POISONOUS FUMES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1750, 16 May 1906, Page 2

POISONOUS FUMES.

.'(Par Press Association.)

Dunedin, last night. The inquest was resumed to-day on Archibald McKay, who, with a fellow worker named Anderson, died from the effects of poisoning at the cement works. McKay’s wife said he told her he had , bean mixing some acid in a cask, burning'’ 1 ' the z'iqc off wire netting, and had inhaled the fumes.

Dr Evans was of the opinion that death was due to poison circulating in the blood

as the primary cause. Dr Roberts, pathologist to the Danedin Hospital, said he performed a post mortem examination on the body of the late John Gilman Anderson. The examination was made, not by order of the Court, but as a matter of scientific interest, The functions of the kidneys had been a'most entirely abolished, and that would lead to death from secondary poisom'og of the Bystem. Professor Black stated that he had examined certain bottles for a post mortem. They contained different parts of the body. He found arsenic in the liver,

lungs, kidneys, and in four different liquors. He found arsenic in everything he locked for it in. Later.—The medical evidence was to

the effect that the symptoms and conditions found on post mortem corresponded to arseurettes hydrogen poisoning. Dr. Black, Professor of Chemistry, who conducted the analysis, said he found arsenic in the liver, lungs, kidneys, spleen, bladder, stomach, and in four different liquids, He found it in all samples. The tendenoy of Dr. Black’s evidence wenHtP show that the meD, who were engaged dipping wire in muriatic acid to remove the galvanism, had probably added in mistake some weed exterminator -named " Havoc,” whioh was in a drum near where they were woiking, and which contained a considerable quantity of arsenio, or the cask they were using bad beeD previously used for making this weed exterminator, and the wood in the cask -had absorbed arsenio. Assuming the latter theory was correct the fact of the men having used the same cask ten days previously without any injury would probably be due to the muriatie aoid not having had time to liberate the arsenio absorbed

by the wood. The foreman of the oemsnt works in evidence could not say definitely whether tbe oa s lc had been used previously to make up any mixture.

The inquost stands adjourned until to* morrow.