POISONOUS HOLDS AND STORE-ROOMS. A serious accident occurred on tlie 16th of June last on board the steamer Clan Macintosh, which resulted in the death of five men, the
chief officer, chief steward, butler, saloon and a fireman. The circumstances of the
by official enquiry in Calcutta
on
were as
the
follows
cases as
arrival
boy,
ascertained
of the vessel
:?
It appears that there is a store-room at the stern of this vessel, which is divided into an
upper and lower compartment
by
a
deck.
The
lower store-room is entered from the upper
by
a
hatch, which
is three feet wide, and provided with a grating which constitutes the only means of ventilation. This compartment is situated behind the collision bulkhead and just over the tunnel which transmits the shaft of the screw. upper .store-room is provided with ventilaa double hatch. and The evidence indicates tion The
few
days before the catastrophe a lot of fodder (hay) which had been kept on deck in one of the sheep pens was, owing to heavy that
a
weather, put into the lower store-room, also contained some bags of grain, paddy,
which gram,
POISONOUS HOLDS AND STORE-ROOMS.
Aug., 1888.]
barley,
This fodder
&c.
have
may
wet
got
243
poisonous gas which accumulated in
this
chamber,
to conclude
that it was removed below ; but there was no there is every reason condition the of the stores? damp evidence to show whether these articles had generated by and that the and grain?contained therein, actually become damp, because the lower store- hay before it
was
flooded with water after the bodies accumulation of the gas in quantity and density There was no leak into sufficient to poison five men was due to imperfect had been recovered. the store-room, but a leak was discovered close ventilation. was
room
b}r,
and
that
one
of the witnesses
leakage
thought it possible place into the
The lessons
may have taken
room.
conveyed by
this
very painful very obvious, namely,- constant attenthe condition of such material and better
case are
tion
to
of holds and observed about the arrangements for the ventilation store-rooms. place for a few days previous to the accident, and this was traced to the ventilators of the The experience is by no means unique. Some The steward down store-room. An
unpleasant smell
upper the previous was
was
had been
day
described
with as
a
The smell years ago
disinfectant.
a
smell of bilo-e and ?
plainly perceived coming
was
the hatch-
through
a
ship
a
buoy
in the
a
leak,
was
loaded with rice collided with
Hooghly, and, having sprung On docking her, it became necessary to discharge the damaged beached.
ways when the bodies were being hauled up, and coolies were sent down into the hold and one of the survivors, who had been into the cargo, for that purpose. Several of these were suffolower room, stated that it became stronger and cated the by poisonous gases which had been more unpleasant as he descended. It was the wet off rice, and died before they given by probably this smell that induced the chief could be on deck. The storing of damp brought
steward, accompanied by three firemen, the lower store-room.
They
were
to
visit
observed
to
fall down, and several of the officers and crew descended into the hatchway for
promptly
the purpose of bringing them up. The light which they carried went out, and they speedily became insensible. Of 13 persons who entered the lower store-room 8 revived on
deck.
recovered for two hours and were, life
ship
on
being brought
remaining five bodies
The
extinct.
were
a
half,and
The
were
when
Surgeon
not
they
of the
Gibbard, M.R.C.S., was in rendered every aid in his power.
Mr. TnoMAS
attendance, and deposed that
He
the five
men
died of
asphyxia,
and that the eight who recovered suffered from symptoms of asphyxia. He thought this was
due to a'mixture of carburetted
hydrogen gas Pedler, Professor of Chemistry in the Presidency College, was examined as an expert, and stated it as his opinion that wet hay or rice or grain might, under a high temperature, undergo fermentation and produce carbonic acid gas, and that this gas and earbonic oxide.
Mr.
would gravitate and remaiu in Whatever was the
chamber.
an
unveutilated
nature
of
the
damaged grains in close chambers is evidently exceedingly dangerous proceeding, and such material ought to be discharged or destroyed ruthlessly and without delay. and
an