368  WHOLESALE  LEAD  POISONING. 
the  surface  of  the  stone,  it  was  hammered  down  level.  They  were 
then  adjusted,  the  grain  was  run  in,  and  the  motion  began  and  was 
gradually  increased,  until  a  very  high  rate  of  speed  was  attained. 
Of  course,  the  attrition  caused  by  this  velocity  detached  particles 
of  lead  from  the  stone,  and  mingled  them  almost  imperceptibly 
with  the  flour.  ,  Each  moment  increased  the  amount,  so  that  to 
every  pound  of  flour  there  was  enough  lead  imparted  to  make 
small  buckshot.  With  the  enormous  business  of  Mr.  Marsh,  the 
reader  can  imagine  how  much  lead  was  being  distributed  through- 
out the  surrounding  country,  to  be  absorbed  into  the  systems  of 
those  who  partook  of  the  flour. 
The  lead  in  this  form  was  comparatively  harmless,  but  when 
fermented  and  subjected  to  the  baking  process,  it  was  imme- 
diately transformed  into  carbonate  of  lead — the  deadliest  of  all 
lead  poisons.  Bread  of  this  kind  was  but  little  better  than 
bread  spread  with  white  lead  as  a  substitute  for  butter. 
Were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  the  lead  was  taken  in  such  large 
quantities  as  to  produce  a  counter  state  of  action,  hundreds 
would  have  died  before  the  cause  could  be  discovered. 
As  soon  as  it  became  apparent  that  the  disease  sprang  from 
the  bread  of  which  the  sufferers  had  partaken,  Dr.  Darrance 
and  Mr.  King,  a  very  skilful  chemist  of  Middleton,  at  once 
determined  to  analyze  the  flour.  Samples  were  procured,  and 
to  their  astonishment  they  found  that  the  lead  could  be  dis- 
cerned with  the  naked  eye.  Next,  a  microscope  revealed  it 
beyond  a  doubt,  and,  as  a  still  further  proof,  it  was  subjected  to 
some  six  standard  tests,  each  one  showing  the  presence  of  lead 
in  large  quantities.  After  these  tests,  all  the  flour  which  had 
come  from  Marsh's  mill,  was  immediately  returned  to  him,  and 
the  mill  ceased  running ;  but  the  mischief  was  already  done,  the 
seed  had  been  sown,  and  the  fruit  was  coming  forth  at  an 
alarming  rate ;  the  young  and  old  were  stricken  down,  those 
who  were  afflicted  with  any  chronic  disease  being  the  greatest 
sufferers.  Of  course,  a  panic  was  the  result,  and  the  doctors 
were  kept  busy  day  and  night.  I  do  not  care,  to  pain  your 
readers  with  a  recital  of  the  terrible  agonies  endured  by  these 
unfortunate  people,  but  the  scene  throughout  a  radius  of  from 
20  to  30  miles  of  the  country  were  truly  heart-rending.  Only 
