Evening star., 1948-11-01
Rain Disperses Smog
lover Donora After 19
'EIderIy Persons Die
BY the Asseeioisd Press

DONORA, Pa, Nov. An all
night rain has cleaned the air
above this Monogahela River in
duStrial town, where smog was
blamed as an accessory in the
deaths of 1s elderly persons in
SO hours.
The death list was revised down.
ward by one today. The towns
Health Department first reported
Gustine Polchak the 10th victim of
cardiac-asthmatic condition that
took the lives of the others.
But a later investigation by
health authorities disclosed Mr..
Polchak had died of other causes.
He had been under a physicians
care for some time.
Chemists Seeking Cause.
| Meanwhile, chemists studied tests
made Of the air over Donora yes
/ terday In hope of discovering
whether there was any gaseous in
gredient in the smothering mixture
OF fog and smoke which could have
caused the deaths and suffering of
over 400 others.
The malady struck Donora late
Friday as smothering, mixture OF
fog and smoke known as "smog" Law
low over the valley for the third
straight day. Donora is Is miles
south of Pittsburgh.
Old residents couldn't recall ever
seeing smos of such density, but
1t caused no Ill effects until early
Saturday.
Then the towns eight doctors
were besieged by calls from asthma
and cardiac sufferers. Before mid
night, IA men and 4 women had
died.
Emergency Stations Set I'm,
Nearby hospitals were jammed
with people finding it hard to
breathe. An emergency aid station
was set up and hurried calls went
out for oxygen equipment.
A doctor estimated the towns
medical men treated between 400
and 500 cases.
Among those stricken, but not
seriously affected, were Mr.. and
Mrs. Stanley Musial, parents OF the
st. Louis Cardinals star outfieldr.
! Donora has won renown this year
for the feats Of its athletes. In ad-
dition to Stan Musial. who won the
National League batting champion
ship. they include Arnold Galiffa,
Army football star; Dan fowler,
leading football scorer of the Ma
ton from Washington and Jeffer-
son, and Lee Sala. middleweight
fighter.
Two Persons Still Critical.
The fog lifted yesterday and the
number Of sufferers eased of, but
there were two more deaths-both
men. At least 30 people remained
in the Charleroi-Monessen and
Monongahela Memorial Hospitals
two of them critical.
The State Health Department sent
in q team of chemists headed by
DR.. Joseph Shilen of the Industrial
Hygiene Bureau. The American
Steel & Wire Co., largest industry
in the town and subsidiary of the
Unitsd States Steel Corp. called on
the independent Hygiene Corpora
ton of Pittsburgh to join State au-
thorities In analyzing the air over
Donora.
Numerous tests were made yester-
day and others were planned fol-
today. DIR. Shilen said he hoped to
have a report on the first tests this
afternoon.
Zinc Plant Is Closed.
But 1T is my guess he added
that we will not find anything
worthwhile. The greater part OF
the fog had passed by the time we
got into operation"
The Donora zinc works of Ameri-
can Steel & Wire closed and Plant
Supt. M. M. .Neale said they would
remain so until 1t was determined
whether the fumes and smoke given
of by the ismelter furnaces had any
thing to do with the conditions.
Some $50 of the 900 men en-
ployed at the zinc works were not
working.
The malady was no respecter OF
age, although the deaths were con-
fined to people in their middle SOS
and older. One doctor. said he
treated a 412-month-old baby and
a woman of IS.
Hit Cardiac Sufferers.
Rudolph Schwerha, member ot
the Donora Board Of Health, saic
so far as he knew all those who died
had been under a physicians care
previously. He added:
'The deaths seem to have hit
people who were suffering from
cardiac or asthmatic conditions
There's no doubt that smog was the
cause"
A doctor who asked that his name
not be used, said the symptoms in
all cases were the same. declaring
They complained of pains in the
chest and had q difficult time
breathing. We used three methods
OF treatment. They were injections
Of adrenalin, use of oxygen tents
ana doses of anti-hystaminic." He
explained the last drug used in asth-
matte cases.
Victims Died of Heart Failure.
! He said all victims died of heart
failure brought on by an over
worked heart, due to lack of oxygen.
With only two inhalators available
when the crisis struck, Donora fire.
men were credited with saving nu-
merous lives by improvising oxygen