The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-02-01

mir. SnIS-You do aot state that of
your own personal knowledge
MIR. tDHSTAII-No. Il that con-
ditou OF affairs exists that new iaud
would nave 90 bg acquired and au en-
uralv new plant would 1s;Ee 90 be built
which I- reasonable |.um inc TACT ihat
they are now averaEiuE only - per cent
oI Eu8l gas rs would cost nearer S-At'Js-
eft than the Sl0U0te9 mentioned uy MT.
MeIIHtuuy yesterday.
Ar- SINS-I did not know but what
you had been working ou yhis. and kue"
Mr. FORsrALI-No. I have been
working entirely ON these statistics.
Nh SIMS want TO ask YOU u 1t is
possible hy amy means whatever TO re-
duce the proaaniHues of accident oil
DEAN or injury Go health, IN using car
huTgLe8 water gas. to- level or 10 am
amount not exceeding that which would
bee expected or would occur i'm the use
of coal gas.
Power of Inspection.
AIR. FORSTALI-I think that I'M prac-
ttic they are ou a level now. That i7
the practical effect of the statistics that
/ have quoted. It seems TO me TO Doe THAT
they are ou a level now ass laT as danger
IS concerned. Now, 40 reduce the dan
ger from gas poisoning, I think there l7
something that can Doe done, and l
would suggest that it would Doe "a good
idea 60 give the Department OF Health
of the District of Columbia I'M addition
TO their ether authority of inspection
over lodging houses and small hotels
and things of that kind I'm which most
OF these deaths occur. the power 10 pro
vide and enforce the provision that nuiN-
ing but checked burners shall be Uae1
iu rooms I'm such lodging houses anu
hotels, the size of the burner TO oe MADE
suitable for the size or tHe room t..t-
rs, the smaller rooms 20 have the smaller
burners. and in that way / liiluh pu
-aU do away with almost an danger OF
gas poisoning from any Kind OH lilNLlliA-
ME sIMs-Do you admit that the
poisonous character of CaTbuTeted water
gas is as four or five TO one as TO coal
gas2
Sir. LL-Theoretically. yos.
Nh. SIMS-How is IL that If IL IFS four
or I've times moro dangerous. practical
iy 10 is not more dangerous How do
Nh STALI-Becausa the expos
ure 20 the danger takes place under
such conditions that the least dangerous
Ea5 kills, and you cannot be Killed any
deader nE the more dangerous gas.
Mr.. SINS-That tie least dangerous
gas kills with Jhe same period of expos
Ure as The otheT2
Mr.. FORSTALL-No, not with the
same period OF exposure, but the cOndi-
lions under which the exposure takes
place are such that the length OF the
period OF exposure Is sufficient to kin
with the least dangerous gas. That has
been the result of all the Investigations.
as MT. Barker stated yesterday that
the Massachusetts gas commission has
made, ana IL seems 10 me that ls borne
out hy those statistics from Baltimore
and Chicago
No Rule to Go BY.
AEr. SIAIS-Is there any hard and fast
rule by which persons who are exposed
TO gas poisoning are all exposed for The
same period OF time2
1Ir- FORSTALL-No. sir
AT. SIMS-TEen how do you come 90
the conclusion that IT just naturally
happens that the exposure is always
sufficient TO produce death in either
caseg
Mr.. FORsTALI.-It is not ANY mum
Der or people who are exposed TO gas
poisoning OF both kinds Of gas recover.
Lut where ugatA occurs Investigation
has shown. where the cases have been
Investigated and they have been inVps a
JigatE1, In a sufficient number of cases
10 give an average, that exposure has
continued IOr SuIICleuL length OF
time TO have killed with the coal ga -
I'D iact- quite q number of people are
killed by coal gas under those same
conditions. As see IT, you cannot Kin
man any ueader than killing him
although i think lL was stated ia some
or these hearings that they did not
VISA 20 Elll some OF the animals. ON
"l-~i tAeS were experimenting, entire
lEs SO tldt they removed them from
the effect of the gas
MT. SIMS-SuuuGse We have liquid
containing ID per cent OF alcohol and
another LIQUID containing 90 per cent OF
.AeoHoli would not tlal liquid having
ID per cent OF alcohol produce a greater
am0uat OF ItJEIuat.Du tlau the same
amount or liquid containing only 10
per cent?
8Ir. FORsTAII-Yes.
ar. SlMS-Now, taking "a gas con-
tanning do per cent OF NOT exceeding DO
per cent. and another having % per
cent ana another % per cent, IS IL your
contention Ladt the same exposure and
the same inhalation would have no
greater effect -u producing poisoning
and death ll the case Of the gas con-
tanning % per cent or 90 per cent than
with tle gas containing 10 per cent?
1Ir FOESTALL-THat Is not my con-
teIfIuu. THE same exposure U.s. more
dangerous with gar5ureted water gas
Than il IS with coal gas. But as I
said. and a5 everybody who has iu-
FestiEatcd this subject has conclude.
practically the length OF exposure IS
sufficient with the least dangerous gas
10 produce death, Taking Your EImiIes
a. man can drink enough OF the liquid
containing 10 per cent of alcohol TO get
Just as drunk as Pc could possibly get
ay drinking the liquid containing IN
per cent Of elcoh0L He gets enough OF
the gas containing 10 per cent Of carbon
LluoZlde 10 XIII him, and that .s as
FAR as you can go with "a gas contain
. lag 80 per cent
Relative Period Of Exposure.
lIE. s1I5-Wlth coal gas containing
per cent OF carbon muuoElde and then
with q water gas containing 70 per cen.
or carbon uou0ZiJes what would be- the
relative periods OF exposure necessary
+ TO produce death with those gases2
Air. FDRSTALL-LE would Ice pretty
hard 10 say what the relative periods
would Be. Iat there ls uo question but
. tha man would be killed 10y the - peg
cent carbon WuLgNIdt gas Il shorter
f time than Le would oy the per cen.
carbon moloEile gas
Dir. EINS-Elel now do you arrive
f at Lhe conclusion that as rule ali eE-
Uasurez orc practically tHe sam.
/ length ~ time $50 as 90 bring auou
f practically the same result
Mr. FCE5TALI-B do NOT think
stated that II 4 did , did not luteul
TO- What + have tried 20 express l
. rhis- There are amy number OF case.
t.aL are lgu-fataL- do not llDs
whether amy record ls kept here l- fLl
Bls-ricL OF those cases & old not rIr
+ ACROSS any such record. but such "a REQ
ord Ls kegt HN the MasaacHuset lz Ea
AND eiaULri. commission and there ar
amy number of cases OF exposure 40 gas
. ". ere the people are made Uucuusgiol
and arc taken out and finally recover
4 and those cases occur both with Goa
f ... and =... EaTH#T.taI water -aE