Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-03-03
SUPERIOR COURT.
Arguing tho Question of Evidence of
Marriage.

AFTERNOON week hearing evidence for the
defence in the case of Annie Marie
Williams, colored, VS.. the Waltan g.
Whann Company.
William Ii. Kettlewood was recalled
and stated that he did not receive orders
to send to the acid chamber certain men
but q certain number of men. When
he sent three men there he told them
not to enter the chamber. "Did YOU not
tell Mr.. Bonner" Mr.. Vandegrift
asked, shat you had plan by which
the mon could clean the chamber and
not be made sick?" The question was
not allowed.
Dr. William John Williams, q chemist,
employed by the defendant company,
testified that he has been an analytical
and manufacturing chemist for 81 years
and is fellow of the Chemical Society
OF London and of the Institute of Chem
lstry of that city. He devotes some Of
his time to the manufacture of sulphuric
acid, he said, but most of it to the man.
ufacture OF phosphates. He said the
extent OF the manufacture of sulphuric
acid is enormous and the purposes Of
the acid are innumerable. He described
the manufacture Of the acid and told
| how the sediment is removed from the
| chamber. The gas from the acid, he
stated, is sutfocating and man suffering
therefrom has to go out in the air to re-
cover. He told the effect of injecting
water on the sediment and the effect Of
stirring up the sediment. With
the ventilation the chamber had
II could be entered with safety.
He never stayed in the chamber
more than two or three minutes at q
time because he had work elsewhere. A
man who would remain in the chamber
IL hours would die. On cross.examina-
ton witness stated that in the iron
pyrites used by the Walton & Whann
Company in manufacturing sulphuric
acid he never found arsenic Inhalation
of nitrogen-oxide gases liberated from
| sulphurlc acid would have deleterious
effect. Sulphurous acid gas is aspbyxiat-
ing.A man who would remain two hours
among these gases would die.
Peter Spindler, who regulates the
steam injected in the chamber, testified
that he saw Joshua Williams come out
OF a manhole and Williams remarked
that he felt like he was getting sick.
IF you have a bellyfull," said Spindler,
don't so back; you're not Obliged to 60
in" Williams said he thought he could
stand another turn. Then the chamber
was nearly cleaned out. The men came
out, talked, snorted, cussed and went
back. "Smedley," the witness con-
tlnued, "told the men to not stay in
too id long, to come out when they
| pleased. Some stayed in 10 or 90
minutes and others could not stay more
than five minutes. On eross-examination
he said there were seven inches of sedi-
ment in the chamber. Pending further
cross-examination the court adjourned
until Thursday morning.
AT Thursday mornings session OF
court, Levi G. Bird stated that as he had
learned from counsel engaged in the
present case that it would take the re-
mainder of the week TO finish it, he
would ask that the case of Cook VS.. the
Electric Light Company be continued
until Monday next, and the witnesses
discharged until that time After con-
| sultation the request was granted.
| Peter Spindler who was on the stand
when court adjourned Wednesday was
recalled and stated that the acid cham.
Der is cleaned out now in about the
same manner that it always was.
John X. Bonner the assistant superin-
tendent at the works testified that he
has been employed by the firm for the
| past nine years and that the manner OF
cleaning the chamber as described by
the previous witnesses is substantially
correct.
During all the time that he has been
with the company he had never known
of men being made sick in cleaning the
acid chamber previous to the death of
Joshua Williams with the exception of
workmen being affected by a slight
trouble in the throat, which always dis
appeared when they came out in the
open air. The witness knew that
Williams and Hummell were in the
acid chamber on Tuesday, January It'll,
1890, as he went over TO sec how they
were getting along. Upon being told
that they had been ordered to come out
of the chamber, he told them TO come
out Mt once, and then went to attend to
some other work. When he returned, in
about an hour, they were still in the
chamber, and he again ordered them to
come out, but did not know if they
obeyed or not, as Ne had other duties to
attend to. He did not know that any OF
the men were made sick on Monday,
until some time on Tuesday, when as
they had not reported for work, he in
quired about them. He did not know
whether or not the addition of water to
the sediment would cause gases to rise.
Wesley bearing, the lead burner at
the Walton 81 Whann works, testified
that he has had large experience in
lead burning, and fully understands the
manufacture of sulphuric acid. He has
worked in number of establishments
in this country, and the process OF
cleaning the chambers was the same in
all of them. The witness had been in
the acid chamber for an hour or more al
time, and the only effect was to cause
him to cough when he came out in the
open air.
John q. Blair testified that he has
been employed by the Waltons& Whann
Company for the past four years as a
lead burner. Holes were cut in the
acid chamber on the Wednesday
previous to the Monday when the men
were sent in. Other witnesses testified
to having worked in the acid chamber
without experiencing any bad effects
Patrick Monigal said he had worked
in the chamber about 45 minutes at O
time and thought he could have re-
manned longer.
Superintendent lie Maistre testified
that on the day it is alleged he told
Bonner to send men into the chamber
he was not in the city, having gone tic
New York on the 9th. lie did not re-
turn until the Sth, when he learned fol
the first time that an accident had oc.
Cured.
Dr. Theodore r. Wolf, the State
chemist at Delaware College, testified in
reference to the manufacture of sui