The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-01-31
statement OF Mr. Alfred E. Forstan.

duced. There are now signs Of an ad-
vance IN its price.
statement OF Mr. Alfred f. F0rstsu.
Franklin Parsons, esq. NJ d. assist
ant medical officer Of the local govern
ment board. and William Ramsay, ESQ.,.
professor OF chemistry. University Col
leee. London Not q practical man on
the committee Il went into the subject
and Dr. Haldane. Prof Haldsne. made
quite a number OF experiments. under
which he turned coal gas first only into
certain rooms. He knew the percentage
OF carbon monoxide in the coal gas. and
he made experiments in different parts
OF the room during different lengths OF
time during which this coal gas had been
flowing into the room and from those
experiments he deduced or made up Ger
tain theories As 20 how soon A person
woaid be killed by the admission Of coal
gas into a room and of carburetted water
gas into a room. He did not Try it. he
simply determined the percentage Of coal
gas that would be In a room after a GER
tain amount Of flow into the ROOM
AR Sius-Do you controvert the fart
that carburetted water gas IS more dan
gerous than coal gas2
Mr. Forstall-Practically / do. ThCo-
reticaIly II IS Practically. so far as ]
have gone into the statistics. IL is not.
Mr.. Sims-I just wanted TO understand
you. position.
Mr.. ForstaIl-This committee made It's
report IN 1879. One Of the recommends-
tons OF that report is that power should
be conferred upon a central department
10 make regulations enforceable BY ade-
euste penalties limiting she proportion 81
carbonic oxide 10 y per cent. or sach per
cent - the department might consider
desirable. They did not say aat-footedly
y per cent. hut they said = per cent. or
such per cent as the department might
consider desirable That report has been
before Parliament and before the author
tiles IN England for nearly ten years. and
no action has ever been taken upon Il.
That is the point wish 10 make about
that
Mr.. sims-Is that intended TO be against
action here?
Mr.. ForstaIl-It shows how much in
portaace Parliament attaches 10 that re-
port
Mr.. Sims-They perhaps were not max
ing any carbon H1onoxide gas
Mr.. FOrstail-Yes: the testimony shows
that Belfast was sending out gas con
tanning carbon monoxide Up 70 IS or .
per cent At times
Mr.. Sims-Perhaps they sscertained
that your contention was right: that
practically It was not any more dan
gerous
Mr.. Forstsll-I think that is what they
settled down 20. At any rate. they took
no action. and the use OF carburetted
water gas has been going on without re-
striction ever since this report was made.
Mr. Murphy-There has been some testi-
mony before Us here that would indicate
that carbon monoxide gas produces al
most instantaneous death. 7 take Il from
what you give rs as contained IN that
report that that would not correspond
with what Prof. Haidane's ideas were.
SIR. Forstall-Carbon monoxide straight
does act in that way. II you 90 into an
atmosphere that contains 80 per cent OF
carbon monoxide. you win never get out
unless there is somebody 10 pull you out.
7 have seen that in my own experience
in the gas works. I have seen a man
60 over almost inside OF two or three
seconds, when he got into very small
space. Is or possibly % cubic feet, into
which straight carburetted water gas had
flowed In considerable volume. We got
him out and he revived. We brought him
around and he was all right the next
day, but when he got in there he went
down instantly when he got into t.
Mr.. Moore-What was It, asphyxiation
OF suffOcati0n?
Mr.. Forstall-Partly asphyxiation snd
partly poisoning.
Mr. MOORE asked that question here
the other day and was told that it was
not suffocation.
Mr.. Forstail-Of course. this gas flowed
into this small place, only a few cubic
feet
Mr.. Mgrphy-Your explanation makes Il
clear. It was not clear before.
Mr.. Forstali-Coming now to the cues
ton of the comparative danger between
coal gas and carburetted water gas.
Mr.. Sims-That IS the interesting part
OF the whole thing.
Mr.. Forstall-Practically the whole. or q
large part. Of the information that has
been given on that subject in the hearings
so far has been based upon a table pre-
pared by Dr.. Haldane in this report. That
table is made up on the assumption that
ali the conditions IN America and in Eng
land are exactly the same. except the
amount Of carbon monoxide in the iIlun-
mating gas distributed in the two coun-
tries On those premises he has calcu-
lated that while the actual deaths By gas
poisoning in England and Wales on the
basis OF the amount OF gas distributed for
London was three
Mr.. Taylor-Three what?
Mr.. Forstail-Three people; that IS. the
number OF deaths per 1.e3a009 cubic feet
OF gas so distributed throughout England
and Wales was such that for the amount
OF gas distributed in London it would
amount to three per year.
Mr.. Sims-Three million feet
Mr. Forstall-No; three people TO the
whole amount Of gas distrsbuted-Sz,Oo 0. :
OK. 900 feet
Mr.. Ssms-OnIy three deaths7
sfr. Forstall-Only three deaths; and