Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-23
RUNYON TAKEN TO TASK
Criticised for Not Reporting Analy-
sis to Commissioners.
HAYWARD OPPOSES WATER GAS
DR.. Skinner Quotes Authorities Re-
garding the Question Under
Discussion.

!
other hearing today on the bill prohibiting
the presence of more than 10 per cent of
carbon monoxide in the Illuminating prod
uct of the District of Columbia. DIR. Hay
| ward and DR.. Skinner of the bureau Of
| chemistry of the Agricultural Depart
ment and E. G. Runyon. inspector of gas
and meters of the District were heard
] Representative Sims of Tennessee took
| Mr.. Runyon sharply to task for not call
! ing the attention of the District Commits
| sioners to the result of analysis of sam
pies of the local gas supply made several
| years ago, which developed the presence
| of between 20 and 80 per cent of deadly
| carbon monoXide in the product. Mr..
| Runyon admitted that he had never called
| the matter to the attention of the Com
| missioners or anybody else. formally or
| informally.
| Dr. Hayward was the initial witness and
| General Counsel Goldsborough of the
| Washington Gas Light Company took him
| in hand In response to questions DR..
| Hayward said he had never stated that
the presence of large percentage of
carbon monoXide in the local gas supply
| caused the deaths in the Bremerton fam
| lily. This controversy had to do with re-
gard to the fact that carbon monoxide is
| thrown off into the air by imperfect COM
bustion and that when there is perfect
! combustion carbon monoxide is entirely
consumed.
| DIR. Hayward took occasion to say at
this point. however. that water gas, in his
| opinion, should not form a part of the il
! Eliminating gas of any city whatever.
THE literature on the subject shows
| that clearly he said, besides what l
have developed by experiments
| Mr. Goldsborough at this point stated.
I'm reply to questions by members of the
committee, that the local gas supply con-
tanned about so per cent water gas.
Eminent Chemists Quoted.
! Dr. Skinner succeeded DR.. Hayward ahH
| indorsed everything the latter had said
| with reference to carbon monoxide
There is always danger" said Dr.
| Skinner, lin the use of any gas which
contains carbon monoXide." He read
| from a number of authorities to show
| the general view in which carbon monox-
| ide was held by the most eminent chem
| lists. Among those he quoted were Sir
William Ramsey. whom he described as
''the foremost chemist in the world !;
| DIR. John Haldane of England and Prof.
Vivian Lewis, professor of chemistry of
| the Royal College at Greenwich. These
| men agreed, he said. that 1.-The great
| objection to water gas is the high per-
centage of carbon monOXide-2O or 80
per cent-which is one of the most viru-
| lent gases known" and that "the whole
| question of the quantity of water gas
| which shall be permitted hinges on the
amount of carbon monoxide present in
! the mixture. This should he kept down
! to small a percentage as is possible.
He added that the real risk from gas
containing carbon monoxide was during
| the hours of sleep and from Ieaky fix
lures. for he assumed that in great
majority of cases at least the fixtures
| would be sufficiently efficient TO properly
| consume the deadly properties of the
gas The report of the departmental COM
| mission of Great Britain, to which DR.
| Hayward referred the other day. recon-
| mended, DIR. Skinner said that this per-
| centase be kept down below l., but he
| thought with the sort of coal available
| in this country the percentage could be
made much lower. The average percent
| age Of carbon monoxide in straight coal
gas was only about } per cent
Agreement of Authorities.
DR.. Skinner said there was great mass
of testimony at hand showing the gen
eral agreement of the authorities on the
subject of the toxic properties of carbon
monoxide. He thought it was a fallacious
| argument to say that water gas was only
| five or six times as dangerous as coal
| gas. because 1t contained only five six
times as much carbon monoXide because
| it was rather than a question of percent
| ages question of life and death
AS far candle power was concerned
| DR. Skinner thought that il was an
economic question, and should be con-
| sidered and settled along those lines. He
| had dealt only with the sanitary aspects
| of the matter. and although some of the
| information that had been collected was
not very recent. he thought it was eX-
| tremeIy important. But he read from a
! report of IA subcommittee of the London
| board of trade. dated in the early part of
! the present month. showing great IN
| crease of fatalities from gas poisoning
| due to the presence in illuminating gas
! of Increased quantities of carbon mon
| oxide He made the assertion. however.
| that "A high candle power was not neces-
| sary nowadays. in view of the various
| tvpes of mantle incandescent burners on
| the market, and also that, IN view or this
| fact il was no longer necessary, 10 secure
| a candle power Of twenty or over. as IN
| the case of Washington. I" use water gas
as a part of the Illuminating product.
| What do YOU consider the danger limit
| of q percentage of carbon monoX -
| asked Representative keilther of Boston
THAT is difficult question to answer,
replied DIR. Skinner, but think tire
| limit of 10 per cent in the pending bill
! could be complied with
! Dr. Skinner then. following DR.. Wicy'S
| fead claimed that il the proportion of
carbon monoXide in the Illuminating prod
uct from straight coal gas was only > per
| cent the gas company should not he per
! mitted to bring up the percentage to the
| legal limit. If 10 per cen: We're adopied
as such by the add tion of water gas
| containing carbon monoXide He thought
| the gas company could get along all
! right under such Il limitation. and il
necessary. might use grade of coal!
| which upon distllation. produced COM
| paratively small percentage of carbon
| monoXde.
Comparison of Heat Units
| Being questioned by Repras ative
, Murphy of Wisconsin. DR.. Skinner said
/ that water gas produced "S1 heat units.
/ while coal gas produced COS heat units
| and that consequently a consumer had to
use over twice muc.l water gas 10 pro
duce the same number of heat units as
! coal gas.
! But MI GoldSborough saw the drift of
/ this kind of question and told Mr.. Muir
ply that his inference was NOT rorrpctIv
drawn. tnasmuch as carburattcd water
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