Arsenic Poisoning.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 8190, 16 May 1906, Page 5

Arsenic Poisoning.

A Peculiar Fatality. (Per Press Association.) DUNEDIN, May 15. The inquest touching the death of Archibald McKay, one of the employees of the Milburn Lime and Cement Co., who died from inhaling poisonous fumes, was continued to-day. The medical evidence was to the effect that the symptoms and condition, found at the postmortem, corresponded to arsenuretted hydrogen poisoning.

Dr Black, professor of chemistry, who ;onducted the analysis, said he found irspnic in the liver, lungs, kidneys, spleen, bladder and stomach, and in four different liquids. Dr Black's evidence went to show that the men who were engaged in dipping wire in muriadic acid to remove galvanism and had probably added in mistake some weed exterminator called " Havoc " which was in a drum near where they were working, and which contained a considerable quantity of arsenic, or the caek they were using had been previously used for making this weed exterminator and the wood of the cask had absorbed the arsenic. 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 muriadic acid not having had time to liberate the arsenic absorbed by the wood.

The foreman of the cement works, in evidence, could not say definitely whether the cask had been used previously to mako up any mixture. The inquest stands adjourned till tomorrow. DUNEDIN. This Day. The inquest on McKay, one of the victims of the poisoning at theMilbum Lime and Cement works, was continued to day. Frank Oakden, general manager of the Company was the principal witness, and was subjected to a searching cross-examination by Mr Solomon representing the deceased's relatives, with a view of showing that the casl-c. which was previously used for havoc was used, by McKay and Anderson, the other deceased, for degalvanizing.