Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-08
CHILDREN Al THE GAS TANKS.
They Come TO Inhale the Fumes for the
Cure Of Whooping Cough.

They Come to Inhsle the Fumes for the
Cure Of Whooping Cough.
From the New York Sun.
group Of little children were clustered one
day last week around one Of the huge purifier
tanks In the old gas house in West s0th street.
Old Ed Reilly, the boss of the purifier room,
hifched the huge lid Of one Of the tanks to the
chains Of giant iron derrick. and an instant
later the lid was hoisted in the air and swung
away from the tank, when the derrick was
yanked along the elevated tracks built over the
tank. An intensely disagreeable odor filed the
room when the lid was lifted The little folks
held their fingers to their noses, and, stepping
up to the edge Of the tank, opened their
mouths and gulped down the impregnated air
that ascended from the bed OF discolored,
crushed oyster shells piled in the purifier
They stayed there for five or ten minutes
Other children came and went through the
same performance Other tanks were opened
anu Tor whole hour the il-smelling fumes
were allowed to escape
What on earth are those youngsters trying
to dor asked an adult, who had watched the
with q perfumed silk handkerchief over his
nose and mouth.
why, don't you know" the veteran keeper
OF the purifier room said in surprise. They
are taxing an old-fashioned cure for whooping
cough and for colds, and it's one OF the best Of
gas house knows that"
what the young ones were inhaling with ben
ent was the odor Of the impurities Of the fresh
gas. The purifiers were twenty-four feet long
ana eighteen feet wide and three feet high.
Eacn puriner held seventy-two wooden trays
shells were piled to the height Of one foot The
fresn gas had boon passed into the tanks under
meath the trays while the tanks were closed.
and allowed to ascend through the holes and
pass through the powdered oyster shells. Am.
monia and coal tar and other things were alb
through it The lime was nearly white when
hrst put in the purifier trays. When the lid
was hfted some OF 1t was green, some red. and
some pearl gray. The tints depended upon the
kind OF coal used to make the gas
The ammonia and the coal tar has a good
deal TO DO with enecting the cure Of the throat
Affections" said Keeper Reilly. doctors
recommend 1t to parents who haven't the
means to employ the usual physicians reme-
d'es know 1t Is effective, for inhAling that
awful smelling stuff has cured me Of colds time
and time again"
an unhealthy spot?" the visitor said
Unhealthy" retorted tho old workman.
Bless you, not . bit OF it. The odor isn't
pleasant, and that's the truth, but II is not un-
neaithy. We don't have any sickness sround
gas houses that ever heard Of except in the
case u tho visitors who come with coughs
There 10 clerk in the Office out there who had
asthma when he came here some months ago
He hasnt got 1t now, and asthma, you know, is
tough thing to get rid of, once you get it,
what do you do With the oyster shells after
they are impregnated with the gus impuri-
ties?"
send some 10 the dump and sell some 10 the
farmers There is no sort Of thing so good as
this impregnated lime TO cover vegetable or
garden beds. 1t 10 sure death to the number
less insects that feed upon and destroy vegeta-
bles and flowers. Thousands and Thousands
OF children have been cured Of whooping
cough In this room since this old gas house
was built, and thousands more will be cured
It's regular resort for the sick little ones
whenever whooping cough is epidemic. That's
Why don't like to hear people grumble
about gas houses. They are benefit and not
detriment, and they are always located where
the disagreeable odor Of the gas viii do less
damage TO surrounding property used for
dwelling purposes"