Document JrNN0bjdm51YyGXjrpJbwzaw6

N C O R P O R A T E D IN K E N T U C K Y May 5th, 1943 P L E A S E R E F E R TO FILE NO. JJH Re Colored laborer Birmingham Plant Dr. Robert A. Kehoe, College of Medicine, Univarsity of Cincinnati, Dden Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. Dear Dr. Kehoe: On receipt of your letter of May 4th, 1943 regarding the above, I discussed the matter further with our General Counsel, Mr. Chas. G.Middieton,and in view of the opinion expressed by you, it is his idea that we await further developments. However, if the occasion should arise, and we conclude to have an examination made, we will communicate further with you. thanking you for your attention to this, I am Yours very truly, JJH: CM J . Jos. Hettinger KG 0016311 May 4, 1945 Mr. J. Joseph Hettinger, Standard Oil Company, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky. , Lear Mr. Hettinger: I have your letter of April 29, concerning Mr. James A. Williams. I have looked over the information which you supplied me with your letter, and there is nothing in it Which in my point of view would justify any anxiety con cerning the likelihood that this man is suffering from lead poisoning. The certification of Lr. H. P. Hart is so vague as to "be without any real significance. The doctor says, "There is some lead line present." Just what he means by this is quite uncertain. No doubt he is referring to some sort of a blue line on the gums, but the fact that he says "some lead line" makes it very dubious that there is any such sign of lead absorption. He should know whether it i3 a lead line or not, and his vague manner of expres sion indicates rather strongly that he is not sure that it is a lead line or that there is any line there at all. Moreover, he concludes the sentence by the statement that the blood is negative; for stippled cells, a statement which would generally be accepted as a contradiction of the first portion of the sentence. There is no evidence in the infor mation given of any exposure to lead in the course of Williams* occupation over a period of years. In addition to this fact, no previous examiner referred to any occupa tional illness. For all of these reasons it seems to me there is very little point in our disturbing ourselves over the question of lead poisoning. Despite this fact, we should he quite willing to be of assistance to you in dealing with this case If you consider it necessary. There is no suggestion of any lead exposure on the part of this man to any product related to the business of the Ethyl Corporation, and therefore, I can see no reason for being concerned, with it in my capacity as medical director of the Ethyl Corporation. On the other hand, as you doubtless know, we in this Labora tory have been concerned with the general problem of industrial lead exposure and we have engaged in the rather extensive study of cases of lead poisoning. Consequently, if we can be of any service to you, we would not hesitate to make the effort. Two courses of action suggest themselves as possibilities. If "Williams is able to come to Cincinnati, I should be glad to K" 0016312 k,Mr. J. Joseph Hettinger - (2) - M&y 19^3 - see that he Is examined and to see that yon are provided vith a report of our findings . This would he the simplest vay of handling the matter, and any arrangement you may wish to make to that end will he entirely satisfactory. The other possi bility is that we might assist present physician by writing to him and by offering our services for the examina tion of his blood and the analysis of samples of blood and trine. I am perfectly willing to do this and will await your advice* I see no present reason for your coming to Cincinnati to dis cuss the ease, although if you should wish to come for any reason, I should be glad to see you and give you any advice or information that would seem to be p e r t i n e n t . .. . Very truly yours, \Si EAK ef Soo'ert X T Aehoe ^"^. I) K E 0016313 FOB I N C O R P O R A T E D IN K E N T U C K Y APRIL 29th, 1943 O P L E A S E R E F E R TO FILE NO. JJE Re > colored Laborer Birmingham, Ala. Plant -- Dr .Robert A. Kehoe, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio. . . Bear Sir: Per your information, I attach hereto a copy of my complete file regarding the above'. Our employment records indicate that James A. `illiams is 49 years old - the date of his birth being February 29th, 1894. In view of^th^^act that Dr. Hart stated in his report of April 15th, 1943 that f l U m f e - has some evidence of lead poisoning, we thought it advisable to refer the matter to you, thinking that possible you would care to have a thorough examination of Williams made, and at the same time,we should like to be prepared in the event Williams should die in the near future and claim made against our Company on the S r o u n d s | n p m ^ suffered lead poisoning and that condition caused his death. As you will observe from the letteroj^oimrD-yrfcr^t Manager, M r . L. S. Williams, under date April 8th, at that time was living at 105 Tremount Street, s^T^iassilon, Ohio, and we assume he i s 'still located there. It was the writer's intention to personally call and discuss the matter with you with, a view of either having Williams come to Cin cinnati or possibly you could arrange to have one cf your assistants examine him at Massilon, or possibly arrange to have some other member of your medical staff, near Massilon, make such examination. At any rate, we should like to have a copy of the doctor's report covering his examination so that we will have definite information as to the cause of Williams' trouble and be prepared in the event claim is made in the future on the grounds that lead poisoning either caused his condition, or, if death ensues, that lead poisoning was the cause thereof. . 0016314 #2 - Dr. Robert A. Eehoe, etc* April 29, 1943 If you desire that the writer call on you, I shall be glad to do so and w e c ^ r ^ h e n make such arrangements as you deem proper toward h a v i n g ^ J ( B H B | t h o r o u g h l y examined. To that end, I would appreciate it if yoi would be kind enough to advise if you desire to have me call ^r^roi^or if jrou deem that unnecessary, if you wall arrange to have thoroughly examined and furnish me with a copy of the doctor^s report. I can arrange to come to see you at any time it is convenient for you. Very truly yours, JJH: CM Encs. / J. Jos. Hettinger 0016315 St a n d a r d Oil , Co m pa n y IN CORPORATED IN KENTUCKY O ,,L Inter O ffice Correspondence Y 's. billiaips, B. K. Birmingham, Ala. April 26, 1943 L O C A T IO N t TO E. Smith, Pres., Louisville, Ky. L O C A T IO N FILE NO. FILE NO. DEPT. SU B JE C T DICTATED BY LSW ,Colored Laborer rmingEara Plant This will acknowledge yours of April 22, file JJH. The title of "laborer" does not describe the duties regularly performed by this employee for many years past. He is one of two negroes who have been used for years, prior to the writer's incumbency, to unload all tank cars received on our Birmingham siding, and I since the transfer of kerosene and gasoline has been switched frail tank car to tank truck, Williams' duties have called for his operation of the pumps used in unloading those trucks, al t" though the hose connection from the trucks to the suction stub is made by the drivers. Also, the lengthening of our -work week made necessary the addition of a man as unloader, and we put a white man on this job, staggering his time with that of the negroes, with the idea that sooner or later the risk of resting the responsibility of unloading tank cars on negroes would be switched to white persons to give us more security. As f a r as any one can recall, the only e x p o s u r e f | M M B | ^ has had with a storage tank which had contained leaded gasoline was- some eight or more years ago while Hr. S.C .Anderson was in Alabama. I am told by ITr. Hurley that when we were cleaning a storage tank here a workman by the name of Johnson very indiscreetly got into the tank and very promptly was overcome. Williams looked into the tank thru the side manhole and saw Johnson lying down. He undertook to go in after him but Williams is a big man, and he got wedged in the manhole ring from which other employees removed him; then, of course, took care of Johnson. This vi 11 give you an understanding of H f l H H ^ x p o s u r e to leaded products, both in performance of Uru^regular duty and in the one case of emergency. It might be stated that the receipt of gasoline by tank truck which has been true since about the middle of last summer exposes him less than when he was handling the entire hook-up and discharge of similar products received in tank cars. ' C 0 p Y k" 0016316 Home Office April 22nd, 191-3 BIEL'X'IGHAK, AlABhilA LSW JJH JJH Referring to recent correspondence which you have had with Hr. Cocks regarding the above. 'Chile I note 't h a t . f l R H H H P was most recently employed as a laborer, I wish yot^wouwl advise me in detail the extent of his exposure to beaded gasoline; also whether he at %iy time, par ticularly a short time before his recent ailment, was engaged in cleaning the inside of any storage tanks which contained gasoline and if so, whether he at all times was provided with the required gas mask and other facilities to be used when so engaged. I wish you would let me have this information as promptly as possible because it is my purpose to contact Dr .Tiehoe , the Ethyl Gasoline physician at Cincinnati, Ohio, and possibly Williams himself at I'assilon, Ohio, with a view/ of having him thoroughly examined by Dr.Kehoe. K E 0016317 C 0 p Y St a n d a r d Oi l Co m pa n y INCORPORATED IN KENTUCKY Inter O ffice Correspondence 0 Y DICTATED BY ain iflwflj Ti. t Birmingham, Ala, A pril 1.9, 1943 L O C A T IO N OATE Cocks, Secretary and. Treasurer, Louisville, Ky. L O C A T IO N FILE NO. _____ .LSW FILE NO. DEPT. SUBJECT LSW Colored Laborer, B irrai righe Plant In further reference to the above your file C-62, Williams' recent disability started on Monday, January 25, and his ninety cay waiting period for annuity will expire April 25, a m we will make no more deductions for annuity from his disability checks after that date. I am attaching copy of a letter received from Dr.H.P. Hart who I mentioned previously was attending ! in Mas si Ion, Ohio. Please note the reference to the p resenc^or lead lime in the blood test. Unquestionably this has come about by the doctor interrogating "illiams as to the nature of his duties, and the doctor's attempts to get some history which might justify his findings, it does not seem reasonable to us that neither our Birmingham doctor.nor the Veterans' Hospital at Tuskegee would fail to discover this condition, if it existed, and had any significance. We also have another letter from f l H H W in which, he only says he is unable to work. I am dropping him a short hote telling him that we wall continue his pay in accordance with the disability plan and also will continue his free, and con tributory insurance in effect and that his annuity will be held in suspense until he returns to work. en.cll. C 0 p 0016318 '\ \ \` X- D r . H . P . Hart 501 Ohio Merchants Bldg Massilon, Ohio c 1 April 15, 1943 To Whom It May Concern: This is to certify that _____ _ _ _ is under my care. He is suffering from gastritis and has some evidence of lead poisoning. There Is some lead line present but the blood is negative for stippled cells. He is unable to perform the duties of his occupation. copy H.P. Hart, M. D. C 0 p Y WIT 0016319 Cocks, Secy. & Treas. Home Office April 9, 1943 0 - 6 2 IL williams ,B . LI., Birmingham, Al a. LSW colored laborer Birmingham Plant I have your letter of April Sth with additional information concerning the conditionof this employee. There appears to be no question that Williams is seriously ill, and under the circumstances is entitled to the application of the Disability & Relief Plan and his case should be handled strictly in accordance therewith. His length of service with the company entitled him to receive twelve months payment at full salary, should he be away from work that long. Please keep us advised of any general information you may obtain regarding him, and furbish us with doctor's reports from time to time whenever they can he obtained. You may inform this employe that his free group insurance will be kept in full force and effect, and.you should deduct as usual for his contributory group insurance premium. If he is absent from work as long as ninety days, his annuity will be placed in suspense at the end of that period. 0016320 C 0 p Y Standard Oil Company INCORPORATED IN KENTUCKY Williams,P;, M. Birmingham, Alabama, April 8, 1943 " 'L O C A T IO N 'D A TE jl^F.C o c k s , Secretary & Treasuia, Louisville, Ky.______ FILE NO. Inter O ffice Correspondence 0 LSW DICTATED BY LSW SU B JE C T Colored. Laborer, Birmingham Plant Since the receipt of your letter of March 29th, file DFC, regarding the above, I have received two letters from this employee under address 105 Lremou^t Street,S.W. Massilon, Ohio, in the first one of v-rh i c h J H ( B ( | s_tated that he has had a very bad nervous attack and i s u n d e r t h e care of Dr. H.P. Hart. The doctorsupplies a statement to the effect that he i s attending f f H H V and that he is unaole to perform the duties of his occupatior^rnxs morning I received a second letter from Williams to- the effect that he is not doing so well and is continuing under the doctor's care but will let us know how he gets along. A few minutes after receiving that communication, Dr. Charles Watterson, 'whom I mentioned in letter of March 26th, telephoned me to: saythat^ie has a report from the Veterans' Hospital, Tuskegee abput and that although he is not supposed, to communicate its icxntertcsto any but the patient, he read the report to me on the 'phone, volunteered the statement that Williams isnot right either mentally or physically, and that he will not be a fit applicant for any work in future. The report as I copied it down gives the following as Williams' affliction: #1 - Hypertensive coronary arteriosclerotic heart disease with valvular damage if2 - Arthritis hypertrophic multiple f 3 - Osteoarthritis lumber spine From the above it would appear that vie have rather a serious case on hand. How Wi] H a m s got to Massilon, Ohio, I do not know/. When talking with Vnlliams, he expressed a desire tto go to the Veterans' Hospital in Detroit which several of our negroes have visited in times past but contended that he had no money to get there and the hext we hear is his letter from Massilon, 0hio._ I see nothing to d.o at the moment except to await developments. This will be done and you will be advised of anything of interest. `1 C 0 p Y 00163-21 s t a n d a r d Oil Co m pa n y IN CO RPO RA TED IN KENTUCKY h.F- Cocks. Sectv-Treas . Home Office _ March 29. 19A3 DATE FILE NO. DFC f?S. Williams,D.M, Birraingham,A 1abama : LSW S U B JE C T DICTATED BY DFC :v Colored Laborer I have read with interest your letter of March 26. If this employe returns to work and is able to work, and then decides to resign and get a job, I see nothing that you can do but let him go. I would suggest that you have your Plant Superintendent tell him that if he isn't satisfied to take off a day or W o and see if he can find a better job. I don't believe that you are going to run into any trouble if because of conditions you have to, and did, employ a white man to supervise the work and assign him to a night shift. On the other hand, it may be that if you re-assign him to a day shift he may be satisfied, but frankljr, I see no reason why we should run into any trouble if he decides to quit and leave us. We had a good many very aggravating cases under the old Insurance Disability Clause which was discontinued some years ago, but that situation shouldn't occur now. C 0 p *Y K 0016322 N19264.09 FROM c S t a n d a r d O i l Co m p a n y o_ INCORPORATED IN KENTUCKY Y Inter O ffice Correspondence d ic t a t e d b y L. S .Williams, D. M,., Birmingham,Ala. M arch 26, 1943 LSW ' L O C A T IO N P.F. 'Gocks, .Secretary, Louisville, Ky. L O C A T IO N DATE FILE NO. FILE NO. SU B JE C T Colored Laborer, Birmingham, A M .YPlant The above was employed January 17th,1919 and has been on the payroll continuously since that time, which'gives him 2U full- years of service. A few weeks, ago..will'isms was taken ill and being a, veteran of tie last T?Br, he went to the hospital at Tuskegee for examination. They kept him there some 12 days, made various tests, took X-ray pictures, gave .him no medicine or treatment, end would not tell him what was the mat ter, so he got disgusted and returned to Birmingham. He is under the care of Br. QharlesJVattgxson, a white physician. Dr. Watterson is the one who s e n t T u s k e g e e but even h ^ ^ y m a b l e . to get any report from the. Tuskegee authorities regarding ^ f m ^ ' c a s e . However, Br. Watterson tells us that he is not a well man. Be seems to be nervous, cannot sleep and has hallucinations but on certain days, feels very well and normal. Sometime ago in the interest of better operation, we put a white man in charge of unloading tank cars. You probably will reeallfor years this duty has been delegated to negroes exclsively at this plant, and when our tank cars began slipping away and the receipt of stock was by truck at all hours of the cay and night and we began to handlemcre specialized commodities, w e made an addition to our unloading organi zation by adding; thlvS. w hite man. Of course, somebody had to take tin night shifts. ; - f l H H H B g o t one of those and he has the impression, (erroneously I^amsnre; that some one in our organization is gunning for him. Having done nothing in the last five -weeks, undoubtedly he has brooded over his own condition and also what he thinks is injus tice at the plant, so he now wants to resign, saying that he feels his wTork has not been satisfactory but he can get a job in a.war plant and make more than the $105 we are paying him and which he needs because of a large family. All of this doesn't make sense but I am writing it to you for the reason I was informed that some years ago an employee here resigned and subsequently proved he was in ill health when he did so, and the reaction was urfbvorable and costly. I got it that the insurance company was obliged to pay a claim, possibly when we -still had the total disability clause in our group contract. I have talked to myself this morning and endeavored to show him that he is not being treated unjustly, that the conditions of which he complains are the result of the -war, that he would make a mistake to resign and give up all the service he has had with the company to chase a war DoJ^^^^^urther, that as Dr. etterson says, he is not a well man, he p j U P H V could hardly be expected to render better service in a v s r p x a n t r o r somebody else than he could render for us. I have told him we do not care to accept his resignation until he can get a statement from the Veterans' Hospital or his doctor or both, stating he is in good physical condition and here is where the matter rests. D r . Watterson is writing Veterans' Hospital ivm again today and has promised to tell us what he learns. As yet we have not pushed him for his detailed opinion of condition, thinking it would he better to approach that subject after he receives the hospital report, if indeed he is able to secure it. Jlth^dcvre are treading on dangerous ground by forthwith releasing 'H H j P J ^ v e n on inis viritten request, and am undertaking to get t h e r a c t s and conditions in some safe shape before any actual decision is made. If you have any comment regarding this report or suggestion for our guidance, it m i l be .appreciated. C 0 ? xr j. K E 0016324