The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-01-31

no doubt that if they could be run
down, "a good many of the ether cases
would be found 10 have occurred in
small rooms the Cubical contents OF
which were not very large, and 20
have occurred from the turning on OF
the burner fun tilt after 1t had been
turned OF, and the person who dld d.
was subjected to a sufficient exposure
10 Kill him, whether it was coal gas OF
water gas.
Hard to Get Comparisons,
IT is very hard to get statistics which
are comparable. think probably the
proverb that comparisons are odiOus@
was gotten up because there are so
few cases in which things are properly
comparable. Taking the city of Wash
ington for the five years from 1891 TO
1880, inclusive. the percentage OF water
gas was %. The total number OF aCCI-
dental deaths for those five years was
A, The average per year was 81. Inc
. average population was 13S,5ut me
average number of meJeTS-and / think
u is fair to consider each meter as
point of danger of death from asplNNi-
alton by gas-wdS 2J,jI5. These are
accidental deaths 1 am speaking OF.
The average number OF accIdeutE
deaths per 10000 meters during these
five years from 1891 to 1898 was 343,
and the average number of accidental
deaths per 1000 OF population was S-4.
Gas Percentage 81.
For the five years. from 1903 to 1907 i'm
elusive, that being the last FIVE years
that I could get the figures for, the per
centage of water gas i'm Washington
city was 81. The total number of ac-
cidental deaths was 65. the average
per year was 126, the average popuIa-
ton was 1880, the average number
OF meters was 40,fo5, the average mum
Der OF accidental deaths per 10 600
meters was 3-15, or less than in the first
period so that the amount Of CarbuTet-
ed water gas had increased from 73
per cent 60 81 per cent and per 100000
of population, four.
That is because there were so many
more OF the population that were using
gas IN proportion than there were in the
llrSJ I'VE years as shown by the greater
increase in the number Of meters in
proportion to the population
MI SiMS-Bcth of these periOus cover
the use of water gas2
Mr.. FORSTALL-Yes; one shows q
per cent and the other 81 per cent
Some Baltimore Figures.
From Baltimore ] got some figures
which apparently show that Baltimore
is much safer place to live iu than
Washington, because in Baltimore the
deaths from asphyxiatiOn are not iso-
lated, they include them I'm with the
AEuAlLo from dEliliA NlaLlDl from NBNItLLE
gases ard anesthesia. i have not had
time 10 analyZe those returns, but 7 inn
aglnc that the larger part of them are
from Illuminating gas.
From 1888 10 1897, inclusive. I'm which
time the Baltimore supply of gas was
IoJ per cent water gas, there were "a
accidental deaths, being an average OF
10S per year. The average population
was $4,000. I was unable to get the
average number of meters. The com
pany is not particularly anxious to give
out that Information. ! imagine. The
average number of deaths per 100000 of
population was %
Average Grows Slightly.
For the next FIVE years, from 1897 10
1901, inclusive during which there was
still 100 per cent of water gas distribut-
ed, the total number of accidental
deaths was 63. the average per year was
126. the average population was
$4,000. and the average per 100000 Of
population was 25-
I left out 1902 and 1903 because 10 IS
distinctly stated by the health depart
meut records I'm Baltimore that they in
Guided deaths from cOnf1agrauon-that
is. from suffOcatLOn due TO cOniiagratiou
and they had a pretty gOOd-Slzed IRE
In Baltimore IN 1913. and While there
was not a great proportion of people
killed. there were enough killed TO make
a large impression on an average OF j.
a year
In 1902 and 1903. besides. it was neither
straight water gas nor very large pro
portion Of coal gas. For the period OF
five years from 1905 to 1908, inclusive.
they had s. per cent Of water gas and
A. per cent of coal gas.
Coke Oven Gas IN Use.
The coke-oveu gas had come into use.
The total number Of accidental deaths
was 90, exactly the same as for the five
year period from 1897 TO 1901. The aver
age. per year was the same. 1875. I had
10 estimate the population because / did
not have the figures. 7 estimated the
population at 535. 600, that being the same
Increase that there was In the preceding
five years, and the average number OF
deaths per lOJsUJo or population was 30
There was practically absolutely mo- diff
ference there between those nTe-year
periods. during one OF which they DIS
tributed 100 per cent caFbureLeu water
gas and during the other OF which they
distributed s. per cent CaTDureJed water
gas.
Conditions in Chicago.
Along this same line 7 have some
figures from Chicago which are not as
recent as those from Baltimore, because
since 1883 there has been no coal gas
distributed i'm Chicago. but 1 have fg-
ures for the FIVE years, 1886 20 1890, in
elusive. I'm which quite considerable
observation-disclosures I cannot say eX-
actIv how -nuch-Of the gas dis ributeu
was coal gas The company with which
WINS connected in Chicago az that time
was making all coal gas up 10 1851 ana
then almost entirely coal gas up 10 1888.
and they supplied about tWo-thirds OF
the total supply Of the city of Chicago
For those five years the average num-
Der o. deaths per year fT0m asplyNlt-
ton or an kinds. from ala kinds OF uoE-
fous ZaeeE-uot entirely illuminating
gas. but largely illuminating gas-Was
a. nar wear per 10000 of population
FROM 1898 10 1889. inclusive, hUriug which
time the supply of gas was entirely
water gas. the average number OF
deaths per 10000 Of population was 3D.
Der wear "a decrease Of nearly one death
per 10000 OF population. in spite OF the
Increase. or couguweutly with the ~
crease 10 100 per cent OF carDuTeted wa
ter gas
MI lIOORE-These were accidental
Deaths
All Accidental Deaths.
lIT. FORSTALL-Yes. those were accl-
dental deaths I have eliminated sui
cides in all Of my figures.
Mr. THOMAS-Where are those re-
ports2
Mr.. TORSTAIL-The Chicago figures
are taken from this report TO which