Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-26
{. 6. RUNYAN EXPLAINS
His Analysis for Carbon Mo.
,noxide Not Perfect.
CONDITION NOT UNUSUAL
Poison in Ali Illuminating Gas and
Never Made Unlawful.
WATER PRODUCT LONG IN USE
Points to His Own Devotion to Duty
and Repeats Account Of Over
work in Office.
CONDITION NOT UNUSUAL
WATER PRODUCT LONG IN USE

Il have fulfilled both tho letter and the
spirit Of the law defining my duties.
Il have not measured my services or la
bors by any regular Office hours, but have
devoted to the performances Of my duties
much time after ordinary ONCE hours.
mo one can truthfully point to any fall
ure on my part to do any act required Of
me by statute or by regulation Of the
board Of Commissioners
Thus e. G. Runyan. inspector Of gas
and meters. justines his conduct in his
answer to the request Of Commissioner
Macfarland for a report OF his statements
before the House District committee re-
carbon monoxide In the gas furnished
District users and for an explanation Of
his Official conduct.
Runyan's Reply.
In his report. presented to Commissioner
Mcfarland this afternoon. Mr.. Runyan
says. at the request Of the chairman Of
the House committee Investigating the
gas matter, he stated to the committee
the nature of tests which my Office Is
required by law to make Of the gas and
gas meters and told them that there
was no law or regulation governing the
presence or percentage of carbon
monox:de In the gas, and that no tests
for carbon monoxide were required by
law or regulation
Representative Sims asked me-" he
continues. "if I had ever tested the gas
for carbon monoxide, and whether I knew
that the gas contained large percentage
Of this compound; to which replied that
without making aQy tests l knew that
the gas furnished by the Washington
Gas Light Company must contain a large
amount Of carbon monoxide. as the gas
supplied by that company is largely water
gas, which has a relatively high per-
centage OF carbon monoxide, running
from 20 per cent to 30 per cent.
not require me to determine the amount
OF carbon monoxide. I did set up some
apparatus, about two years ago, for the
purpose of making chemical analysis
OF the gas, In addition to making the
usual tests. prescribed by law. to deter
mine whether the amount of sulphur or
ammonia exceeded the legal limits, and
to determine whether there was any
sulphureted hydrogen present. that be-
ing prohibited by law; that this appara-
tus was not suitable for making a com
plete chemical analysis Of the gas, but
that with it / was able to determine
the percentage Of several constituents,
among them carbon monoxide, which run
from Il per cent to Is per cent.
Why He Did Not Report.
Representative Sims further asked me
if ! knew carbon monoxide to be poison
Gus. and II SO, why l did not report it to
the proper authorities. I replied that l
did know this compound to be poisonous,
and that my reason for not reporting
these partial analyses was that all illu-
minating gas contains carbon monoxide,
water gas containing relatively greater
amount than coal gas: that water gas has
been supplied to this city for many years,
and there is no law or regulation pro-
hibiting its manufacture and sale. and,
further. that the analysis of the gas was
not complete, and 1t would be a most I'M
usual course to report a partial chemical
analysis of a gas.
Would Mean More Work.
He speaks of the great volume of work
thrown upon his Office the limited
number Of assistants allowed him. and
tells of inspections made in other cities,
and concludes:
In conclusion, I would suggest that
II pending bills providing for limiting
the amount Of carbon monoxide in the
gas should be enacted. the execution of
such a law would entail further labor
upon my office, and would thus render
still greater the necessity for an addi-
tional assistant, for whom / have here
M