The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-31
SOLVE AIR PROBLEM
FOR MOTOR TUBES
Tests Made by Yale Professor
Give Formula for Hud-
son Tunnels.
EXPENSE TO BE REDUCED
Experiments Show Drivers
Would Suffer Most From
Poisonous Gas.


Special Despatch to THE NEW York HxnALp.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. Oct. 30.-Satis-
factory solution of the problem of safe
guarding human lives from poisonous
gases In the new vehicular tube under
the Hudson River between New York
and Jersey City has been made by Prof
Yandell Henderson. professor of phys-
physiologist of the United States Bureau
OF Mines. who has completed experiments
on that subjevt at the Yale laboratories.
Prof. Henderson was given the task of
ascertaining the amount of poisonous
gas from the exhaust of an automobile
that human being can consume with
out physical or mental Injury. Prof.
Henderson says:
Every automobile driver knows that
the products of combustion discharged
into the atmosphere by his engine are
slightly poisonous. But he enormously
attributes their toxicity to vaporized.
unburned gasoline. and not, as he should
" SAi
Coal Gases Poisonous,
Whenever coal is burned carbon
monoxide Is generated, to become
dangerous poison unless there is A full
supply of air. This gas is responsible
TOT more deaths than all other gases
combined. 1t is the chief constituent of
Illuminating gas, to which may be traced
large number of fatalities in American
cities.
There are, 1 believe, more than six
million automobiles in the United States.
not to mention several hundred thousand
motor trucks. All of them discharge
INTO the air exhaust gases containing
more or less carbon-monoxide.
Tunnels for vehicles will be used by
the general publicly healthy adults,
children and even invalids on their way
to the hospital. Many thousands of au-
tomobiles and motor trucks will dis
charge exhaust gas into the Hudson
River tunnels.
No Similar Tunnel Exists.
The length of the proposed tunnels
from portal to portal is $500 feet and
the distance between the ventilating
shafts at the pier heads on the two sides
or the river Is to be about $500 feet.
4NO tdililcl VI tHcSe ulIntfSlOuS mas YET
been constructed for motor transporta-
ton. Passenger cars are expected to
travel through the tunnel at the rate of
ten or fifteen miles an hour. making the
trip In ten minutes slower motor trucks
in half an hour. Two lines of traffic
abreast will pour in constant stream
| through each of the two tubes. Yet no
serious blockade can occur. for IL a car
breaks down the vehicle behind will pass
"a a nd n a dnr rin will
always be on hand to remove it.
There is much information on car
| bonmonoxide, but 1t does not cover the
problems OF the engineers who will con-
! struct the tunnel Accordingly the
| Bridge and Tunnel Commissions of the
| States of New York and New Jersey.
through Clifford II. Holland. their chief
engineer, requested Van II. Manning. Di-
rector OF the United States Bureau of
Mines. to make scientific investigation
which would determine. first, the amount
| and character of the. exhaust gas ex-
PEELED by various types and sizes Of
motor trucks and passenger cars. and,
| second, the nature of the poisonous sub
| stances and their allowable concentra-
tons. Since / had previously had expe-
| rience in conducting research on the
physiological effect of gases. I was
asked by Director Manning to find out
| to what extent exhaust gas must be d.
luted with air to be rendered practically
harmless for short periods.
Exhnust Acts Like Ether.
1--WE found in the laboratory at Yale
| University that gasoene vapor affects
an animal much as ether will (: that is,
1t acts as an anmsthetic. A man under
the influence OF ether is often excited +;
but gasoene vapor induces violent con-
WILSON'S.
First OF all we built little chamber
| five and n half by seven feet We made
it gas tight. In this chamber members
OF the investigating STAFF were subjected
| to tests for periods of one hour. They
breathed quantities of carbon monoxide
| quantities that varied from two TO
eight, and in few cases ten parts In
ten thousand of air.
How much air did the man breathe
under varying conditions? Did his pulse
rise or fall? Was his eyesight affected
Could he stand with his eyes shut after
breathing carbon monoxide In varying
amounts7 Did he become dizzy after
physical cxertion?
after we had conducted these expert
ments in the small chamber we made a
large scale test A brick chamber thirty
feet square, with an air capacity OF H.
600 cubic feet, was built-approximately
| the capacity Of n section OF tunnel hold
ing one car. In this chamber we In
stalled a Ford automobile 80 that the
rear wheels turned large paddles that
mixed the air. We ran the car under
different conditions. SO as to vary the
amount OF exhaust gas.
Large Groups Take Test.
'From ten to twenty men ut time
were taken into the chamber They
certainly learned at first hand the effect
Of carbon monoxide or oxygen de-
ficiency---headache.
1--WE found that n motor truck driver
Ia worse Off in n badly ventilated tunnel
thar, a clerk who leads q sedentary lltc.
The difference between the two men VIII
favor him who breathes Toast, while per-
sons who walk and thus double their
breathing will absorb carbon-monoxids
twice as fast as when they are at rest.
we can ray then to tho enginecrsi
"'ventilats the tunnels on the basis
that. for periods up to ono hour. four
parts OK cnrbon-monoxide In ten thou
sand OF air will be the maximum pollu-
ton for a man at rest
ga. n vas,i1t of tho Investigation II Is