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

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