Document jyB6jQpqQxojdMZJB6EK87x82

REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES R E G IST E R E D Deppe Motors C orporation 151 C H U R C H S T R E E T N E W Y O R K CITY, U. S. A. SU P E U lE A T E D G as E ngines P a t e n t s Is s u e d a n d P e n d in o v Received v eply * l * NNOOVV 11 - 1199224 f t NNUOV 11--11992244 * ) ^ U . S . PATENT O F F l & > . 1 *U n , Ut Mr. Hubert Work, "T ? * /, , AA ,, , r<? .<^Oct ober3BfA 13 24. I\ f vs-1 Secretary of the Interior, Washington, B.C. \\ Hear Mr. Work: CH?pr- r-URGEON '.rtcgibIVR'D NOV 1 - 1924 OKFIOTii OW lfflBKOl-iTABT. Please note attached copy of Hew York Times of today, showing the article entitled, "Bar Ethyl (asoline as 5th Victim Hies". Please particularly note that Mr. Midgle# al leges that the Bureau of Mines has been conducting tests Dn request of the General Motors Corporation and Standard Oil Co. of Hew Jersey, for ten months, and will issue a statement in a few days on the subject. I cannot express the shock such a claim by Mr. Midgley gives me, realizing the real facts as I do. The Bureau of Mines seems alive to the grave dangers to the public in C.O. poisoning as shown in their cir cular Ho. 2595, of April, 19 24, and I have commended their loyalty to the public as public servants in that C.O, phase of the fuel problem in gas engines. I do not know how to phrase language in polite terms strong enough, however, to tell you what I feel is the real nature of the Bureau's action as pliblic servants in keeping still for ten months about the danger of lead poisoning in the wide use of lead dopes in motor fuels. The mere suggestion to use such a dope is, in fact, too monstrous to consider in view of the strict regulation about the use. of lead compounds in face powders, food retainers, paints, etc Mr. Midgley claims 800,000 cars are already using this Ethyl Gas, and 10,000 filling stations are selling it. Hote my letter, as per copy herewith, to the Amer ican Chemical Society of April 9 1924. Mr. Midgley admits the lead comes out of the exhaust in form of invisible dust of lead bromide, while Hr. Burrell of the American Chemical Society in published articles, says it comes out as lead chlorides. REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES REGISTERED Deppe Mo tors C orporation 151 C H U R C H S T R E E T N E W Y O R K CITY, U. S. A. 656 SUPERHEATED G as Engines P a t e n t s Is s u e d a n d P e n d in g U. S. PATENT OFFICE #2 My contention is that lead compounds in any form taken into the human body are cumulative poisons, hence should he summarily prohibited as motor dopes regardless of alleged ad vantages in wet mixture engines, not equipped with proper car buret ting devices for the present fuels, as laid down in the Federal Oil Specifications, to which the Bureau of Mines is a party. Dr. Henderson of Yale says that C.O., so far as effeots on people inhaling are concerned, is comparable to an equiva lent amount of alcohol in toxic effect. Dow you allow the cumulative lead poison to be added to an already outrageous flood of poison gas in form of C.O. the basis for the German War Gases, as I recall it now. Some part of the 2,000 deaths and nearly 700,000 acci dents in a year on highways, as stated by Secretary Hoover, must be charged to the toxic effect of the exhaust poisons due to incomplete carburetion and lead dopes, in my opinion. Your Bureau of Mines is a party to the Federal Oil Specifications which consider only wet mixture engines like Ford's, and also limit laboratory tests to the Engler frac tional distillation tests, with incomplete vaporization. You refuse to consider the dry mixture engines with the equilibrium phase of complete vaporization, which I have fully explained to the Bureau of Standards and to which I have called the Bureau of Mine's attention without even getting an a eknowledgm ent. May I be pardoned if I ask you frankly now, does the Bureau of Mines exist for the benefit of Ford and the G.M, Cor poration and the Standard. Oil Co. of Dew Jersey, and other Oil Companies parties to the distribution of the Bthyl Bead Dopes, or i s the Bureau supposed to be for the public benefit and in protection of life and health? How can you attempt to justify the action of the Bur eau on this lead ope problem in the face of the disaster in the Standard Oil Go. of Dew Jersey works, and the admitted deaths and injury to health in the G. M. Dayton Works, also the Dupont Chemical Works? 1 REPRODUCED AT THE ; NATIONAL ARCHIVES ! REGISTEREO Deppe Motors C orporation 151XH U R C H STREET N EW Y O R K CITY. U. S. A. SUPERK.'ATED a a Hn o ik ii P a t e n t s Is s u e d a n o P e n d in o U. 8. PATENT OFFICE #3 Also, why does the Bureau allow the Joint Tests in Washington "between the Government Departments, the Oil and Motor Interests, to be limited to wet mixture engines only, and thus in effect, so far as the public is concerned, play into the hands of Ford, the G.M# and the Oil Companies and against public health and efficiency in use of fuels? lours sincerely, r