The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-16
NEWMAN ERB TAKES
POISON BY MISTAKE
Railroad President Swallows
BichlOride for Headache
Tablets on Train.
IN CRITICAL CONDITION
Doctors Rushed to His Aid, but
Crisis Has Not Yet Been
Reached.

DEAL. y J., Sept l5.--Sewman Ero,
railroad president and financier. Is criti-
cally III at his summer home, Inc
Corners. nj Deal Beach rs result OF
taking on a train yesterday AFTERNOON
two bichloride OF mercury tablets IN
mistake for tablets he was taking for
stomach trouble and headache.
Mr.. Erb was In the habit OF acting as
his own doctor and often took piiis
when he felt unwell without consulting
a physician. Yesterday afternoon on
train from New York to Deal Beach he
felt indisposed and took two tablets ne
thouvht were oicarbonate OF soda from
n handbag in which he carried medi-
/ cines. Soon he became dizzy and fet
pains in his stomach. and then ne
realized that he probably had taken bi-
| chloride OF mercury tablets that he was
using I'm solution to wash cut root.
| AT Natawan the conductor OF the
| train telegraphed ahead to Elberon sta
/ ton near Mr.. Erb's home. and DAVID
| Matthews, the Erb manservant, in the
absence OF the family met Mr.. Erb at
the Elberon station. He took him home
In IA taxicab. stopping at the mouse OF
| DR.. Robert Offenbach, Mr.. Eros
physician during the summer. The doctor
was PLAYING golf. so M"ethews ad-
minIstered to MIR. Erb some eggs he
| found in the DOCTORS kitchen and took
| him home and put him TO bed.
! While Mr. and Mrs. Irving NJ. Often
| roefer and Mr.. and Mrs. Jesse Mayer
( Mr.. Erbs daughters and sons-in-law,
were being summoned DIR. Edward
Sternburger and Dr. Onenbacn ar
rived. Dr Leo kesser bi-
chloride poisoning expert, was called
from New York. They found that Mr.
Erb. although deliriOus and In great
pain, was still not in a necessarily dan
gerous condition. provided he passes the
crisis in bichloride poisoning cases.
usually the third day.
Condition SIN Critical.
His pulse tonight was normal and
his temperature only 100. still the
doctors say they cannot he certain for
some days that he will survive.
Irving NJ. Dittenhoefer. MIR. Erb's SON
in-law, denied yesterday that there was
the slightest reason to suppose that Mr.,
Erb's condition was due to anything but
y his mistake in taking the tablets. Any
recent stomach trouble. he said. was
purely temporary and not serious. Mr..
Erb had been quite cheerful about his
business matters, according TO Mr..
Dittenhoefer.
Mr.. Erbs family are with him. and
DR. kessler will return tonight and
spend the night, II Is understood.
Friends and associates OF Mr. Erb
in this city say that he had complained
for some time Of headaches A few
days ago when he visited the executive
nfHa 90 hA
Railroad Company. OF which he is preei-
dent, at rs Broad street, he was suffer
ing from particularly violent attack
MIR. Erb left his office on Tuesday
afternoon, taking the 80 train for
Deal" said close friend when he
reached home he told his butler that he
was i'll and had probably taken "A bi-
chloride OF mercury tablet by mistake.
He ordered him to send for physician
in hurry. Mr. Erbs financial affairs
were never in better shape than at
present"
4 Mr.. Erb's secretary received the news
OF his employers Illness at an early
hour yesterday. He repea tedly declined
during the day to make any statement,
saying he was not In a position to say
anything"
Minneapolis stocks Drop.
Just about the hour that 1t became
generally known that Mr.. Erb had been
stricken Minneapolis and st. Louis 4s
started to take a slump. The bonds
sold at ASA at the opening and closed
at ~. The preferred stock touched a
new low record at -, as compared with
the opening of 2s%. The common stock
sold gig points of. This Is within
y Of the lowest price on record. which
was 9ig In 1918.
Urgent messages were received by
Mr., Erb's immediate relatives to go to
Deal, and Irving NJ. Dittenhoefer OF 96
Broadway, his son-in-law. left on an
early train for the Erb summer home.
MIR. Erb's city home is at 25 East
Seventy-fourth street.
Newman Erb has been one OF the best
known and most interesting figures In
the railroad affairs OF the country for
many years His speciality has been to
take over railways that were in need
Of careful nursing and build them up
for a useful future. He is at present
president OF the Minneapolis and st.
Louis, the Denver and Salt Lake, the
Ann Arbor and the Tennessee and
Georgia railroads, besides being con-
nected as a director and In other official
capacities with other railways and cor
porations
Mr.. Erb was born at Breslau, Ger
many, on June 16. 1850. being the son
Of Adolphus l.. and Esther Peck Erb,
and came to this country with his
parents when he was years old.
He started to earn his living az pri-
vate secretary to the vice-president ana
actuary of the Life Association OF Amer
lea. and then took up accounting. at
which he became an expert. Mr. Erb
was admitted to the bar in 1872, start
ing practice In Little Rock. Ark.
He first became interested In railroads
In 1881 at the age of 81. when he be-
came identified with the Memphis ex-
tension OF the Kansas City. Fort Scott
and Gulf Railroad.
Mr.. Erb moved to New York city
twenty-three years ago,
HAS PIECE OF TORPEDO2