New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-03-03
The Fore snanizing Process for Preservin:
Tir7,f,er, the Victims of its POisOnou.
Effects. nnd the suits 1T Law whicit
Have Beea Instituted to Recover
H:.HlHges.

From the Scientific Ansri"aLl
! Tie use OF the Fcrcmanizing process iy
| the s.. Loui>, NandHli;, Te;rc H"ute and
| indianapolis railroad in the preparation %.
! ruhcr for the erection o! their depot al =
Lowis, the poisoning OF Il large nUmhcr q
workmen employed on the work. and .uc
| death Of four or five ot the victims are tI.:>
which have been already laid before Oh:
readers.
Tie process which has resulted in such :.
! ian.ntable disaster is tie invention OF Nr.
B :. Foreman. OF Morrison. Illinois The
compound used to preserve the tlubtr from
! decay consists OF the following substances.
II tie proportions named: h!e ounce Of cor
roslve suhimatc. six ounces o1 arsenic AID
sixteen ounces of common salt.
The directions given 70" the preparation
OF the timber are = iven ii 4 pamphlet kind
ly sent Us by a st. Louis correspond, N. the
pamphle. being published by L. $. Foreman
q Son, Of Morrison. Illinois. The formula
Is as follows: Take the lumber while still
green. ard pile one layer on the ground,
packing close: over this lavcr sprinkle
evenly the dry powder, III the ratio OF
twenty pounds OF powder 70 every thousaGd
feet OF lumber. Lay another layer III the
same manner sprinkle powder III the same
proportion, and continue the operation until
tie amount desired is prepared. Allow this
to remain close packed until fermentation
has taken place. when the lumber Will be
fully EorclnaniZed. and from tGencetorth
tree from shrinkage and practically sea
soned. n B.-TO induce fermentation OF
timber temperature o. 43~ Fahrenheit is
Indispensable"
The effects OF working timber prepared in
this way were precisely what any one well
verScd in the nature OF the poisonous ma
teri.ll. employed would have expected. The
men We're attacked with blisters and sores.
GGtmG o-scniccls and symptoms imper-
1cctiy described as resembling those OF
vencreal disease lthe latter undoubtedly
The result Of exposure by sitting upon the
poisoned t,rber) mingled with the well
known symptoms of poisoning by corrosive
Surlmate wei'" among the effects OF the
poisoning.
a post moltem cxamination o. one Of the
diseased wcrl,men revealed the following
facts; The stomach was found to be tear
fully liberated. while the lungs and liver
We're nearly destroyed by a'lces>es, the right
lung being one mass of corruption. The
testimony showed that last spring the de
ceased Rad been engaged at work en- the
Eandalia railroad depot in East st. Louis.
the tinbers OF which had been sprinlilcd
with y white poisonous powder to render
them non-coHIbustible, the process being
known as Foremanzing: that deceased in
haled this powder. and shortly broke out
with nlceroHs sores and blistcrs; eXpe-
rienced great difficulty III breathing; was
taken with chronic and painful diarrllca,
ard that he gradually became weak and
emaclated and died as before stated.
The examining physicians tcstitied'that
the condition of Smiths body pointed uu-
mlstakably to arsenic as the cause OF death.
The jury then unanimously rendered a YER
diet that Smith ''tali.o to his death by i'll
haling a po'.oonlIS composition used in
building the freight depot of the Nandalia
Railroad Company, at East st. Louis, Hi
nois. he bcin" employed by the company us
u laborcr.' Many Of the surviving workmcn
are said to be permanently injured.
Eleven suits haze been brought against
the railroad company, laying damages ut
S D, 900 each. The declaration Of the par
ties asserts that the railroad company was
bound to furnish them good timber to work
with, but that instead they were compelled
TO work upon tinber which had been
sprinkicd with "A poisonous powder. This
they inhaled, absorbed and other
wise took into their systems, thereby being
in urcG in body to the amount for which
the suite are brought
The case is a somewhat peculiar one, and
as it could only have originated either in
willful rashness0pr in eulpabe ignorance OF
the usual effects of well-known poisonous
substances we think the plaintiffs are fully
anti<led to recover the damages for which
they sue.