The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-25
COMPLAINTS or Bos1oS's GAS.
Death as6 Iiiaess Attributed to the Pro-
portiea OF Cerbo.ic Oxide In Il.

Bos-oS, Jan. al.-That time-honored. whis-
ker-grc wn Joke about tho man from Maine who
blows out the gas and wakes up In another land
than his native Skowhcgan. no longer strikes
tho Bostonian on the funny bone. Death has
arrived 90 often Of late through the gas mains
OF Boston that timid people have returned TO
kerosene, and dealers In lamps have ordered
extra consignments. For . week discussions
have been going on about dollar gas and the
death-dealing carbonic oxide therein contained.
Water gas Is used here. and since Its intro
duction. about ten years ago. death BY asphyxi-
alton has been on the increase. This gas con-
ta!ns from 90 to 80 per cent. OF carbonic oxide.
whereas the old coal gas held but about Z per
cent. There used TO be q law In Massachusetts
fixing the limit Of carbonic oxide at 10 per cent.
That law was repealed In 1884, about the time
when experiments were being made with q view
10 introducing water gas In Boston. Now there
is talk Of passing . new law similar TO the old
one, and since the seven deaths by gas last
Monday several member Of the Legislature
have been urged to do something for tho pro-
lection OF life In Boston.
Forty persons were killed by gas In this city
between Feb. .. 1895. and Jan. 4 Of this year.
This number was increased by seven last Mon
day. Most OF these deaths occurred In hotels
aud boarding houses, the gas reaching tho VIC
tlub IuIOukh itAku th IA 4"'"' VI ~ N-'
lessly turned OF cocks. Coal gas. under the
same circumstances would not have killed. 1t Is
Averred, and this 10 the reason why Boston 10
Just now Wishing itself back TO the old-timc
mud even 4 !. did cost more Not only has y,
Dr. w. Y. Draper, medical examiner for tho
city. believes that q great many cases OF so
called nervous prostration can be traced to the
fumes OF water gas. In some cases OF pc .soning
by gas, where the victims are discovered before
the heart '.o0., tns most most a, na ,hsy tfhe axs iIn.
gered on for hours until death came. Tho
doctor tells this TO show the difference In tho
as q great many people hav. been. saved after
being rendered UNCONSCIOUS ey the FUMES OF eosl
ward Me1icsi school. believes that unless relief
comes from another quarter the Law limiting
the amount Of carbonic oxide 70 10 por cent.
Tho theory Of .he manufacture Of water gas
differs entirely from that. Of coal or naphtha
the prediction Of a non-iiiumins,ins gas from
steam. and. secondly, upon the manufacture OF
petroleum. naphtha or camel gas. for the pur:
pose of Furnishing the luminants. The great
umes OF non. eomb ustible gas eau bo
s %sas very over eh ineaSd ..es cent carbon So%e Which has a
very powerful attraction for oxygen. abstracts
y FORM 1,o "a sr ,ms q missas. Of ah hydposen and earbonic
acid. The car bonic acid 10. on passing through
another layer Of coal. deprived OF one-halt OF IT'S
oxygen, and carbonio oxide Is formed. Thus va
have as the result II the process has been prop
erly conducted. = mixture of hydrogen and car
bonic oxide, both OF which Rasos are combusti-
bic. but burn. with . eolorless flame.
In making water gas. anthracite, not btu
minous. coal 10 used. and great care Is necessary
to keep the temperature up TO n white heat,
earbonlc acid 10 formed. which dimIn,.he. the
yield OF tho finished gas. since II must DC 70.
moved by publication. or II IL 10 not removed II
Injuries the Illuminating power very much
Anthracite coal contains sulphur. and yield
ammonia when Distilled, SO that publication !,
as necessary 10 the case Of water gas As OF Goa
gas. Water gas. as thus made. contains q. q
rule about 40 or 80 per cent Of carbonic oxide
aud about 10 per cent. Of petroleum or naphth'
gas"
Gus patent processes for making water gas ad
vance ~ one OF their strong the lac
that the non-luminous gas alone can be distrib
uted for heating purposes AZ = COST OF only a rev
cents the thousand feet. The distribution Q
should be opposed. he says: as the gas Is devoit
OF odor and extremely deadly.
This mixture" says Prof. Wood. contains
nearly 80 per cent. Of carbonic, oxide. which u
when inhaled speedy death. According to lie
blanc one volume % II dirused through l0'
volumes Of air totally unfit 1t to sustain life
Prof. Wood cites the fact that although tn
poses on . large scale has been subjected U
Investigation. experiment, and trial for NOR
than twenty years In Europe. none OF the lArg
European colnpanies has adopted .iI. Las
ThurrdAy night water cas Furnished = them,
Of tho members created . sensation by .askini
for the appointment Of y committee to inQuir,
into tho process used by the companies In Bostol
who, hs said. wsrS making r.; 9s' OF ,, wrts van an,
six. and may DO related to the Alderman o
story who wanted the city to purchase . NAL
and . female and raise its own gondolas.