Morning journal and courier., 1884-03-10
The Danger in Burning Gas.

How to Avoid the Same-When Used
 With Care the Safest and Best Means
 of Illumfnatf0n-AR Interesting State
 ment by Dr. III. c. White.
 In an interview with Dr. M. O. White, the medical examiner, yesterday regarding the death of Mrs. Lewis and daughter. the doctor made the following very important sugges- tions which should be needed by those who use gas for Illuminating purposes. The doctor says: Accidents with gas occur in many different ways.
 First. The most common cause of accidents is from blowing out the light instead of shut ting of the gas.
 Second. A person may shut of the gas so far as to put out the light and yet leave it in such position that the gas will leak so much as to endanger life in close room. Third. A small amount of watery vapor is always united with the gas, and if the tenn perature of the street mains is colder than the water in the gas holders the water is condensed in the pipes and csuses an inter- rupted flow to the burners in our houses When any such unsteady flow of gas is ob served in any house the company should be notified. They have traps or reservoirs in
 
 that in this manner interferes with the steady | flow of gas.
 Fourth. Gas is delivered through the pipes under pressure so regulated as to produce 8 flow steady and sufficient to supply all the burners in use As large number of lights are put out be- fore midnight, the gas company are obliged to shut down eliminate the pressure at that hour to suit the diminished demand for gas. If the pressure was not diminished the l lights left burning would blow and endanger the safety of our houses by heightened flame | and by the escape of more gas than would be consumed. On the other hand, if the pressure is reduced too low, lights that have l bsen turned low are liable to go out and leave the gas leaking. Thus accident occa- | sionally happens in the latter part of the | night as have several times found to my great inconvenience. It is 8 very difficult | matter to keep the pressure just right with the varying demand for gas at different hours of the night. The company keep an experienced man constantly on the watch to supply the demand as regu- larly and as steadily as possible. Notwithstanding all these precautions, those | who have occasion 10 use gas for culinary or | scientific purposes soon find that the flow in ! any given burner varies greatly at different hours of the day and night and renders the accident havs iodicated quite possible. The safest way to use gas is to keep a very small light at night in ordinary burner, or to shut of the light entirely when a full l light is not wanted.
 Mrs. Lewis and her daughter slept in 8 small close room about ten by twelve feet and eight feet high, with one small window closely shut and enc door also shut and 1 locked because the daughter had grown timed by the sickness of her father and his removal to the hospital. The gas was so nearly shut off that it might have gone out on account of diminished pressure, when the slow leakage of gas would soon cause sufocation in a small, close room. They may have shut the gas and then left it in condition to leak, or they may have moved the key as they withdrew the hand. This Is not an uncommon occur renee. One of these two forms of accident undoubtedly led to the escape of gas which caused the death of Mrs Lewis and her daughter, but which it was, it is difficult to determine.
 Dr. White farther stated to the reporter that he called on Mir. Lewis at the hospital, purposing to inform him of the death of his wife and daughter if his condition was such as to permit of it. He found the patients condition such that he thought it not besk ito break the terrible news to him. He inform ed the afflicted man that his son, who lives in Cincinnati, had been telegraphed for and would arrive to-day. This seemed to be source of comfort to the patient