The Washington herald., 1909-01-31

large. and to have occurred from the
turning on OF the burner fun tilt after Il
had been turned OF. and the person who
did il was subjected TO a sufficient ex-
posure TO kdll him. whether it was ceaI
gas or wafer gas.
II is very hard TO get statistics which
afe comparable I think probably the
Pfoverb that comparisons are Odi0us'
was gotten up because there are 50 fe.
cases in which things are properly COM
parable. Taking the city OF Washington
for the FIVE years from 1891 20 1875. IN
elusive. the percentage Of water gas was
=. The total number Of accidental deaths
for those five years vas forty-four. The
average Der year was SIS. The average
population was 25SS0 the average
number OF nseters-and I think !. is fair
70 consider each meter as point OF dan
ger OF death from asphyxiation BY gas
was 25575 These are accidental deaths
J an speaking Of.
The average number OF accidental
deaths per 1000 meters during these FIVE
years, from 1881 70 1888, was 343. and the
average number Of accidental deaths per
1.009 OF population was 81
For the FIVE years from 1906 10 1907, In
elusive. that being the last i've years that
] could get the figures for. the percent
axe OF water gas IN Washington City was
s.. The total number Of accidental deaths
was sixty-three. the average per year
vas 12s. the average population was
1880 the average number Of meters
vas 1851, the average number OF acci-
dental deaths Per 10e0o meters was $40,
or less than in the first period. so that
the amount of carburetted water gas had
increased from IS per cent to 81 pr cent,
and per 10000 OF population. f. That
IS because there were so many more OF
TIE population that were using gas in
proportion than there were in the first
five years. as shown by the greater in-
crease in the number Of meters n proper
ton 10 the population.
Mr Slms-Boih Of those periods cover
the use Of water gas
Mr.. Forstall-Tes; one shows 3 per
cent ana the other 81 per cent.
From Baltimore / get some figures
which apparently show that Baltimore Is
4 much safer place To live in than Wash
ington. because In Baltimore the deaths
from asphyxiation are not isolated. They
include them in with the deaths from
asphyXi=tion from nOXiOus gases and
anaesthesie. have not had time 10
analyze those returns. but ! imagine that
the larger part Of them are from illu-
minatinE gas
From 1885 10 1887. inclusive. in which
time the Baltimore supply Of gas was 100
per cent water gas. there were ffty-four
accidental deaths. being an average Of
les per year The average population
was 4Sl000 I was unable 70 get the
average number Of meters The COM
pany is not particularly anxious 10 give
out that information imagine. The
average number OF deaths per loo0 Of
population was -
For the next five years. from 1897 to
1901. inclusive, during which there was
stiIi 10 per cent Of water gas distributed.
the total number Of accidental deaths
was s. the average per year was 12s
the average population was 5loG9. and
the average per 10oeo0 OF population was
% I left cut 1902 and 1893 because it IS
distinctly stated BY the health depart
ment records IN Baltimore that thew IN
clude deaths from 0nfagrstiOn-that IS
from suffOcatiOn due TO confagratiOn-
and they had a pretty Eood-Sized fire IN
Baltimore n 1913. and while there was
not a great portion Of people killed. there
were enough killed 10 make a large i'm
preston on an average Of twelve year.
IN 1902 and 1873. besides. il was neither
straight water gas nor q very large pro-
portion OF coal. gas For the period Of
five years from 1894 TO 1903 Inclusive
they had = per cent Of water gas and 45
Per cent Of coal gas The coke oven gas
had come into use. The total number OF
accidental deaths was siXty-three, ex-
sctly the same as for the flve-year period
from 1897 TO 1901 The average Per year
was the Same-126. had 70 estimate the
population. because / did not have the
figures ] estimated the population al
SIS. GO. that being the same increase that
there vas in the preceding I've years
and the average number Of deaths per
I09.000 Of population was % There was
practically absolutely no difference there
between those fve-year periods. during
one Of which they distributed 100 per cent
carburetted gas. and during the other OF
which they distributed s. per cent car
buretted water gas
cat 40 O'Clock ?. n. the committee ad-
5ouTned until tomorrow. Saturday. Jan
Usry 80. 1893. at 10 o'clock a. M