Daily Republican., 1890-01-10


Coroner Gamble held ali inquest yes.
terdsy afternoon over The bodies OF Wa
liam Hoss, coiorel; Julius Haninel, q
German about ~ years old, q graduate
Of Hellelburp, Germany, and Joshua
Williams. colared, who died from the
eiiecs OF inha.|ng sulphure acid tumts,
while cleaning cut the watts at IT.. phos-
phA,o works Of The Walton Il Wnann
Company on Monday last, The Jury
consisted Of WIN. r. kurtz. foreman, f.
W. Harold, secretary; J. j. Springer,
Harry Brown, George H. Marplr. Peter
Fs4an, Theodore Steele, George .icorls
| and ". Scott Vernon. The Jury viewed
the remains OF the three victims and then
visiicd the phosphate WORKS and viewed
the large lead ,ats which the men had
been cmployed to clean out.
Several uf tbs employees were also ex
amincd BY Ito jury. Tbsoduro ". Smcd-
| cy, foreman, .irst testified that lc has
had charge OF tiI.t department, for some
10 s.lte. lie hulJs Ills position AZ lead
burner. The chambers have becn cleaned
out three times IN the last Is months
| The men went TO work ou Monday,
working three Al Il time In the vat. They
wofe cloths over their Eosc aud IN utbs
aud Won d ttiy IN tho vats shoveling tbs
I sedimcnts out from IA 10 Is minutes ut u
| time, when they would 10 out in tho air
and rcinain outside for about the same
length IL time. Tic men went Ia and
out al theig pleasure. There wero sOmc
three or four gaur- Of them at work at
The same time. They rcllevt 4 each other
every 10 or l5 minutes
he Gee iment Yas some six inches
deep, and wncn stirred up TIE acid
| chokcd The men up. Saw nothing more
all The men this time thaa on previous
oara,iont. II made the mtn sick after
boing In some three OF four times, but
nothing serious was spprehrnlei, as IL
wonli so9n work oil when they GOT out
In the air. The scbsation was a choking
oDs, accompanied by cough. He was
10 there before the men went in, and had
been In Aiuce and cut mau-hole In the
vat. Dliut think 1t was dangerous
work. Have always gone into the yats
w.li the men when engaged In cleaning
them out. Never heard OF any One beng
male seriously III before. II usually
takes about two da,s 10 complete the
wefk OF cleaning a vat out.
John Il. Blair sa'd he had charge OF the
acid works. ko.s worked In his depart
meht. lie had not been working tor
some two weeks before last Monday ,bav :
ing been sick. lie came to work on
| Monday ana compisinet OIL ieelluk III
well, and so he was Y ven light Job for
an hour or so Afterwards he wen: Into
the vat aud worked until nearly 2
o'clock, when he complained of feeling so
sick that lie stopped and went home.
The burne that mako Tie gas were cut
Oh from The vat some four days before
the vat was clean5d out. 1hcy com.
menced TO clean the watts on Monday
morning. i!c never thought 1t was
dangerous job. lltd 10 bo careful aud
not rem ain III there 100 long at time.
The men were sick generally Tor day or
go after being 10 there. lie never felt
any bad effects from going Into the vats.
Benjamin I.ambdin, colofed, and Geo.
Monroe, colored, were Also examined.
Thoy had both worked In the vat on
Monday; had gone home 10 the evening
fosling unwell and had not returned 10
work until Thursday morning; had
CLEANED out the vats before; always expe.
rienced sickness afterwards; Q choking
sensation, accompanied by a slight pain
In the chest and . BACKING cough.
Toe Jury adjour, ell to meet this even
ing Al O'Clock to hear the Testimony OF
bis. w. Springer and Pyle, who held
post mortem Examinations on each oil
the men.
- -