CHEMISTS AID POLICE
TRACKING ERRING MOTORISTS. How the analysts in the Dominion Laboratory assist the police in tracking erring motorists is revealed in a paiagraph in the annual report of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. In a- "hit and run" case minute green patches on two overcoat buttons of the deceased, and a dull streak on the mudguard of the accused's motor truck were submitted for examination.. It was shown that the green patches on the buttons corresponded with the green paint on a bent bar of the truck. Scrapings from a number of points of the dull streak on the mudguard all gave the characteristic smell of burning rubber, when carefully heated over a small flame. No similar smell was observed with scrapings from any other part of the mudguard.
Smears were then made on the mudguard with the rubber grip of the deceased motor-cycle handle and. scrapings from these all gave the smell of burning rubber when heated. It was found, however, that after a period of three weeks no such smell could be obtained from these or the original smear. This was probably due to oxidation changes in very thin deposits of rubber. It was therefore concluded that the original smear could not have been more than three weeks old when first examined.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/KCC19371110.2.8
Bibliographic details
King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 4567, 10 November 1937, Page 2
Word Count
218CHEMISTS AID POLICE King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXI, Issue 4567, 10 November 1937, Page 2
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