18 Prof. Daniel 1 on Sulphuretted Hydrogen in Sea Water. 



in minor degrees. The mud of the river Thames may surely 

 produce the same decompositions of the sulphates in the sea 

 water as that which we have traced in other places. I find 

 that there is a prevalent idea, which deserves investigation, 

 that the ships in the Medway are liable to greater waste of 

 their copper than those at Woolwich, or other places on the 

 Thames. 



"Within the past week I have seen in the number of Liebig's 

 Annalen for January last, that Dr. Clemm examined some 

 water taken up in December 1839, in the open sea off Bar- 

 mouth, North Wales; also from Aberystwyth and Tenby in 

 South Wales ; and he observes, " In some of the bottles from 

 the English coast the large proportion of sulphuretted hydro- 

 gen was very striking : both in smell and taste it was con- 

 verted into a strong sulphurous water." He seems to think 

 that the accidental presence of some of the sealing-wax with 

 which the bottles were closed, may have had something to do 

 with the generation of the gas. 



By the kindness of Sir Isambard Brunei, I have been favoured 

 with the particulars of a very remarkable phenomenon of this 

 kind, which attended the progress of the Thames Tunnel, and 

 which proved of great annoyance, and was the cause of great 

 suffering to some of the workmen. This was the evolution of 

 great quantities of carburetted hydrogen mixed with sulphu- 

 retted hydrogen gases. In 1887 the smell was extremely foetid. 

 " It frequently rushed out from between the small boards of 

 the shield, used to scour the ground with great force, bursting 

 into a flame, which sometimes extended over some feet, and 

 was generally accompanied by a loud roaring or hissing noise." 



In 1838, the sulphuretted hydrogen was unaccompanied by 

 the great quantity of carburetted hydrogen with which it had 

 been previously mixed, but its effects upon the men were very 

 severe, producing sickness, giddiness and fainting, pains in 

 the head, and in one case delirium. 



The source of this enormous production of gas may proba- 

 bly have been the deposits of animal and vegetable matters in 

 the mud of the river, acting however by the sulphates, which 

 are contained in the former, in a manner perfectly similar to 

 that which we have traced to the sulphates in the sea water. 



And here again it may be asked, as with regard to the in- 

 jurious effects of sulphuretted hydrogen upon the copper of 

 ships, can science indicate a remedy, as well as point to the 

 cause of the disease? And again I would reply, that by fur- 

 nishing an easy method of detecting the evil, she furnishes 

 you with timely warning to fly from the infected regions. No 

 vessel should be allowed to cast anchor or linger in sulphu- 



