Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-31

poison. Lamp turned low at night.
Doctors certificate There did not seem
any escape of gas. 1t may have been a
case OF smoke being given off. the product
OF imperfect combustion, from the way
the lamp was left; but I included that In
the seventy-eisht accidental deaths. l
analysed this as to the number Of the
residents Of the District included in that
number-that is. l counted anybody who
was reported as having been in the Dis
tr1ct less than year as not being a resi-
dent. l also took into account the ages.
or the total Of seventy-eight. 40 per cent.
or thirty-one persons. had been in the
District less than year Twenty-seven
per cent OF the total Of seventy-eight had
been in the District less than month.
over 20 per cent had been in the District
less than a week. and very nearly Is
per cent less than day. 1t is pretty
vel! known by people who have investi-
gated this subject Of accidental death
lenient toward suicide. A health depart
ment will not give verdict Of suicide un-
less they cannot possibly get out of It.
unless the facts are so apparent that
there is no other possible conclusion. 1t
may be that large part of these tran
silent deaths were possibly suicides, those
or people who came here to kill them
selves, because I noticed as I went
through the book that in a large proper
ton of cases reported suicides the
Mr.. Moore--In other words. as far as
your inquiries have gone. the RESPONSE
bility for the deaths has not been traced
back to the company?
Not Traced to Company.
Mr. Forstall-No.
Mr.. Sims-Do you thinl, this is a special
resort for people wishing to commit sui
eide?
Mr.. Forstall-I think Washington Is the
location Of more blasted hopes than any
other city in the United States.
Mr.. Sims-You said people came here to
commit suicide.
Mr.. Forstall-When a man had been
here only a day 1 think he either COM
United suicide, or else he blew out the
light and did not know what happened
or he may have been drunk. In fact, in
one case the entry was made Farmer.
never had used gas" I think that elm:
mates those people who have been in town
only day from this consideration as to
which Is the more dangerous, carbureted
water gas or coal gas That reduces the
number that may have been caused by
carbureted water gas doVn to Sixty-seven
Eighteen per cent Of the total of the sew
enty-eight were cases Of residents of the
District who were over sixty years of age
and l imagine that person over sixty
years Of age would not stand n very
large dose Of either one kind of gas or
the other; so that we have included under
the head of residents over sixty years of
age and non-residents 50 per cent OF the
total number Of deaths, and 1t seems to
me that the assumption is perfectly fair
one that in that SO per cent Of the total
OF cases the conditions Of exposure, the
conditions under which the exposure took
place were such that coal gas would have
been just as deadly as carbureted water
gas. Another point; large number OF
these deaths, 30 per cent of them. took
place either in the lodging house district
or at the hospitals. and tho presumption
is that they were carried to the hos
pitfalls from a lodging that they had not
been in very long. So the number of
cases of death in which it is probable
that there might have been An escape
from exposure to coal gas when there
would not have been an escape from ex
posture to carbureted water gas is mar
rowed down by this analysis, so it seems
to me; and I have no doubt that if they
could be run down a good many of the
other cases would be found to have oc-
CURED In small rooms. the cubical con-
tents OF which were not very large. and to
have occurred from the turning on of the
burner full tilt after it had been turned
or. and the person who did it was sub
1ected to a sufficient exposure to kill him,
whether it was coal gas or water gas.
1t - very hard to get statistics which
are comparable. think probably tho
proverb that comparisons are odious''
was gotten up because there are SO few
cases In which things are properly COM
parable. Taking the city of Washington
for the five years from 1891 to 1895, in
elusive, the percentage of water gas was
Is. The total number of accidental deaths
for those five years was a.. The average
per year was S.S. The average population
was 900. The average number OF
meters-and think it is fair to consider
each meter as a point OF danger of death
from asphyxiAtion by gas-was 25.573.
II no, Il 81 No.
ing OF. 49, -
<.t:7i Average of Deaths.
The average number Of accidental
deaths per 1900 meters during these five
years from 1891 to 1895 was 3.43, and the
average number OF accidental deaths per
LOCO Of population was "a.
For the five years from 1903 to 1907. in
elusive, that being the last five years that
l could get the figures for. the percentage
of water gas In Washington city was 81.
The total number of accidental deaths
was 63; the average per year was 1916:
the average population was 81 800: the
average number of meters was 1861: the
average number of accidental deaths per
10000 meters was 3.15. or less than in the
first period, so that the amount of car
bureted water gas had increased from 73
per cent to 81 per cent, and per hundred
thousand of population, 4. That is be-
population that were using gas in pro-
portion than there were in the first five
years. as shown by the greater increase in
the number of meters in proportion to
the population.
Mr.. SimS-Both of those periods cover
the use Of water gas?
Mr.. F'orstall-Yes: one shows IS per
cent and the other 81 per cent.
From Baltimore 1 got some figures
which apparently show that Baltimore is
much safer place tO-lve in than Wash
ington, because in Baltimore the deaths
from asphyxiation are not isolated; they
asphyxiation from noXiOus gases and
anesthesa. 1 have not had time to
analyze those returns, but l imagine that
the larger part Of them are from ilIumi-
mating gas.
From 1893 to 1897. inclusive in which
time the Baltimore supply of gas was 100
per cent water gas, there were tifty-four
accidental deaths, being an average of
10.S ger year. The average population was
$4,000. / was unable to get the average
number of meters. The company is not
formation, imagine. The average num-
Der OF deaths per hundred thousand OF
population was %.
Figures for Five Years.
For the next five years, from 1897 to
1901, inclusive. during which there was
stu 100 per cent Of water gas distributed
the total number of accidental deaths
was 63, the average per year was
l2.6, the average population was O,O0O.
and the average per 100, 900 of popuIa ton
was 20. ] left out 1902 and 1903 hecause