New Britain herald., 1926-11-13
NONE CRIN|NALLY
 HELD FOR DEATHS
Coroner's Finding in Waterbury Reirigerating Tragedies
IS MECHANICAL PROBLEM
Official Predicts, However, That American Inventive Genius Will Ultimately Make Such Equipment Absolutely Safe.

Bridge ort. Nov. 13 R - Confi-
 dence that American geniue can
 and will master and eliminate the harm and dangers" 2 lched to cleo trical refrigeration, is expressed by
 Coroner John J. Phelan who today
 issued his official finding after a pro- tractcd inquest into the deaths on
 October 14 at Danbury. Of Frank ". Force, 60. and his 9year-old
 grandson. Warren Force Fromme. The coroner states in his finding that the impor, mt query arising in the case is ''can the cold unit of the iccboX be so constructed and the
 gases in it so controlled from harm ful leakage because of mechanical and other defects, that users may and can with confidence be assured
 of no harmful results to bodily health from the use of that contriv-
 ance in their homes"
 None Criminally At Fault No one is fou1 q criminally at fault in the deaths of Force and the boy in the finding, n which the coroner
 does not att npt to place a name upon the poisonous gas leaking from the refrigerator.
 The coroner in his report says in part:
 The escaping gas was shown up- on investigation to be a compound
 F,,1 ,,1 ot1 ,,l ,11
 idle in equal parts in volume and 65 per cent and 35 per cent r. 0cctire-
 y by weight.
 The evidence showed, according to the coroner. that the refrigerator was installed in the apartment in Dam family moved in. About G:30 o'clock
 on the morning of October 14. the
 boy called his randmother and ask ed her for glass of water. The
 water was taken rom a milk bottle standing in the refrigerator. Mrs.
 Force ct the time. detected the odor of gas and opened the window of the kitchen.
 She then repaired to the room of her husband who, she assumed, also drank during the night some of the
 water from the bottle specified.
 "The boy nd Force were taken 10
 the hospital by pr. Selleck. where
 both died in convulsions shortly after their admission, the deaths resulting. as shown by Medical Examinor
 Stratton. from the inhalation of es- caning gas from the refrigerator spe- ciled
 Was Ma . Leak Tight "The refrigerator as first installed
 in the apartment by the Home Heat ing & Refrigor ting Co.,. of Bridge port, leaked gas, but was corrected in this regard and made tight by it's representative, John Culligan. plumber of ranbury, by the placing
 of a new top on the cold unit of the refrigerator on Octobe s. 1926. Tn consequence of the wide pub lie interest created by the deaths. particularly by the numerous users of electric refrieerators, 1t was deemed advisable to have proper causing such deaths by State Chem ist Harold T. Leavenworth of Bridgeport. His testimony and re-
 port supported by other competent chemical authorities discloses. in general, that the refrigerant used
 in the machine, consisting Of methyl
 bromide and ethyl chloride. in equal parts by volume or 65 per
 cent methyl bromide and 35 per cent ethyl chloride by weight, showed under special tests to indi-
 cate that each liquid was of a high degree of purity and no foreign or delctorious substances were pres