The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-19

Exposed to More Dangers Than Fire
men.


From the New York Post.
factory for the manufacture of some
of the deadliest poisons known is located
not far from the heart of New York city,
and sufficient poison is being made there
now 10 annihilate the whole population of
the greater cfty. 1t is guarded carefully
from all intruders, and no one passes be
You'd its portals without special permit,
and even employees have to be skilled in
tnelr work and the nature of the risk they
take before admittance is granted them.
In this factory is manufactured pure an
hydrous acid, a drug that is never placed
on the market in its pure state, and even
in the chemists laboratory il is handled
with all the care of a poisonous reptile.
If the fumes of this acid should escape,
the chemist would never live TO tell the
tale. The man who discovered it was
killed by inhaling its fumes, and many
another has met similar death. From
to ) per cent of this add diluted with
81 parts of water forms prussie acid. Even
this poison is SO deadly that inhaling its
fumes would mean instant death, and it
is never handled except in the factory or
few large responsible laboratories
Probably next in Importance 10 this acid
Is the cyanide of potassium. which is man
ufactured in the same factory. only in an
proof and alright wall shuts il off from
the first The fumes of this are not poison
Gus, and one can work in the room where
it is manufactured without fear. except
that he must not touch it, The slightest
quantity of the poison in its pure state
would kill if swallowed The fumes of
cyanide of potassium have a ra her pleas
ant odor and ii is said at the factory that
it has a witching effect on workmen. For
all the world the finished poison looks like
crystallized sugar, and as you gaze on ID
and smell the fascinating odor there is
a strong temptation to taste it. This fasci-
nation is probably much like that which
draws man over a steep precipice. At
any rate the attraction 10 taste of the
poison is so well recognized that work
man is never allowed in the room. alone
In the miXing-room, where the men toll
before huge caudron of molten cyanide,
the scene is like that of some old wit-h's
cave. especially il one knows the nature
of the terrible poison that the men are
brewing
Nitric acid is another poison equally
fearful in its results when once liberated
This poison eats away and through al
most anything, and it can be kept in glass
carboys alone. Break one of these. and
the factory is doomed. The acid spreads
around and begins to eat into everything
II touches, and incidentally sets every
thing inhammabe on fire. No man can
collect the acid. and il is almost impossi-
bic to pour anything over il TO counteract
It's effect. As IL burns and spreads around
its fumes become deadly in their effect
and iremen attempting to put out The
flames would suffer therefrom The
fumes do not kin at once, but if breathed
steadily for a time. they enfeeble and
poison the system. 80 that within TWEEN
ty-four hours death comes
carboy Of nitric acid was accidentally
broken several years ESQ in this factory.
and the acid began to have lis way with
out opposition II soon started the inte-
ror of the factory on fire. and il was
eating its way into the adjoining rooms.
where prussic acid was stored Several
of the workmen volunteered to put the
flames out and 10 check the acid In its
deadly work. They worked for several
hours before they succeeded. and then
they seemed all right, and returned home.
But the next day they were all dead the
fumes of the acid having been inflated
and enough of the poison absorbed to
make death absolute.
The fumes of corrosive subiimate are
as deadly as almost any poison. and in
factories where it is made the greatess
care must be taken to prevent their es
Gaping. Where IL is necessary for the
men to go into the room where the fumes
are likely 90 escape, they are masked
with glass headdress. which enable them
to see, but not breathe the atmosphere.
Pure air is pumped to them through a
tube, and they are much like the diver
who explores the sea bottom. There are
many other poisons made for commercial
use that are only a lttle less powerful
than these but nearly all Of them are
diluted when sold on the market. The
danger of using them Is thus minimized
SO that one can handle them with ease.
of ordinary care is bestowed upon their
proper handling.