The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-01-30

p tc q candIepopser VIII give from 909
10 $50 heat units, 50 there is a material
gain ia the use of the carbureted water
gas over the coal gas ia that respect.
Mr. ToVF-Yes- or course. when tbs
thing is determined by weight the re-
verse IS tho case. but our gas IS SOFA 70
as per cubic foot, not per pound. "
course, the use or either or these gases
in gas stoves is attended 70 my tnlhot
with about the same amount OF darsSis
that is. the products OF combustion from
/ the coal gas and the carbureted NsAtef
gas are the same. and. or COURSE uIutL
sanitary conditions. these pfoducts OF
combustion should be carried y nue.:
/ That IS the. general doctrine. DO not
carry IL out bat ] always adyEe othef
people 20 do IL. I think II is the proper
/ sanitary measure to take Laugnter-)
Accident the Main Point.
/ The main point which, I believe. has
/ been brought before this committee Is
| the matter OF accident What are the
/ probabilities Of accident from one gas
! over those of another? OF course. real
/ ~, il is only carelessness OF Ignorance
/ or design which would be the origin OK
any accident. Now. Of course. the mat
ters Of design, I understand. are thrown
| out: that is, anything Of a suicidal in
tent would hardly count. The making
| up Of lists Of accidents from newspa-
per clippings and things OF that sort has
been very popular way OF getting az
/ IL, and 10 IS very difficult particularly
/ day or two or a week after an accident
10 chase down that matter and ind out
really what the exact conditions were
One Of the early Investigations OK
this matter, early reports, was one is
sued by Dr.. Raymond, who was then
the health commissioner of the city OF
/ Brooklyn. He had been applied to by
the common council Of Brooklyn for an
opinion and report on this matter or
carbonic oxide in Illuminating gas, and
he furnished quite an elaborate report
OF something like 400 or so pages. the
i general tenor Of which was that it was
not desirable.
Prof. Ira Remsen. az that time pro-
lessor of chemistry IN johns Hopkins
/ University, and VINO has since become
the president OF that institution, vas
retained ly the beard OF he4Eh az
I Brooklyn 10 make this investigation
bet mainly the analyses. He did make
those analyses, and reported 20 Dr.
Raymond. ] can read with your per-
mission, such parts or this as have any
particular bearing on this natter DIX
\. 1rgt after reading eli Of the dOcu-
/ rent submitted to h'm IN manuscript
| by DR. Raymond, j.. Raymond Sug-
/ gested, What do you think OF IL. and
here In his repIv, is what ne says:
AS regards the statistics collected by
you with such care, can only say
that they require very careIul lntsrpIe-
, tatiOn. I do not see how any conclusion
! can be drawn from them with regard 20
the relative danger attending the use
Of the two kinds OF gases
Prof. Remsen's Opinion.
lie was their own expert. who had
T been making these investigations or
D analyses for the brooklyn board Of
] health. He went over the evidence
and that is the conclusion he came TO.
In the letter which accompanies the
4 analyses which he made for the Brook
: Ign board Of health. he says:
o Concerning the question Of the danger to
}. beaItb resulting from the use OF these gases
n il is Of course known that the principal
= dangerous constituent IS carbon HionoAlds toE
d what is commonly called caroonIc oxide
e Both these gases contain considerable JUAN
| titles Of this constituent.
- Both IL inhaled, would produce bad eject
and II inhaled 70 a su1hcieHt extent -ootn
! would cause death do not thinh- hJ"sF5R
/ that the difference In the percentages or ths
I I mouuXide present in the two gases Is q mat
= ( ter OF any imp0Ttanc from a sanitary stan'1-
: point. Whether one gas on the otneT is useds
70 / there is danger connected with its escape
a in an IlnburTeJ condition into r0ms ocCu-
pied By human beings But long before
y enough Of either 10 produce bad eneets couio
d accumulate In a roOms II would -lecessalily
= be detected By its odor. for ootA specimens
T submitted 10 me nad as TAR as cooIa
Judge equally bad odOTs
I In case the occupants OF the room would
be asleep at the time OF the escape OF IS
p gas Il is possible that a fatal eIIecI might %
' reached a few minutes earlier IN the case
of water gas than IN that Of coal gas. but IL
= there ugould be a Ieak in TIE pipes sufficiently
q bad to lead to serious results Wltnoat AZ
q tracing attention during the waking hours.
Nv opinion may De briefly stated thus
r. i do not consider the use OF wafer gus az
n. | all dangerous II it be used with tn same
&c precautions as are observed in the use OF
ordinary coal gas. .,-,-
10 Yours respectfully 1isA N---'i-'---'-
q, That is taken from the report Of the
- commissioner Of health or the CITY OK
e MT. SIMSETwenty-slx years ago.
10 Mr. LOFE-Ies sir. 1 will say tnag
- this report was natural oulgroELh OF
- the use Of the carbureJed water gas IN
- | New York city, practically on AlanhaI-
- / tan Island, which was being dlS1IlDuteQ
!. BY tina Municipal Gaslight Company
- / That was the starting point tuSA 3
:, was considerable opposition OF course
~ TO the work Of that company. Lney
~ were encrCachinC very seriously on the
70 / sales Of the old coal gas companies. ana
part OF this work, have not the sllgIlt-
- est doubt, was undertaken and perform
10 ed in a perfectly honest, conscientious
A manner. Dut lots OF the WoFk al lhat
5T tiu,e-tbe feeling was Vezy DitteT-WaS
done simply because II lnterIered Win
oL another mans business.
n Mr.. SIMS-The contest between two
l. companies seeking to occupy the same
i field?
D ions have been offered this committees
regarding the quality OF Carbureted wa
ter gas and the probable eIeCt on hu-
man life. l may say that coal Gas was
- discovered IN II54s ana OlE duiupnLy
r Davy, who lived at that time. and who
1- was the greatest chemist OF his day.
- objected to coal gas, because ne was
- afraid II was going 10 be injurious 20
3 the public. If we had stopped night
II / there there would have been no coal
ID gas, 70 say T.othiug about other pro
- cesses which have been developed along
mat line.
Prof. Chandler, who is at the present
35 time professor. OF chemistry IN the CO.
is lumbia University OF New York, wac,
>, about the time Of this agitation, Ia
=. about 1880 to 1885, president OF the New
AS York city board Of health. The articles
ne appearing in the daily press had natur-
n, ally aroused the public TO some little
ne anxiety as TO what was 20 be appre-
ne
Id Continued on Fifth PaEe)
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