Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-30

to make recommendations to the legls-
| lature as to it's quality when. in Its 1udg-
made.
| One Statement Disproved.
AS I started to say it happened that
between the sessions of 1884 and 1885 the
people representing the water-gas inter-
ests Lad received privileges in the streets
OF the city Of Boston from the local au-
thorities With the appointment of the
commission. or with the proposition for
legislation to that effect. the contest over
the carbon monoxide provision somewhat
| diminished. l mention this fact OF the
| creation of the commission because 1 no
| tice in a statement in the proceedings In
| these hearings in the hrst days session
| something on one of the earlier pages
which seems to indicate that the people
| who are interested in having the carbon
monoxide present had something to do
| with the creation of the gas commission
| and favored 1t, and that 1t was In 1883
| The fact is that the gas commission
was created in 1885. instead of in 1soS, ana
| any person familiar with the facts VINO
| should hear the statement that the people
promoting the water-gas interests favored
| the creation OF the commission would GER
tainly smile, If he did not do more.
] Mr. TAYLOR-I do not think we are In
| terested in that matter at all.
Mr. BARKER-That was the implication
! III tne report, anu lTdl Is WHY L olSufN
of it.
| Mr. SIMS-These hearings have not been
submitted to any of the speakers for cor
| rection, and 1t is the first print. There
are errors in the hearings, no doubt, that
! would have been corrected had they had
| opportunity to do so.
Water Gas Authorized.
| Mr. BARKER-Of course. 1 did not
know about that. In 1883 the question
was again before the legislature, and IN
| that year an act was passed authorizing
| the gas commission. which had had
added to it the authority over electric
| light companies. to license companies to
make and distribute water gas under GER
| tain restrictions. and the board then
started an investigation Of the entire
| subject.
I have here the preliminary report OF
| the board made in 1889, and the final re-
port made in 1880 upon that subject.
which can leave with the committee If 1t
cares to have them. They are very brief,
| and they are simply portions of the an
| nual report of the board
Mr.. TAYLOR-Make it a part OF your
| remarks.
Mr.. sIMs-Dealing with the question of
carbon monoxide?
Mr.. BARKER-Yes.
Mr.. SIMS-Why not print it with your
remarks?
| Mr.. TAYLOR-You need not stop now.
| If you will pick out the portions you
desire to put in and turn it over to the
| stenographer, we will be glad to have it
| printed as a portion of your remarks.
Mr.. BARKER-I will do SO. In pur-
| suit of this inquiry, the board. through
one more of its members. examined
all of the cases of death from illuminat-
| ing gas of which they could learn In the
! principal cities of the country. I myself
| took part in that investigation, and visited
all the places mentioned in the report.
and some of the time l had one men,
Der of the board, and sometimes an
other member CT the board with me. The
result was that in 1890 We recommended
the passage of the law which would en-
able us 20 grant license, specifying the
amount of carbon monoxide that might
be put into gas. and that license to be
for definite time. or revocable. as the
legislature might think wise. The result
of that proposition, or perhaps that in
combination with other things, was that
repealed.
Big Majority for Repeal.
Mr.. TAYLOR-That' is, the 10 per cent
provision was repealed?
Mr.. BARKER-Yes. sir.
Mr.. TAYLOR-What year was that?
Mr.. BARKER-1S9O
Mr.. TAYLOR-Can you give us the rea-
son for that? You say it was the result of
certain reasons. Why did you reach that
| conclusion? Why did the legislature and
the board and the public accept that as a
proper piece of legislation?
| Mr.. BARkER-The boards recommends
| ton was slightly more conservative. The
board asked permission to issue special
/ licenses to the company in which the
amount of carbon monoxide to be allowed
might be fixed, and to make those Ii
censes revocable. but the legislature went
further and entirely repealed the law.
The proposition Of the board found very
little favor in the house of representa-
| tives. the vote against 1T being about
| three to one the vote in favor of the en-
tire repeal of the law being about three
times the vote for the provision suggested
| by the board.
| Mr.. TAYLOR-What reason was ad-
vanced In the debate in the legislature,
regardless of the boards recommendation,
for the repeal of the law?
| Mr.. SIMS-Just a moment before you
answer that. Does this report you are
going to file give the recommendation of
| the board?
Deaths No More Numerous.
/ Mr.. BARKER-Yes, and the reasons for
lit. The people who investigated the ques-
ton thought, as a practical matter, the
deaths from Illuminating gas cont tanning
10 per cent or per cent of carbon monox-
ide were no more numerous than those
from gas with a larger percentage Of car
| DoH IHOnoAlue unueT the same conditions,
and that was one reason. That is to say.
as people are generally exposed to this
gas. if exposed at all. they are exposed
sufficiently long TO be as likely to be found
dead with one gas as with the other.
| Mr.. TAYLOR-In short, the board
formed the opinion that the gas was
deadly any way?
| Mr. BARKER-Yes.
Mr. SIMS-Not the board, but the leg
| islature?
Mr. BARKER-Yes. the board and the
Legislature too. / think. We called spe-
cial attention to that that coal gas is
gas is also a dangerous gas, but we find a
great many cases where the exposure
seemed to be very similar. in one case
as in the other. and people are resusci-
tated. and then We find that in ordinar y
| cases, as the exposures ordinarily are,
very much the same, results occur in
either kind of case
| The gases work. however. in a different
way. The water gas works largely
through poisoning, the actual effect upon
the blood while coal gas works partly
through poisoning, and largely. probably
through suffocation. asphyXiation
| Mr.. TAYLOR-You refer to water gas
working through poisoning: you mean the
| mono ide in the gas acts as poison?
| Mr.. BARkER-1ndeed. it does Then
again. were the economic questions as
related to the two gases.
| Mr.. SIMS-Give them in detail and
very particularly.
The Question of Cost.
Mr.. BARKER-There is a conviction
that water gas might be made more
economically. az practical matter: that