"HOW DID ANDREE DIE ? "
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]
Sin,—The well reasoned suggestion as to the cause of the death of Andree and Fraenkel in your issue of February 7th seems to dispose finally of any mystery, and, since stoves of the " Primus " type were of recent introduction at that time, to clear the explorers of blame for want of foresight. On one point, hoWever, the writer of the article is probably mistaken. The gas responsible for the mis- adventure to his own party would seem to have been carbon dioxide and not carbon monoxide, and, for the same reasons, the dioxide would be much more likely to have been the cause of Andree's death than the monoxide.
The density of the monoxide is practically the same as that of air ; so that it would be uniformly diffused throughout the air of the hut, and Mr. Stefansson himself would have been just as likely to be affected as the others, in spite of his position farther from the ground. Carbon dioxide is much denser than air and, being cooled by the snow walls and roof of the hut, would form a layer on the cold floor much more readily than it would in an ordinary building in a warmer climate. The monoxide might be present in minute quantity in the products of combustion of the stove if the flame were very strongly cooled by causing it to impinge on a very cold surface, but the amount would even then be practically negligible as the stove is designed to give very complete combustion, air being mixed with the vaporized oil in the burner. Carbon dioxide is formed by the flame in considerable quantity. The charcoal brazier- and the internal combustion engine are totally different as the com- bustion in these is often far from complete and large amounts of the monoxide are produced. The physiological effect described also suggests the dioxide, as recovery was effected fairly rapidly by breathing fresh air, while collapse from carbon monoxide poisoning is much more serious—artificial respiration, oxygen inhalation and protection from cold air being indicated.—I am, Sir, &c., E. R. MARLE. Upper Halliford, Middlesex.
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