RECENT POISONING CASE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 May 1906, Page 1

RECENT POISONING CASE.

[BY ELECTKIC TELEGRAPH.] [PEE PRESS ASSOCIATION.] DUNEDIN, May 16. The inquest touching the death of Alexander McKay, who, with J. G. Anderson, was a victim of acid poisoning at the Alilbutn lime and cement works while engaged degalvanisiiig wire, was concluded to-day. Frank Oakden, general manager of the works, in cross-examination, said he had no theory to suggest as to the presence of the weed exterminator "Havoc in tho mixture. Ho thought it absurd to suggest that 390 z of arsenic came out of the wood of a cask. Frank McKay Allen, works manager, in the course of his evidence said that ho told McKay to take an oil cask for tho mixture for degalvanisiiig. When the last lot of "Havoc" was made in February of last year he told McKay to work up all the loose arsenic, clean up the placo thoroughly, and destroy the cask used for tho "Havoc." Ho believed the instructions wore carried out; if tho cask had not been destroyed, ho did not know what became of it. McKay was a careful and intelligent man., George Thomson, analytical chemist, gave evidence that tho degalvanising process was quite harmless wherever conducted, and there was no need for an expert being present. If a cask was used for cooling the Havoc and subsequently muriatic acid put into it, ho vyould expect to find a small quantity of arsenic; but it would be imDOssible for such a quantity as 39 oz to dissolve out of the wood. The jury' returned the following verdict :—Archibald McKay met his death from inhaling fumes of arsenuroted hydrogen, which, in the opinion of the jury, was generated through mixing a solution of muriatic acid and water in a cask that had been previously used to mx Havoc, a compound known to contan orsflnici