

Professor Rodgers, lecturer on medical jurisprudence and
on chemistry, was the first witness, and at his request the
evidence of Dr. Popham as to the appearances of the body
was read to him.

Dr. Popham added that he bad found the deceased wns
tightly laced, and that the result would be to compress her
chest and to II:Ow& the free action of her lungs.
Professor Rocrs read a report which be had made upon
samples of air taken on four ditiereut occasions from the
tunnels of the Metropolitan Railway, and also from various
other tunnels. The air in its pure condition contained
2,080 volumes of oxygen per 10,000, and from 31 to 0'1; of
carbonic acid. On the ith of September he found that in
the worst tunnel (i.e. Gower-street) there were 1,870 mea-
sures of oxygen, and there was but • slight trace of car-
bonic acid. The highest amount of carbonic acid he had
found on any one occasion was 181 per 10,000 ; but
the atmosphere of • theatre four feet above the
stage was 231. The slight deficiency of oxygen which
he found would not act injuriously even upon delicate
persons passing as they did rapidly through the
tunnel in trains. Thought that under the circumstances
under which the deceased had entered the train—that was
to say, considering that she had eaten heartily, was tightly
laced, had diseased heart, and was already faint before she
entered the tunnel—her death had resulted from natural
causes. Perceived the odour of sulphurous acid in the
Gower-street station ; but the highest quantity that wit-
ness found was 1 part in Z 3,000 ; which was not more than
would be given by a match lighted in that room. Thought
there might be more sulphurous acid at one time than
another ; but thought there was sufficient ventilation to
prevent the accumulation to any injurious extent of gases
which would be prejudicial to the public health. Thought
that the railway might be employed with perfect safety ;
and witness would not mind going up and down the line
any number of times • day. None of the servants of the
company had made any complaint to witness.
The Coroner—Then you would not mind staying in the
tunnel all day —that is if you were handsomely paid for
it. (laughter.)
Witness—lt is not an atmosphere one would choose con-
stantly to reside in ; but it may be advantageously com•
paired with that of other tunnels and crowded places.
Mrs. I'embridge, who had travelled from Portland-rood
station with the deceased, said that she did not feel
oppressed by the atmosphere of the carriage.
Mr. Hawkins, Q.C. (who appeared for the railway com-
pany) then read the following report, to the truth of which
the subscribers swore :
" REPORT Or AN EXAMINATION Or Till AIR IN TIIR
TUNNEL% Or THE METROPOLITAN RAILWAY:

" London, October 23, 1807.
" Having received instructions from the directors of the
Metropolitan Railway Company, through Messrs. Bluebell,
their solicitors, by letter addressed to Dr. Itachhoffner, to
examine and report the state of the atmosphere in the
different tunnels on their line, and on the sanitary con-
dition generally of the stations and tunnels, we beg to
present the following as the result of our investigations :
We proceeded in the first instance to obtain samples
of the air in the tunnels, and we collected them on three
separate occasions—namely :—First, immediately after the
trains had ceased running at night ; secondly, just before
they commenced running in the morning ; and thirdly, in
the afternoon between 4 and u o'clock, the period of the
day when there is generally the largest amount of traffic.
The sample■, 28 in number, were taken ►t different places
in each tunnel, and at different altitudes ; some near the
crown of the arch, some near the ground, and others on a
level with the heads of the passengers. These samples
were analysed for sulphurous acid, carbonic acid, carbonic
oxide, coal gas, and oxygen. The presence of sulphurous
acid was sought for by the most delicate chemical test with
which we are acquainted, namely, its action upon iodic
acid and starch, which we have ascertained is capable of
showing the presence of one part by volume of sulpburou■
acid in 100,000 parts of air, but we could not in any case
discover by such test the presence of this acid ; from
which we conclude that its volume was less than the above
in the tunnels. The proportion of carbonic acid
by volume in 10,000 parts of the air in the
several tunnels and stations was as follows :

Max. 311 n. Mean
Items! between Bishop's-road and Edgware-
road, 2 a.m. Sept. 3 4l 41 41
Tunnel between Edgware- i.l4°, :..37 :60
road aid Baker-street .. 4
Sept.
r
Baker-street Station, 4 p.m. Sept. 10 6.2
Tunnel between Baker.l 6°36'61 Sept. 3 6* 46 61
2to tam. Sept. 6 4•5 4.4
street and Port4nd.rmulf4 pm. Sept 7 .. 69
Tunnel between Portland./ Ito 3 am. Sept. 36* 61 66
2totans.Sept.o 61 4•5
road and Gower street.. 4p.m. Sept. 7 127
Gower-street Station, 4p.m. Sept. 7 ......

Tunnel between Go Ito 3 a.m. Sept. S 31 4•4 49
1,2 to 4 a.m. Sept 661 41 4
street and King's-aroes
The amounts of cube-hydrogen (coal gas) and of carbonic
oxide present were so small as to be barely discoverable by
the most delicate processes of analysis. Lastly, we ascer-
tained that the amount of oxygen in the air of the tunnels
and stations was not in any case deficient. These results
prove that in no instance was the air found to be vitiated
to any material extent, although it will be seen that the air
'taken in the afternoon was law pure than that taken at
night. The researches of Regnault, Barmen, and other
eminent chemists, and more recently those of Dr. Angus
Smith show that what may be termed " model
or normal atmospheric, air" in cities and large
towns consists in every 10,000 parte b 7 volume of
oxygen, 2,096; nitrogen, 7 900; carbonic acid 4 ; —lO,OOO.
It is the last constituent which when in excess renders the
air impure, and, in proportion to its increase, so is the air
made unfit for respiration. Experiments conducted by
Dr. Bernays and Dr. Angus Smith have shown that in
several of our London theatres at about 10 o'clock p.m.,
in many other places of public re id, and especially in
some of our law courts, the quantity of carbonic acid in
the atmosphere of those places varied from 10 to 32 parts
per 10,000 ; and from the Army Report (vol. v. page 272)
it spears that in some fairly-ventilated barracks at Alder-
shot the quantity of carbonic acid at midnight amounted
to 6'42 per 10,000 of air, and at 5 p.m. it amounted to
7'39 per 10,000. Even in the streets of Manchester, in
foggy weather, it has amounted to 8 parts per 10.000
of air. In order to determine the atmospheric conditions
,of these tunnels by comparison with the condition of
the air in the tunnels of other lines of railway, we took
samples of the air from several tunnels near London ; and
from these, which we designate by numbers only, we ob-
tamed the subjoined results :
Tunnel No. 1-41 Carbonic acid per 10,000 of Air by volume.
„ „ 2-121 „
„ 3-41 „
4-41
„ „ 9--4'2 „
„ „ 10-51 „
$0
„ „ 11-41 „
„ „ 12-4'' „
19-41
Our inquiries were next directed to the quality and
quantity of the fuel used in the engines, and to the mode
by which its combustion is effected. The plan adopted
(with which we cordially agree) is to diminish as far as
practicable the combustion of the fuel during the passage
of these trains through the tunnels and 'tannin. The
steam in the boiler is raised in the open air to a tempera-
ture and pressure which, by experience and daily practice,
is found sufficient to work the trains through the tunnels ;
and, when the trains come again into open space, fresh
steam is then generated sufficient to propel the trains
through the next journey, when the process is again re-
peated ; by which means the engine-driver is enabled,
when passing through the tunnels and stations, to
close the fire-box and damper so as merely to keep
the fire in such • condition that it may he email,-
revived at either end of the journey. The evolution of
the products of combustion is thus almost entirely con-
fined to that portion of the journe when the trains are
passing through the open spaces. The coke is of a superior
quality, being made from • coal which is known to he more
than usually free from iron pyrites, and it is burnt in the
ovens for twenty-four hours longer than the or... Email coke
generally used upon railways. In addition to which
staff of eight men and a foreman are constantly employed
in examining and selecting the coke, so as to ensure that
none but the best quality of coke is transmitted to Lou-
don for the use of the Underground Railway. To determine
the per-osntage of sulphur in the coke, 13 samples were
submitted to chemical analysis, and these gave an average
proportion of percent, of sulphur, which is about one-
Jonah the quantity found in ordinary coke. As regards
the coke, therefore, we see nothing to which we can take
exception ; hut, on the contrary, we are of opinion that
the hest available means are used for obtaining a fuel as
fres from deleterious matter as possible, in addition to
which the combustion of the same is conducted with the
view of preventing aa far as possible the escape of offensive
gasses. The presence of sulphur, or more correctly
speaking of sulphurous acid gas, in the tunnels and
stations, which at times is appreciable both to
taste and smell, more particularly on those days
when the external atmosphere is unusually dense,
must not be taken as an indication that this gee exists in
, dangerous quantities, for as litre as one part of this seas
in 100,000 parts of atniospheric air is strongly perceptible
both to taste and smell ; and paper moistened with
solution of iodic acid and starch becomes tinged with a
blue colour when exposed for a few minutes to air having
, the above proportion of sulphurous acid. On several oc-
casions we have exposed this delicate test to the air in the
tunnels while parsing through them, both in the car-
-I:ager and on the engines ; and, although the quantity
of air thus brought into contact with the test
has been considerable, yet it has only been
during the time of active traffic that the test has
shown the presence of sulphurous acid, and then in an in-
significant degree. In addition to the above, we beg to
point out another cause which communicates to the air,
more particularly in the stations, • pungent smell, which,
although disagreeable, cannot in the slightest degree be
regarded as injurious to health ; we allude to the partial