Evening star., 1934-02-26
GAS TAKES LIVES
Of NINE STUDENTS
Furnace Tended by Un-
skilled Hand Blamed for
Dartmouth Deaths.

~ VAC E1oSONAoNSN -No9'
HANOVER, N. H., February ga
furnace tended by an unskilled hand
was blamed today for the death of
nine students, the worst tragedy in
the history of Dartmouth College.
They were killed by carbon monoX-
ide gas as they slept early yesterday
in the Theta Chi Fraternity house
An explosion apparently had discon-
nected a chimney pipe and the deadly
fumes crept through the 16-room
house.
President Ernest Martin Hopkins
asked the grief-stricken mdergraou-
ates today to carry on their actlVl-
ties in order not to heighten the effect
of the accident. He issued state
ment saying the whole college SYM
pathizeS with the parents OF th0Se
who died"
A statement issued by DR.. r. E.
Miller, medical referee, said:
The position OF the shaker arm
and of the check draught lever indl-
Gated that the furnace had been flXeo
the night before by some one VINO
was not entirely familiar with the
furnace"
LIST of Dead.
The dead were:
William S. Fullerton, 20, CleVe-
land Heights, Ohio.
Edward F. and Alfred H. Moldenke,
brothers, New York City.
William NJ. Smith, jr., q, Man
hasset, N. Y
Mount Dora, Fla, u,
America S. De Masl, a. Little
Neck, N Y.
Wilmot H. Schooley, 81, Middle
John J. Griffin. 10, Wallingford,
Conn.
The fact that it was a week end
rrobablv saved the lives of eight
fraternity brothers who ordinarily
occupy the house.
An incompleted investigation lndl-
Gated that the students died as they
slept.' All were marked by the pink
discoloration characteristic of carbon
monoxide poisoning. -,
The coal-gas explosion apparently
blew open the furnace doors and dis
connected a chimney pipe. Some one
heard the rumble, it was believed, ana
closed the furnace door without
noticing the disconnected pipe.
Guests Leave.
Fraternity brothers who lived out
side the house dropped IN SATURDAY
evening for a game of bridge. They
played until about midnight, then lett
for their own quarters. The nine
others went to bed.
Sunday morning. Janitor Merton
Little fixed the fires. He smelled ccal
gas and adjusted the disconnected
pipe. Then, he went to the rooms OF
the students and saw them apparently
sleeping. They all were dead then,
but it was not until Sunday afternoon
that the deaths were discovered.
Died While Asleep.
DR.. Miller, the medical referee, said !:
An investigation, which is not COM
plete, indicated that the students died
while asleep. Medical examination in
dicated that the cause of death was
carbon monoxide poisoning. The
Little, and Of Ralph Cockroft ana
j. D. Whipple. members of the same
fraternity, indicate that the students
retired after 2:30 a m. February %,
and that the smoke pipe of the forced
draft, coal burning furnace had been
blown off some time after 1920 pm.
February "a.
The smoke pipes were replaced by
the janitor at 6:45 am. February 25
when he came to fix the fire at the
usual hour. At that time the fire was
burning brightly, and the condition
of the flue cleanout door indicated
that some one had presumably shut
the door after it had been blown off
earlier in the night, apparently with
out noticing the displaced smoke
pipes"
1t was learned this morning that
Barry T. Sullivan. Washington, D. c..
sophomore, a newspaper carrier
Smelled the odor of coal gas when he
delivered papers at the house early
Sunday morning. He had smelled ii
there before, he said, although the
odor yesterday was slightly stronger
than on previous occasions. He left
his papers on the second floor of the
house, and. as far as could be learned
today, was the only person with the
exception of the janitor, who entered
the building Sunday.