Document 5Govap7bv4pEpMkmr4p5GmYR

it* ' m m m moehihg news SEPTEMB1S 6, 1936 CLOSE SCROTINT OF FOGS PATIENTS Being Sept on Them by lectors is Bare Disease THESE MSN HA?! DIED Disease Followed Visit Into Hugh Empty Tank Four of seven sen who set out to clean corrosive substances from the botjtoa of a vast gasoline tank on the Savannah river less than a fortnight ago arej no under the most close, constant and expert medical observation and care in local hospitals to avert development of a dangerous disease, so rare as to be unknown is medical annals of this section The other three are dead* oint funeral s e r v i c ^ ^ ^ l a n n e d this afternoon f o r ^ J ( P P P a n d ___ \ brothers, f l H H H H r the third victim, this afternoon rill grave alone. All three were colored. Brown*s rife survives. The were single* Their mother lives* The lone white man in the case, rifeht. The same holds true for the other xxo, and a brother to the two dead men of that name*"'Nevertheless, a dally vigil is kept in the four cases* Doctors have refused them discharges from hospitalisation* The disease against which the medical men guard is tetraethyl lead poi soning, product of an industrial and chemical age. Mixed in gasoline to provide an anti-knock agent which works with excellent results in automobile and airplane motors, it has no danger in that form. The proportion is too minute. Breathed into the lungs as a dust, it is quite dangerous. The Standard Oil Company, which employed the sen to do the cleaning job, not only has provided the vest care possible locally to aid the men, as well as helped their families, but has had a specialist in such a ease sake an air plane trip here fro Cincinnati* For that matter, it has long taken elaborate precautions to prevent such things from happening. And it has had no such trouble here before* A frank account of the matter was given to the Morning News by Herbert deans, Savannah agent of the Standard Oil Company, when approached for the facts last night. Oil tank corrosion, Mr. Coons explained, is almost inevitable because of a particular precaution taken against fire. To gaurd against this danger, water is placed in the tanks, and since it will not mix with the gasoline, it quickly settled to the tank bottom. Naturally, this causes rust. There are many other factors which cause Corrosive substances to gather on the tank bottom, too* .. The particular tank which had to be cleaned is a large one, capable of holding over 1,500,000 gallons of gasoline. It stands near the river, and is load- - 2- mS directly fre* tankers which come into port* Although the tankers* vats are Sga n e d thoroughly after each cargo is unloaded, still corrosive substances get in the reservoir tanks. 1 fact, there has been an uausual t m i m t of this her, end th company has been, taken steps to solve this* . About two weeks ago the superintendent of the plant informed Mr* Coons that the is the case was leaking and that it Showed evidences of rusting* To prepare for the customary cleaning work the same strict care was taken to pro tect the workmen as has proved completely effective in the past* The tank was first pumped dry* It was then thoroughly steamed at a M g h temperature for a full ninety-six hours* The last precautionary save was to air the tank for over.forty hours. So danger was indicated from past experience or company research. L & $ * I The sen went into the tank which was open so that fresh air filled itf and performed their work just as it is normally done. The next day Mr* Kitchens reported he felt sick. The company provided his with the finest of medical aid, and this doctor ordered him to & hospital right away. It was not long before the colored men reported they were ill. The company had them placed in a special ward in an unexcelled local hospital. Despite these things, and the flying t r i p h e r ^ o f theCinctonati special ist, 4 i B B I H i f l ^ 0 f e d i e d Thursday. His brother , end followed Friday. Although t h e .surviving men seemed so well^they a s k e d x o ! ^ 5 ^ i t a l dis charges, their doctor ordered them to remain in these institutions. And the watch goes on* r.