Asbestos Timeline: The 1930s

Key documents

March 24, 1930. A British government report by Merewether and Price finds lung fibrosis in about one in four asbestos workers examined, rising with years of exposure. Read it
July 15, 1931. Dr. Lanza of Metropolitan Life urges J-M to examine all workers, says asbestosis should be compensable to protect the industry, and reports masks ineffective. Read it
February 12, 1932. X-rays of Manville plant workers read by a federal doctor show widespread lung disease; J-M asks that the results be kept confidential and out of the lawsuits. Read it
April 24, 1933. Johns-Manville's board authorizes settling eleven asbestosis suits by former workers if their lawyer promises to bring no new cases. Read it
August 29, 1933. Dr. Lanza tells J-M he doubts warning posters are justified, "especially" given "the extraordinary legal situation." Read it
December 1933. Tubercle prints the second part of Merewether's asbestosis memorandum: even a short, heavy exposure can cause fatal fibrosis years later. Read it
December 29, 1933. J-M and Raybestos-Manhattan agree to have Metropolitan Life survey their plants, keep the results confidential, and seek an expert for court work. Read it
1934. Waukegan plant laborer Tony Yakobich sues Johns-Manville over asbestos and magnesia dust; J-M removes the case to federal court with Royal Indemnity as surety. Read it
December 10, 1934. Vandiver Brown asks Dr. Lanza to restore passages of the Metropolitan Life report that were "favorable to the industry." Read it
December 15, 1934. J-M's outside counsel seeks changes to Lanza's report, citing J-M's defense that medical knowledge was insufficient "until a very recent period." Read it
December 21, 1934. Vandiver Brown returns Metropolitan Life's galley proof to Dr. Lanza with J-M's requested changes, asking that unfavorable findings not appear in "darker tones." Read it
January 4, 1935. Metropolitan Life's study of U.S. asbestos plants is published, finding asbestosis in over half of 126 workers X-rayed and urging dust control and regular X-rays. Read it
January 18, 1935. Vandiver Brown reports on the Mellon Institute dust symposium, where industries agree to seek joint action on dust disease claims and compensation laws. Read it
May 20, 1935. Vandiver Brown tells Otto Binder, working with Metropolitan Life's Fehnel, to report all dust work for Raybestos-Manhattan to Sumner Simpson. Read it
June 27, 1935. J-M's officers direct a respirator procedure giving the company "maximum protection against the legal hazard" and defer dust control spending at Waukegan. Read it
August 20, 1935. Drafting respirator rules for J-M's factories, Vandiver Brown writes that workers must be warned dust is hazardous without being alarmed. Read it
September 7, 1935. Sumner Simpson calls Metropolitan Life's Manheim dust report "startling" and tells the plant that protecting employees properly will be cheaper in the long run. Read it
September 25, 1935. Asbestos magazine reminds Raybestos-Manhattan's president that at his request it has published nothing on asbestosis, and asks if it may now. Read it
October 1, 1935. Vandiver Brown agrees with Sumner Simpson that the industry's interests are best served by asbestosis getting "the minimum of publicity" in Asbestos magazine. Read it
October 1, 1935. Sumner Simpson tells Vandiver Brown that "the less said about asbestos, the better off we are" and asks his view on Asbestos magazine's request. Read it
October 3, 1935. Vandiver Brown agrees with Sumner Simpson that asbestosis should get "the minimum of publicity" and that any article should use milder American data. Read it
March 1936. A new dust survey of the Bridgeport and Stratford plants finds improvement since 1935 but very high dust where clutch facing rings are tested. Read it
April 1936. Metropolitan Life's recheck survey at North Charleston finds dust down in most rooms but up in spinning, and doubts that floor mixers' exposure has fallen. Read it
May 28, 1936. Sumner Simpson tells John R. Dillon that a killed congressional silicosis inquiry would only have duplicated the work of insurers and the Foundrymen's Association. Read it
July 15, 1936. Vandiver Brown advises that J-M could avoid liability under Illinois's new law by dropping workers with early dust disease from the payroll before November 29, 1936. Read it
October 30, 1936. Dr. A. J. Lanza assures Raybestos-Manhattan's attorney that a Public Health Service survey will not name the plant or release workers' records. Read it
October 31, 1936. Sumner Simpson worries that government X-rays of his workers could reach "shyster lawyers and doctors" and bring "an endless number of suits." Read it
November 20, 1936. Eleven asbestos companies agree to fund Gardner's asbestosis research at Saranac, with the results theirs and any manuscript subject to their approval before publication. Read it
November 20, 1936. Vandiver Brown authorizes Dr. Leroy Gardner's asbestos experiments and states that the sponsors will own the results and approve any manuscript before publication. Read it
December 10, 1936. Sumner Simpson tells C. J. Stover that asbestos dust leaves a deposit on the lungs, that asbestosis is not dangerous if a worker changes jobs, and that Saranac's animal experiments will begin. Read it
December 11, 1936. Sumner Simpson tells E. H. Jeffords to help Southern Asbestos's lawyers but not to testify, saying he has heard the Charlotte plant's dust is as bad as Raybestos-Manhattan's once was. Read it
December 24, 1936. Dr. Leroy U. Gardner tells Sumner Simpson that Dr. Shull's asbestosis study overreaches but that diagnostic standards for asbestosis are not yet defined. Read it
January 4, 1937. Vandiver Brown invites U.S. Gypsum to share in the Saranac dust experiments, stressing that nothing will be published without the sponsors' approval. Read it
January 29, 1937. Sumner Simpson regrets Gatke's refusal to join the Saranac study, saying the whole industry should be interested in "the probable dangers to our employees." Read it
February 10, 1937. Vandiver Brown says Johns-Manville and Raybestos-Manhattan will remain the "clearing house" between Dr. Gardner and the other sponsors of the Saranac experiments. Read it
February 27, 1937. Vandiver Brown tells Sumner Simpson the industry is fully canvassed and lists the eleven companies sharing the cost of Gardner's experiments. Read it
February 27, 1937. Vandiver Brown reminds Sumner Simpson that the asbestos companies paying for Dr. Gardner's experiments decide whether and how the results are made public. Read it
May 26, 1937. E. H. Jeffords urges Sumner Simpson to have dust readings deleted from a Public Health Service report before publication, because of the workers' suits against the company. Read it
September 23, 1937. Dr. Leroy Gardner reports that animals breathing asbestos dust for five months show no fibrosis yet; Vandiver Brown sends the report to Sumner Simpson. Read it
November 19, 1937. Sumner Simpson tells E. H. Jeffords the state reports show North Charleston is "way below any possibility of asbestosis or any other asbestos disease." Read it
December 22, 1937. Town officials and a citizens' committee tour the Stratford plant's dust and fume controls; asbestos dust is seen coming from roof cyclones. Read it
April 18, 1938. Saranac Laboratory reports that a year of very fine asbestos dust caused no fibrosis in animals and proposes that only longer fibers injure the lung. Read it
April 28, 1938. Vandiver Brown tells Sumner Simpson that a mechanical action of asbestos would be good news because it would answer claims that the fibrosis progresses. Read it
April 29, 1938. Dr. A. J. Lanza of Metropolitan Life tells Vandiver Brown that Gardner's mechanical theory of asbestos dust is "very much in favor of the industry." Read it
May 19, 1938. Dr. Gardner tells Sumner Simpson he suspects Dr. Lynch's autopsied asbestosis cases had silica exposure and defends his findings on the lack of progression. Read it
August 1938. The U.S. Public Health Service publishes its study of asbestos textile workers and proposes 5 million particles per cubic foot as a tentative safe limit. Read it
November 23, 1938. Metropolitan Life's Dr. McConnell asks Raybestos-Manhattan to X-ray Manheim workers a third time to show in its asbestos report that asbestosis develops very slowly. Read it
January 9, 1939. Dr. Paul Snoke sends the Manheim workers' X-ray films to Metropolitan Life and reports that most show no change but several show marked changes. Read it
January 20, 1939. A. F. Townsend proposes outside plant examinations and running dust records for use against compensation claims and the asbestosis lawsuits facing Raybestos-Manhattan. Read it
February 8, 1939. Vandiver Brown reviews New Jersey bills to make dust disease compensable, noting nearly ten years without a claim by a Manville employee: "I am keeping my fingers crossed." Read it
March 22, 1939. Sumner Simpson tells Asbestos magazine's editor, in confidence, about the Saranac findings and says he will not make them public for now. Read it
May 3, 1939. Vandiver Brown reminds Raybestos-Manhattan that under the 1936 agreement the funding companies decide whether and how Gardner's asbestos results are made public. Read it
June 10, 1939. O. H. Cilley sends Sumner Simpson a table showing Manheim dust counts fell sharply from 1935 to 1939 and says further reductions are practicable. Read it
August 3, 1939. Manville plant workers' families sue J-M over asbestos dust; a plant memo on one case says it "was not the policy of the Company" to warn employees of dust danger. Read it

1930

1930. The U.S. Public Health Service reports a tentative "safe" dust level of 10 to 20 million particles per cubic foot for granite-cutting plants. Read it (J-M chronology)
1930. J-M's Manville factory rule booklet tells workers to wear respirators when instructed, without saying why. Read it (J-M chronology)
1930. The executors of Benjamin Perone, a Manville plant worker who died in 1930, carry on his suit against Johns-Manville; it is settled in 1934. Read it (Motley 1000)
January 1930. Metropolitan Life surveys dust at Raybestos-Manhattan's Charleston plant, sees no signs of asbestosis without examinations, and calls the hazard "very remote." Read it (J-M chronology)
February 1930. Metropolitan Life finds asbestosis in five of nine readable X-rays at Raybestos-Manhattan's Bridgeport and Stratford plants, despite low dust counts. Read it (J-M chronology)
February 1930. Metropolitan Life X-rays 20 workers at Raybestos-Manhattan's Manheim plant and finds asbestos dust injury in ten of them. Read it (J-M chronology)
March 24, 1930. A British government report by Merewether and Price finds lung fibrosis in about one in four asbestos workers examined, rising with years of exposure. Read it (J-M chronology)
April 9, 1930. Vincent DeMuro, a Manville plant worker, sues Johns-Manville for $100,000 over asbestos dust; the case is settled in 1934. Read it (Motley 1000)
May 1930. Merewether publishes his asbestos findings in The Journal of Industrial Hygiene, describing a serious, sometimes fatal lung fibrosis in asbestos workers. Read it (J-M chronology)
May 22, 1930. Joseph Stepka, a Manville plant worker, sues Johns-Manville for $100,000 over asbestos dust; the case is settled in 1934. Read it (Motley 1000)
September 16, 1930. J-M learns that the Travelers has paid a total disability claim to Joseph Stepka, who is suing the company, and asks its lawyer to find out why. Read it (J-M chronology)

1931

April 10, 1931. Britain's Chief Inspector of Factories sends the Home Secretary the industry-inspector committee's agreed methods for suppressing dust in asbestos textile factories. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 30, 1931. Britain makes asbestosis compensable under its workmen's compensation law, with a presumption for workers in asbestos processes five years or more. Read it (J-M chronology)
July 15, 1931. Dr. Lanza of Metropolitan Life urges J-M to examine all workers, says asbestosis should be compensable to protect the industry, and reports masks ineffective. Read it (J-M chronology)
July 28, 1931. Voorhees tells Vice President Williams that since the dust suits at Manville, J-M has weighed modern dust collection and physical examinations of employees. Read it (J-M chronology)
September 9, 1931. Vice President Williams directs every J-M plant to plan dust collection on the Manville model and submit budgets. Read it (J-M chronology)

1932

January 1932. Dust disease researchers, including Metropolitan Life's Lanza and Saranac Laboratory's Gardner, form the informal Konicide Club to share research on dust and health. Read it (J-M chronology)
January 25, 1932. Concetta Perone sues Johns-Manville over the death of her son John, a former Manville plant worker who died in December 1931 of lung disease; the case settles in 1934. Read it (Motley 1000)
January 26, 1932. The widows of Joseph and Paul Stepka, Manville plant workers who died in 1931, sue Johns-Manville, each for $50,000. Read it (Motley 1000)
February 12, 1932. X-rays of Manville plant workers read by a federal doctor show widespread lung disease; J-M asks that the results be kept confidential and out of the lawsuits. Read it (J-M chronology)
April 25, 1932. A J-M superintendent of mills orders respirators worn at all times in the baghouse and packing work, on pain of immediate discharge. Read it (J-M chronology)
May 5, 1932. Matius Grabow, a Manville plant worker, sues Johns-Manville for $100,000 over asbestos dust; the case is settled in 1934. Read it (Motley 1000)
August 1932. An insurance industry publication describes asbestos dust as a constant danger to workers and advises underwriters to charge extra for the dustiest jobs. Read it (J-M chronology)
November 25, 1932. Waukegan's manager says workers resist respirators and urges dust equipment and examinations to "fortify our position" against lawsuits like those against another asbestos company. Read it (J-M chronology)
December 20, 1932. Vice President Williams asks every J-M plant what it has spent on dust control, examinations and respirator instructions since September 1931. Read it (J-M chronology)
December 22, 1932. Nashua's manager reports $475 spent on dust collection, no bad dust condition, and homemade cheesecloth respirators. Read it (J-M chronology)
December 22, 1932. Waukegan reports it has spent nothing on dust equipment since 1931 and has issued no written respirator instructions. Read it (J-M chronology)
December 23, 1932. Alexandria's manager reports respirators are optional and resisted, and that the plant makes "no attempt at all to examine the heart or lungs." Read it (J-M chronology)
December 24, 1932. Canadian Johns-Manville reports no new factory dust equipment since 1931 and says its mill workers "do not find respirators practicable." Read it (J-M chronology)
December 27, 1932. The Los Angeles plant reports that nothing has been done to collect dust or protect employees from it, and no examinations given. Read it (J-M chronology)
December 28, 1932. Lompoc reports a 75% cut in dust since 1929, required respirators, and rotation of men out of dusty jobs so "their exposure will not be too great." Read it (J-M chronology)

1933

February 20, 1933. Vandiver Brown recalls that J-M would not support a New Jersey compensation bill because it wanted more time "to set our house in order." Read it (J-M chronology)
March 22, 1933. Maryland Casualty Company asks J-M for help defending two silicosis suits against a home insulation firm that used J-M material. Read it (J-M chronology)
April 18, 1933. Vandiver Brown tells J-M's president that a Pennsylvania commission, with Lanza a member, left asbestosis off its compensable diseases. Read it (J-M chronology)
April 24, 1933. Johns-Manville's board authorizes settling eleven asbestosis suits by former workers if their lawyer promises to bring no new cases. Read it (Motley 1000)
May 10, 1933. Vandiver Brown cables J-M's president to insist that Williams "eliminate remaining suspects" and bring other plants "to Manville efficiency." Read it (J-M chronology)
May 12, 1933. S. A. Williams reviews dust control at seven J-M plants, from $48,000 spent at Manville to plans still awaiting approval at Pittsburg. Read it (J-M chronology)
May 22, 1933. To avoid negligence charges, Vandiver Brown recommends masks, ventilation and posted dust warnings for J-M's home insulation workers. Read it (J-M chronology)
June 21, 1933. Vandiver Brown lends Toledo lawyer C. B. Belknap, later of Owens-Illinois, the court papers from two New Jersey rock wool silicosis trials. Read it (J-M chronology)
June 26, 1933. J-M's chief engineer calls Pittsburg's dust control estimates "a bit startling," having expected minor repairs to do the job. Read it (J-M chronology)
June 26, 1933. To settle 11 asbestosis suits, plaintiffs' lawyer Samuel Greenstone promises never to help bring another claim against J-M over the same conditions. Read it (J-M chronology)
June 29, 1933. J-M's chief engineer calls vendors' dust control layouts for Pittsburg "entirely too elaborate and much too expensive." Read it (J-M chronology)
July 31, 1933. Pittsburg's manager doubts dust equipment is needed but backs it, citing the cost of a disease case and its "psychological effect." Read it (J-M chronology)
August 29, 1933. Dr. Lanza tells J-M he doubts warning posters are justified, "especially" given "the extraordinary legal situation." Read it (J-M chronology)
September 12, 1933. Alexander Ososki sues Johns-Manville for $250,000, saying dust at the Manville plant gave him tuberculosis; the case is settled within months. Read it (Motley 1000)
October 27, 1933. Laborer Bernard Dugan sues R. V. Aycock Company, whose assets J-M had bought, for lung disability from mixing asbestos. Read it (J-M chronology)
October 27, 1933. Bernard Dugan, a laborer who mixed asbestos by hand, sues R. V. Aycock Company, a business J-M bought in 1932, for asbestos lung damage; he dies in 1934. Read it (Motley 1000)
November 1933. Tubercle prints the first part of E. R. A. Merewether's "A Memorandum on Asbestosis," on the disease's history, signs, diagnosis and asbestosis bodies. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 28, 1933. J-M asks Dr. Lanza to extend Metropolitan Life's dust survey; Voorhees wants outside dust counts that, if favorable, would help in litigation. Read it (J-M chronology)
December 1933. Tubercle prints the second part of Merewether's asbestosis memorandum: even a short, heavy exposure can cause fatal fibrosis years later. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 29, 1933. J-M and Raybestos-Manhattan agree to have Metropolitan Life survey their plants, keep the results confidential, and seek an expert for court work. Read it (J-M chronology)

1934

1934. A follow-up dust survey of Raybestos-Manhattan's North Charleston plant finds spinning-room dust higher than in 1930 and defers recommendations until new exhausts are tested. Read it (Simpson Papers)
1934. Charles Sarounas, who worked near the asbestos mixing operation at Waukegan, sues Johns-Manville over dust disease. Read it (Motley 1000)
1934. Waukegan plant workers' dust-disease suits go forward after a federal court in Chicago denies J-M's motions to dismiss. Read it (J-M chronology)
1934. Waukegan plant laborer Tony Yakobich sues Johns-Manville over asbestos and magnesia dust; J-M removes the case to federal court with Royal Indemnity as surety. Read it (Motley 1000)
January 1934. Tubercle prints the last part of Merewether's asbestosis memorandum, on Britain's dust regulations, the "dust datum" and compensation. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 3, 1934. Waukegan's manager asks to X-ray the workers on the plant doctor's list, without buying X-ray equipment for the plant. Read it (J-M chronology)
January 5, 1934. Vandiver Brown sends Raybestos-Manhattan the minutes of a joint meeting with Metropolitan Life's Dr. Lanza on dust surveys and dust counts. Read it (J-M chronology)
March 1, 1934. Nick Bojko, a laborer in the Waukegan plant's mixing room, sues Johns-Manville over asbestos and cement dust. Read it (Motley 1000)
March 14, 1934. George Ruskell, a Waukegan laborer who mixed silica and other materials, sues two Johns-Manville companies for silicosis. Read it (Motley 1000)
April 4, 1934. A J-M laboratory report suggests long blue and amosite fibers could be more harmful than chrysotile, but doubts fibers readily reach the lungs. Read it (J-M chronology)
April 25, 1934. Raybestos-Manhattan's president plans X-rays of Charleston workers, who had already sued, "with a little diplomacy" and not "in mass formation." Read it (J-M chronology)
May 4, 1934. Connecticut's Bureau of Occupational Diseases reports high dust counts at the Stratford plant's brake grinder, beater and opening rooms and recommends X-rays of new hires. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 9, 1934. M. F. Judd welcomes J-M's hiring of Otto Binder to take dust counts at both companies' plants and asks about J-M's X-ray machine. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 16, 1934. The Medical Record publishes M. Kummel's "Medicolegal Aspects of Silicosis," on the wave of silicosis lawsuits and employers' duty to protect dust workers. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 29, 1934. Sumner Simpson asks M. F. Judd and Mr. Pope what progress has been made on the dust survey. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 29, 1934. Vandiver Brown confirms that J-M and Raybestos-Manhattan will split dust counter Otto Binder's $200 monthly salary. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 5, 1934. M. F. Judd asks Sumner Simpson how to split Otto Binder's cost between the Charleston and Stratford plants; Simpson has the General Office pay. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 7, 1934. Johns-Manville and Raybestos-Manhattan share the salary of Otto L. Binder, hired to take dust counts at their plants. Read it (J-M chronology)
June 18, 1934. Frank Brown, who shoveled asbestos, fibre and cement at the Waukegan plant, sues Johns-Manville over lung disease. Read it (Motley 1000)
July 6, 1934. M. F. Judd sends W. H. Dunn the invoices for Raybestos-Manhattan's half of Otto Binder's June salary and expenses. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 16, 1934. Waukegan plant laborer Jack Coleman sues Johns-Manville over asbestos cement dust; J-M removes the case to federal court and moves to dismiss. Read it (Motley 1000)
August 17, 1934. J-M sends its Home Insulation Contractors bulletins on a new Mine Safety Appliances respirator, N. B. Sherrill tells Vandiver Brown. Read it (J-M chronology)
August 23, 1934. The Raybestos Division sends W. H. Dunn two Johns-Manville invoices for Raybestos-Manhattan's share of Otto Binder's July salary and expenses. Read it (Simpson Papers)
September 18, 1934. Waukegan laborer Luis Perez sues Johns-Manville; the federal court refuses to dismiss his and eight other workers' asbestos dust suits. Read it (Motley 1000)
October 1, 1934. Vandiver Brown has the asbestos industry's Code Authority call jobs "unsuitable" for minors rather than "unsanitary or hazardous." Read it (J-M chronology)
October 6, 1934. George E. Pope tells M. F. Judd that changes have materially reduced dust at three Stratford operations where Dr. Cook's counts ran from 10.3 to 22.7 million particles per cubic foot. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 13, 1934. Metropolitan Life finds heavy dust at Gretna's shingle mixers, and J-M approves a $107 dust collecting system modeled on Waukegan's. Read it (J-M chronology)
October 23, 1934. An insurers' committee says asbestosis, like silicosis, is becoming a compensation problem and urges a scheduled-disease law to curb damage suits. Read it (J-M chronology)
November 1934. Metropolitan Life's Industrial Health Section reports on dust and lead at Raybestos-Manhattan's Passaic plant, finding dust counts low except at one operation and excessive lead at many. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 10, 1934. Vandiver Brown asks Dr. Lanza to restore passages of the Metropolitan Life report that were "favorable to the industry." Read it (J-M chronology)
December 15, 1934. J-M's outside counsel seeks changes to Lanza's report, citing J-M's defense that medical knowledge was insufficient "until a very recent period." Read it (J-M chronology)
December 18, 1934. Vandiver Brown sends Raybestos-Manhattan the Lanza galley proof and says Lanza will likely "accede to most of our requests." Read it (J-M chronology)
December 21, 1934. Vandiver Brown returns Metropolitan Life's galley proof to Dr. Lanza with J-M's requested changes, asking that unfavorable findings not appear in "darker tones." Read it (Motley 1000)
December 24, 1934. Vandiver Brown tells Raybestos-Manhattan he and Hobart suggested changes to Lanza's report "beneficial from the Industry viewpoint" before publication. Read it (J-M chronology)

1935

January 2, 1935. A. F. Townsend thanks Sumner Simpson for passing along S. Cyril Blacktin's book "Dust." Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 2, 1935. Raybestos-Manhattan tells Vandiver Brown it is content to leave approval of Metropolitan Life's asbestos report in his hands. Read it (J-M chronology)
January 3, 1935. Dr. W. J. McConnell of Metropolitan Life sends Sumner Simpson two copies of its survey of Raybestos-Manhattan's Passaic plant. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 4, 1935. Metropolitan Life's study of U.S. asbestos plants is published, finding asbestosis in over half of 126 workers X-rayed and urging dust control and regular X-rays. Read it (J-M chronology)
January 4, 1935. Sumner Simpson sends A. F. Townsend Metropolitan Life's survey of the Passaic plant, writing that the dust count is "very bad" in several places. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 4, 1935. Sumner Simpson acknowledges Dr. W. J. McConnell's letter enclosing two copies of the Passaic plant survey. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 5, 1935. A. F. Townsend tells Sumner Simpson he will review Metropolitan Life's survey of the Passaic plant carefully and discuss it with him. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 17, 1935. Illinois manufacturers, with J-M taking part, draft an occupational disease law that would replace lawsuits and limit asbestosis claims to three years after exposure. Read it (J-M chronology)
January 18, 1935. Vandiver Brown reports on the Mellon Institute dust symposium, where industries agree to seek joint action on dust disease claims and compensation laws. Read it (J-M chronology)
January 22, 1935. Vandiver Brown sends Raybestos-Manhattan his memorandum on the Mellon Institute dust symposium. Read it (J-M chronology)
January 25, 1935. Vandiver Brown sends M. F. Judd Metropolitan Life's bill for survey expenses and reports a complaint about Otto Binder's diligence. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 30, 1935. M. F. Judd tells Vandiver Brown that Raybestos-Manhattan is paying its share of Dr. Lanza's survey expenses directly to Metropolitan Life. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 30, 1935. Raybestos-Manhattan tells Vandiver Brown it sees no need to join the Mellon Institute group, since it and J-M already have "a pretty definite program." Read it (J-M chronology)
February 8, 1935. Vandiver Brown sends M. F. Judd six copies of Public Health Reports carrying Metropolitan Life's study of asbestos workers' lungs. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 11, 1935. An insurers' trade group warns that compensating silicosis and asbestosis would load industry with liabilities for disease contracted years before. Read it (J-M chronology)
February 11, 1935. M. F. Judd sends E. H. Jeffords the Metropolitan Life study, identifying the Charleston, Manheim and Bridgeport plants among those it surveyed. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 11, 1935. M. F. Judd sends G. R. Weber at the Manheim division the Metropolitan Life study, with a key to the plants it surveyed. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 11, 1935. M. F. Judd sends M. A. Hogan at the Passaic division the Metropolitan Life study, with a key to the plants it surveyed. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 11, 1935. M. F. Judd thanks Vandiver Brown for copies of the published Metropolitan Life asbestos study and sends one to each Raybestos-Manhattan division. Read it (Motley 1000)
February 12, 1935. Margaret A. Hogan acknowledges the Metropolitan Life study and will pass it to A. F. Townsend on his return from Europe. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 14, 1935. Vandiver Brown explains that J-M wants an Illinois disease law because an industrial commission would treat it better than a jury. Read it (J-M chronology)
February 14, 1935. Dust engineer Warren F. Terry offers Raybestos-Manhattan a plant dust survey, saying the reports could serve as evidence if lawsuits develop. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 28, 1935. Vandiver Brown passes J-M's officers an Illinois manufacturers' leader's view that dust disease suits are a racket run by lawyers and "quack doctors." Read it (J-M chronology)
March 2, 1935. Sumner Simpson sends Julian Mitchell, the company's Charleston attorney, a copy of Dr. Lanza's study in Public Health Reports. Read it (Simpson Papers)
March 9, 1935. C. J. Stover, publisher of Asbestos magazine, sends Sumner Simpson three pamphlets on silicosis. Read it (Simpson Papers)
March 11, 1935. M. F. Judd sends E. H. Jeffords, for his files, a copy of a letter written to John Dillon. Read it (Simpson Papers)
March 21, 1935. Sumner Simpson thanks C. J. Stover for the silicosis pamphlets and asks for more such material. Read it (Simpson Papers)
March 23, 1935. William Norwood sues Johns-Manville over dust at the Waukegan roofing and shingle plant. Read it (Motley 1000)
March 25, 1935. Vandiver Brown tells J-M's Lompoc plant that properly drawn disease laws are industry's "chief safeguard against future disaster" and lists what they should contain. Read it (J-M chronology)
March 29, 1935. Raybestos-Manhattan's general manager thanks C. J. Stover for the silicosis pamphlets, a subject the company is "quite a bit interested in." Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 9, 1935. Sumner Simpson arranges for the American Tobacco Company to help Raybestos-Manhattan's Charleston plant with dust control. Read it (J-M chronology)
April 11, 1935. Waukegan worker Andy Belcher sues Johns-Manville, saying four years of asbestos and silica dust gave him asbestosis and silicosis. Read it (Motley 1000)
April 11, 1935. E. H. Jeffords tells Sumner Simpson that the McCurley damage suit against the North Charleston plant has been put off until the fall term. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 11, 1935. Estella Hacker, an asbestos packer and washer maker at Waukegan since 1922, sues Johns-Manville over dust disease. Read it (Motley 1000)
May 1, 1935. A Raybestos-Manhattan sales office urges E. H. Jeffords to consider seamless asbestos dust-collector bags as concern over industrial dust widens the market. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 9, 1935. Fred Seifert, a Waukegan laborer since 1926, sues Johns-Manville over asbestos dust disease. Read it (Motley 1000)
May 13, 1935. M. F. Judd asks Vandiver Brown what Otto Binder's $81.48 in April expenses, half billed to Raybestos-Manhattan, were for. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 15, 1935. Vandiver Brown itemizes Otto Binder's April dust-counting trips, including work with Metropolitan Life's Fehnel at J-M's asbestos mines, and how the costs were split. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 18, 1935. M. F. Judd asks Vandiver Brown to have Otto Binder report to Sumner Simpson on all dust work done for Raybestos-Manhattan. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 20, 1935. Vandiver Brown tells Otto Binder, working with Metropolitan Life's Fehnel, to report all dust work for Raybestos-Manhattan to Sumner Simpson. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 23, 1935. M. F. Judd tells Vandiver Brown that Raybestos-Manhattan's Charleston manager and plant doctor will attend the Saranac silicosis symposium, especially Dr. Lanza's talk. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 24, 1935. Vandiver Brown sends M. F. Judd the program of the Saranac Lake silicosis symposium, which Raybestos-Manhattan's Charleston manager and plant doctor will attend. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 1935. Metropolitan Life's survey of the Bridgeport and Stratford plants finds dust counts higher than in 1930 and lead in the air. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 3, 1935. Dr. Albert S. Gray of Connecticut's Bureau of Occupational Diseases asks to meet M. F. Judd in person to discuss films Judd had mentioned. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 4, 1935. M. F. Judd agrees to meet Dr. Albert S. Gray on June 6 to discuss the films. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 10, 1935. J-M tells its home insulation contractors to issue dust masks against signed receipts "to escape the charge of negligence" in future suits. Read it (J-M chronology)
June 10, 1935. Metropolitan Life's Dr. W. J. McConnell tells Sumner Simpson that J. W. Fehnel will start a dust survey of the Bridgeport plant June 18. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 13, 1935. M. F. Judd confirms that Metropolitan Life's Fehnel, Ferry and Binder will begin a dust survey of Raybestos-Manhattan's Bridgeport plant on June 18. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 14, 1935. M. F. Judd asks Metropolitan Life's J. W. Fehnel to report to Edward Carey when the Bridgeport plant survey begins, since Mr. Pope will be away. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 27, 1935. J-M's officers direct a respirator procedure giving the company "maximum protection against the legal hazard" and defer dust control spending at Waukegan. Read it (J-M chronology)
July 2, 1935. With no Illinois law passed, J-M's Waukegan plant asks headquarters what to do about four approved dust collecting projects. Read it (J-M chronology)
July 3, 1935. Vandiver Brown reports that Illinois passed no occupational disease law, leaving workers with dust disease to sue under common law. Read it (J-M chronology)
July 15, 1935. E. H. Jeffords thanks M. F. Judd for a copy of the Lanza, McConnell and Fehnel pamphlet on asbestos dust and the lungs of asbestos workers. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 17, 1935. M. F. Judd sends A. F. Townsend of the Manhattan Rubber division a copy of the Lanza, McConnell and Fehnel booklet on asbestos dust. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 17, 1935. M. F. Judd sends G. R. Weber of the Manheim plant a copy of the Lanza, McConnell and Fehnel booklet on asbestos dust. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 17, 1935. M. F. Judd sends Lancaster lawyer S. R. Zimmerman a copy of the Lanza, McConnell and Fehnel booklet on asbestos dust. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 18, 1935. Lancaster lawyer S. R. Zimmerman thanks M. F. Judd for the copy of the Lanza, McConnell and Fehnel booklet on asbestos dust. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 25, 1935. Arkwright Mutual's Edward A. Barrier reviews plans for a dust-collecting tunnel at North Charleston and asks for sprinklers or a metal lining for its wooden deck. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 29, 1935. E. H. Jeffords tells Sumner Simpson the North Charleston dust collecting system is nearly piped and the roof tunnel will wait until burlap baffles prove out. Read it (Simpson Papers)
August 10, 1935. Arkwright Mutual sends E. H. Jeffords a laboratory report finding North Charleston's asbestos-cotton dust samples will not burn and contain under 4% cotton. Read it (Simpson Papers)
August 12, 1935. E. H. Jeffords sends Arkwright Mutual the dust tunnel blueprint and asks whether its wooden floor must be lined with sheet metal. Read it (Simpson Papers)
August 12, 1935. E. H. Jeffords sends Sumner Simpson the insurer's dust test results and reports the burlap baffles in Building No. 3 should be working next week. Read it (Simpson Papers)
August 15, 1935. E. H. Jeffords assures Arkwright Mutual that North Charleston's collected dust is "practically all asbestos," since the cotton goes into the finished product. Read it (Simpson Papers)
August 15, 1935. E. H. Jeffords sends Sumner Simpson Arkwright Mutual's ruling that North Charleston's low-cotton dust tunnel needs neither sprinklers nor a metal floor. Read it (Simpson Papers)
August 16, 1935. W. J. McConnell of Metropolitan Life sends Sumner Simpson two copies of the insurer's dust survey of the Manheim plant. Read it (Simpson Papers)
August 20, 1935. Drafting respirator rules for J-M's factories, Vandiver Brown writes that workers must be warned dust is hazardous without being alarmed. Read it (J-M chronology)
August 23, 1935. A respirator maker advises Vandiver Brown that factory notices should merely tell workers respirators are available and ask them to wear them. Read it (J-M chronology)
August 26, 1935. E. H. Jeffords sends Sumner Simpson the fire insurers' advice on strengthening the rooftop tunnel for the North Charleston plant's new dust system. Read it (Simpson Papers)
August 26, 1935. Raybestos-Manhattan's head office sends George R. Weber at Manheim a copy of Metropolitan Life's survey of his plant. Read it (Simpson Papers)
September 7, 1935. Sumner Simpson calls Metropolitan Life's Manheim dust report "startling" and tells the plant that protecting employees properly will be cheaper in the long run. Read it (Simpson Papers)
September 9, 1935. George R. Weber agrees the Manheim survey is unfavorable and plans dust exhaust improvements, starting with the preparing room. Read it (Simpson Papers)
September 13, 1935. E. H. Jeffords tells Sumner Simpson that Manheim has asked for Charleston's dust hood designs, built by his own men with old equipment. Read it (Simpson Papers)
September 20, 1935. Pennsylvania's Department of Labor and Industry publishes a study finding asbestosis in a quarter of the asbestos textile workers it examined. Read it (Simpson Papers)
September 23, 1935. W. J. McConnell of Metropolitan Life sends Sumner Simpson two copies of the insurer's dust survey of the Bridgeport and Stratford plants. Read it (Simpson Papers)
September 25, 1935. Asbestos magazine reminds Raybestos-Manhattan's president that at his request it has published nothing on asbestosis, and asks if it may now. Read it (J-M chronology)
September 28, 1935. Sumner Simpson's secretary acknowledges Metropolitan Life's reports on the Bridgeport and Stratford plants. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 1935. A London pathologist publishes two autopsy cases of women asbestos workers who died with both asbestosis and lung cancer. Read it (J-M chronology)
October 1, 1935. Vandiver Brown agrees with Sumner Simpson that the industry's interests are best served by asbestosis getting "the minimum of publicity" in Asbestos magazine. Read it (Motley 1000)
October 1, 1935. Sumner Simpson tells Vandiver Brown that "the less said about asbestos, the better off we are" and asks his view on Asbestos magazine's request. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 2, 1935. Sumner Simpson tells Charleston lawyer Julian Mitchell he has arranged to see Vandiver Brown of Johns-Manville the next Tuesday. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 3, 1935. C. J. Stover of Asbestos magazine sends Sumner Simpson a Charlotte Observer clipping on asbestosis claims and a court's action. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 3, 1935. Vandiver Brown agrees with Sumner Simpson that asbestosis should get "the minimum of publicity" and that any article should use milder American data. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 15, 1935. C. J. Stover sends Sumner Simpson a clipping about a decision in an asbestosis case in Charlotte. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 15, 1935. Sumner Simpson wires Metropolitan Life's W. J. McConnell that Raybestos-Manhattan is disappointed no Metropolitan man will attend the Charleston asbestosis trials. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 17, 1935. Sumner Simpson's secretary acknowledges C. J. Stover's clipping on the Charlotte asbestosis case while Simpson is away. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 19, 1935. Raybestos-Manhattan's safety director reports that six litharge handlers at Stratford have been given respirators and will be required to wear them. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 19, 1935. Sumner Simpson presses Metropolitan Life to let its chemist testify for Raybestos-Manhattan in the Charleston asbestosis suits. Read it (J-M chronology)
October 28, 1935. W. J. McConnell of Metropolitan Life assures Sumner Simpson that arrangements had been made to assist Raybestos-Manhattan in the Charleston litigation. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 30, 1935. A former J-M pipe coverer files a Massachusetts compensation claim for asbestosis naming J-M and other employers. Read it (J-M chronology)
November 5, 1935. Sumner Simpson thanks Metropolitan Life vice president James Kavanagh for a visit and promises to take up the divisions' insurance with his comptroller. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 6, 1935. Sumner Simpson tells George R. Weber that Raybestos-Manhattan has contracted with Canadian mines for about 5,900 tons of asbestos for 1936. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 11, 1935. Raybestos-Manhattan's comptroller tallies its share of dust counter Otto Binder's salary and expenses since May 1934 at $2,718.75. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 14, 1935. C. J. Stover asks Raybestos-Manhattan whether it will keep funding the Asbestos Institute's effort to win a Federal Trade Commission agreement on hours, wages and prices. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 18, 1935. Sumner Simpson orders four copies of Pennsylvania's Special Bulletin No. 42 on asbestosis from the state's Bureau of Industrial Standards. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 23, 1935. Sumner Simpson asks the Pennsylvania Bureau of Industrial Standards for three more copies of its bulletin on asbestosis. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 31, 1935. C. J. Stover of Asbestos magazine tells Sumner Simpson about a new Bureau of Mines review of the literature on breathing dust. Read it (Simpson Papers)

1936

January 6, 1936. John Dillon sends Sumner Simpson Time magazine's article on silicosis. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 6, 1936. Sumner Simpson orders the Bureau of Mines' review of the literature on the effects of breathing dust. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 7, 1936. J-M arranges to hire Metropolitan Life's dust technician Otto Binder to sample and count dust at J-M and Raybestos-Manhattan plants. Read it (J-M chronology)
January 7, 1936. Sumner Simpson thanks John R. Dillon for sending Time magazine's article on silicosis. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 7, 1936. Raybestos-Manhattan's comptroller totals $2,918.75 paid since 1934 toward dust counter Otto Binder's salary and travel. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 24, 1936. Sumner Simpson suggests chairman A. F. Townsend get two Bureau of Mines circulars, one on asbestos and one on the effects of breathing dust. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 28, 1936. Sumner Simpson gives Metropolitan Life the number of workers, men and women, at each Raybestos-Manhattan division. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 24, 1936. Metropolitan Life's W. J. McConnell names exhaust engineering firms for Manheim but advises first seeing E. H. Jeffords's dust control at North Charleston. Read it (Simpson Papers)
March 1936. A new dust survey of the Bridgeport and Stratford plants finds improvement since 1935 but very high dust where clutch facing rings are tested. Read it (Simpson Papers)
March 5, 1936. Sumner Simpson's secretary tells Metropolitan Life's group insurance manager that his letter will await Simpson's return. Read it (Simpson Papers)
March 11, 1936. Vandiver Brown tells M. F. Judd the Metropolitan Life survey is nearly done and offers Otto Binder to recheck Raybestos-Manhattan plants. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 1936. Metropolitan Life's recheck survey at North Charleston finds dust down in most rooms but up in spinning, and doubts that floor mixers' exposure has fallen. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 5, 1936. An insurance agency asks Raybestos-Manhattan to let American Surety Company engineers take dust counts at Bridgeport and Stratford with a dust-counting camera. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 14, 1936. Vandiver Brown tells M. F. Judd that Metropolitan Life will release dust counter Otto Binder to Johns-Manville around July 1. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 27, 1936. John R. Dillon's office sends Sumner Simpson a Herald Tribune clipping on a congressional silicosis inquiry killed in the House Rules Committee. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 27, 1936. Vandiver Brown confirms Johns-Manville will hire Otto Binder and lend him to Raybestos-Manhattan for paid dust checks. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 28, 1936. Sumner Simpson tells John R. Dillon that a killed congressional silicosis inquiry would only have duplicated the work of insurers and the Foundrymen's Association. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 1, 1936. M. F. Judd confirms to Vandiver Brown that Raybestos-Manhattan accepts the terms on which Johns-Manville will employ dust counter Otto Binder. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 12, 1936. M. F. Judd tells George R. Weber at Manheim that Metropolitan Life is releasing dust counter Otto Binder and that J-M will offer his services. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 15, 1936. E. H. Jeffords fears that Metropolitan Life, by releasing Otto Binder before the Charleston suits are tried, will not let Fehnel testify for Raybestos-Manhattan. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 29, 1936. W. J. McConnell of Metropolitan Life sends Sumner Simpson the report of its April 1936 recheck dust survey at North Charleston. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 7, 1936. Vandiver Brown forwards to M. F. Judd Metropolitan Life's statement for its recheck dust survey done for Raybestos-Manhattan. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 8, 1936. M. F. Judd asks comptroller W. H. Dunn to pay Metropolitan Life's $112.10 bill for the recheck survey at Charleston. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 13, 1936. W. H. Dunn pays Metropolitan Life $112.10 for the Charleston recheck survey and proposes charging it to the General Asbestos & Rubber Division. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 15, 1936. Vandiver Brown advises that J-M could avoid liability under Illinois's new law by dropping workers with early dust disease from the payroll before November 29, 1936. Read it (J-M chronology)
July 17, 1936. A. F. Townsend tells M. F. Judd the company has paid Otto Binder $3,631.90 since 1934 and asks whether the expense can be stopped. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 21, 1936. M. F. Judd tells A. F. Townsend that under the new Johns-Manville arrangement Raybestos-Manhattan will pay for Otto Binder only when it uses him. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 21, 1936. W. H. Dunn charges Metropolitan Life's $112.10 recheck survey bill to the General Asbestos & Rubber Division at Charleston. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 23, 1936. M. F. Judd sends E. H. Jeffords Johns-Manville's letter explaining the $112.10 charge for the re-check dust survey of the Charleston plant. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 23, 1936. M. F. Judd agrees that the Charleston division should pay Metropolitan Life's $112.10 bill for re-surveying its plant. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 25, 1936. E. H. Jeffords reports that the Charleston division has repaid the home office $112.10 for Metropolitan Life's re-survey of the plant. Read it (Simpson Papers)
August 18, 1936. Vandiver Brown proposes that J-M workers with early dust disease keep their jobs only by waiving half their future compensation. Read it (J-M chronology)
August 25, 1936. Eastman Kodak sends Raybestos-Manhattan, at its request, a reprint on the medicolegal aspects of silicosis and offers advice on X-ray examinations. Read it (Simpson Papers)
September 13, 1936. F. C. Ryan reports that zinc oxide makers are turning to asbestos bags for high-temperature dust collection and urges bolder claims for them. Read it (Simpson Papers)
September 16, 1936. J-M's Waukegan plant manager reports on an Illinois industry meeting about workers who are "doubtless hazards" and asks Brown what to do at Waukegan. Read it (J-M chronology)
September 21, 1936. H. M. Green sends Sumner Simpson C. O. Sappington's Mining Journal article on silicosis, its compensation and "the defense of claims." Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 5, 1936. Vandiver Brown suggests an industry foundation's paper call asbestosis "a distinctive type of fibrosis" instead of "a serious type." Read it (J-M chronology)
October 21, 1936. An unsigned J-M memo recommends settling thirteen Illinois dust disease claims cheaply, partly to avoid a ruling that asbestos dust is a "poison." Read it (J-M chronology)
October 21, 1936. Vandiver Brown urges J-M to accept Illinois's compensation act, noting J-M has a dust disease hazard, and says moving sick workers out of dust would avoid liability. Read it (J-M chronology)
October 27, 1936. Raybestos-Manhattan's North Charleston manager asks Simpson to let state and federal health officers make dust counts and X-ray every worker at the plant. Read it (J-M chronology)
October 30, 1936. Dr. A. J. Lanza assures Raybestos-Manhattan's attorney that a Public Health Service survey will not name the plant or release workers' records. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 31, 1936. Sumner Simpson worries that government X-rays of his workers could reach "shyster lawyers and doctors" and bring "an endless number of suits." Read it (Motley 1000)
November 5, 1936. Sumner Simpson lets the Public Health Service X-ray Raybestos-Manhattan's North Charleston workers, provided the films are kept from "shyster lawyers and doctors." Read it (Motley 1000)
November 6, 1936. Sumner Simpson wires Dr. Leroy Gardner that he will meet him at Dr. Lanza's office in New York on Monday at one o'clock. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 7, 1936. E. H. Jeffords holds off answering the health officials until the company's attorney returns from seeing Dr. Lanza in New York. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 7, 1936. Simpson's office confirms that Simpson will meet Dr. Lanza and Dr. Gardner at Lanza's office in New York on Monday, November 9. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 10, 1936. Sumner Simpson invites Keasbey & Mattison to help fund Gardner's asbestos research, with the sponsors to decide "whether we wish any publication or not." Read it (J-M chronology)
November 10, 1936. Sumner Simpson invites Thermoid Rubber to share the cost of Gardner's asbestos research at Saranac. Read it (J-M chronology)
November 10, 1936. Sumner Simpson invites G. M. Williams of Russell Manufacturing to share the cost of Gardner's asbestos dust experiments at Saranac. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 10, 1936. Sumner Simpson invites H. D. LaMont of Asbestos Manufacturing Company to share the cost of Gardner's asbestos dust experiments at Saranac. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 11, 1936. G. M. Williams of Russell Manufacturing agrees to attend Simpson's meeting and suggests the Brake Lining Manufacturers' Association pay for Gardner's research. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 12, 1936. H. D. LaMont of Asbestos Manufacturing backs the Saranac study and suggests a fixed fee plus shares based on each company's carding machines. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 18, 1936. Simpson's office confirms that the dust meeting of asbestos manufacturers will be held at the Biltmore Hotel in New York on November 19. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 20, 1936. Eleven asbestos companies sign an agreement to share the $15,000 cost of Dr. Leroy Gardner's three-year asbestos dust experiments at Saranac. Read it (Motley 1000)
November 20, 1936. Eleven asbestos companies agree to fund Gardner's asbestosis research at Saranac, with the results theirs and any manuscript subject to their approval before publication. Read it (J-M chronology)
November 20, 1936. Vandiver Brown authorizes Dr. Leroy Gardner's asbestos experiments and states that the sponsors will own the results and approve any manuscript before publication. Read it (Motley 1000)
November 23, 1936. Dr. Leroy Gardner accepts the sponsors' terms, agreeing that they will own the results and approve any report before publication. Read it (Motley 1000)
November 23, 1936. Sumner Simpson sends E. H. Jeffords at North Charleston a copy of Brown's November 20 letter authorizing Gardner's experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 23, 1936. Sumner Simpson sends George R. Weber at Manheim a copy of Vandiver Brown's letter authorizing Gardner's Saranac experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 23, 1936. Sumner Simpson sends Lancaster lawyer S. R. Zimmerman a copy of Vandiver Brown's letter setting the terms of the Saranac experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 23, 1936. Vandiver Brown sends Simpson the memorandum of agreement, signed by Johns-Manville, to be signed and passed to Thermoid's Schluter for the other companies. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 24, 1936. Lancaster lawyer S. R. Zimmerman acknowledges Simpson's news that the asbestosis study has broad support and the arrangement with Gardner is concluded. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 25, 1936. A. F. Townsend at Passaic acknowledges Simpson's copy of Brown's letter authorizing Gardner's experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 25, 1936. E. H. Jeffords thanks Simpson for Brown's letter to Gardner and notes that others in the industry are now taking an interest. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 25, 1936. Sumner Simpson sends F. E. Schluter of Thermoid the Saranac memorandum of agreement, signed by J-M and Raybestos-Manhattan, and asks him to collect the other companies' signatures. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 25, 1936. Sumner Simpson tells Vandiver Brown he has signed the Saranac memorandum of agreement and sent it to F. E. Schluter to collect the other companies' signatures. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 28, 1936. F. E. Schluter returns the Saranac memorandum signed for Thermoid and Southern Asbestos, saying Simpson or Vandiver Brown, not he, should collect the other signatures. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 1, 1936. C. J. Stover of Asbestos magazine sends Sumner Simpson a newspaper clipping and offers to look for more information. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 2, 1936. Sumner Simpson's secretary acknowledges F. E. Schluter's letter returning the signed Saranac memorandum while Simpson is away. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 2, 1936. Vandiver Brown sends Dr. Leroy Gardner J-M's $1,250 check, the first quarterly payment on the $5,000 yearly retainer for the asbestos experiments, and arranges a fiber sample. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 4, 1936. Dr. Leroy Gardner thanks Sumner Simpson for his part in arranging the industry-funded asbestos research and confirms receipt of the first $1,250 payment. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 4, 1936. Vandiver Brown reports on the Air Hygiene Foundation's meeting and urges the asbestos industry to join a body he calls "the creature of industry." Read it (Motley 1000)
December 8, 1936. C. J. Stover of Asbestos magazine urges asbestos companies to join the Air Hygiene Foundation, enclosing Vandiver Brown's report on its meeting. Read it (Motley 1000)
December 9, 1936. C. J. Stover sends Sumner Simpson a clipping from the Charlotte News, apparently about asbestosis claims in Charlotte. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 9, 1936. G. S. Fabel of Southern Asbestos asks to send lawyers to interview Raybestos-Manhattan's Charleston workers for its defense of asbestosis claims set for January 1937. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 10, 1936. Sumner Simpson tells C. J. Stover that asbestos dust leaves a deposit on the lungs, that asbestosis is not dangerous if a worker changes jobs, and that Saranac's animal experiments will begin. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 11, 1936. Sumner Simpson tells E. H. Jeffords to help Southern Asbestos's lawyers but not to testify, saying he has heard the Charlotte plant's dust is as bad as Raybestos-Manhattan's once was. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 11, 1936. Sumner Simpson agrees that Southern Asbestos's lawyers may interview Charleston managers and advises that showing continual dust control improvements will earn the company credit. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 12, 1936. C. J. Stover thanks Sumner Simpson for his letter on the Charlotte cases and plans to visit Charleston or Manheim. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 16, 1936. Vandiver Brown tells Thermoid's F. E. Schluter that Johns-Manville has paid Saranac $1,250 for early 1937 and will supply Gardner's asbestos dust. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 17, 1936. Asbestos Manufacturing Company signs the Saranac agreement and suggests asking the Canadian asbestos companies to join. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 17, 1936. Sumner Simpson tells C. J. Stover he doubts joining the Air Hygiene Foundation would help Raybestos-Manhattan, given its own dust studies. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 17, 1936. Vandiver Brown tells Union Asbestos & Rubber that experts sympathetic to industry are "insurance against wild-eyed legislation." Read it (J-M chronology)
December 18, 1936. George S. Fabel of Southern Asbestos sends Sumner Simpson Dr. J. Rush Shull's asbestosis article, asking for Dr. Gardner's reaction. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 22, 1936. Sumner Simpson sends Dr. Leroy U. Gardner Dr. J. Rush Shull's asbestosis article and asks for his comments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 22, 1936. Sumner Simpson sends the Saranac agreement to L. L. Cohen of Union Asbestos & Rubber for signature. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 22, 1936. Sumner Simpson tells Vandiver Brown that seven companies have signed the Saranac agreement and sends it on to Union Asbestos & Rubber. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 24, 1936. Dr. Leroy U. Gardner tells Sumner Simpson that Dr. Shull's asbestosis study overreaches but that diagnostic standards for asbestosis are not yet defined. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 28, 1936. Vandiver Brown welcomes news that seven companies will share the cost of Gardner's experiments and plans to bill them for the first payment. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 29, 1936. Sumner Simpson sends George S. Fabel of Southern Asbestos a copy of Dr. Gardner's critique of the Shull article. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 29, 1936. Sumner Simpson sends Vandiver Brown a copy of Dr. Gardner's critique of the Shull asbestosis article. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 29, 1936. Sumner Simpson tells Vandiver Brown the signed Saranac agreement is still circulating among the companies, delayed by the holidays. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 31, 1936. Sumner Simpson tells E. H. Jeffords he has ordered him a reprint of Dr. Shull's asbestosis article. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 31, 1936. Sumner Simpson tells Vandiver Brown he has ordered him a reprint of Dr. Shull's asbestosis article. Read it (Simpson Papers)

1937

1937. The Air Hygiene Foundation begins its monthly Industrial Hygiene Digest, abstracting occupational health literature for member companies. Read it (J-M chronology)
January 2, 1937. Dr. Leroy U. Gardner tells Sumner Simpson that North Carolina's Industrial Commission has asked Saranac doctors to help diagnose 70-odd asbestosis claims. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 2, 1937. Raybestos-Manhattan's Charleston lawyer agrees to meet Southern Asbestos's insurer's attorney but warns against anything that could hurt Raybestos-Manhattan's own pending asbestosis suits. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 4, 1937. Vandiver Brown invites U.S. Gypsum to share in the Saranac dust experiments, stressing that nothing will be published without the sponsors' approval. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 4, 1937. Vandiver Brown tells Sumner Simpson that Union Asbestos & Rubber will sign the Saranac agreement only if its share is limited to about $250 a year. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 5, 1937. Sumner Simpson sends E. H. Jeffords a reprint of Dr. J. Rush Shull's asbestosis article and a letter from George S. Fabel of Southern Asbestos. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 5, 1937. Sumner Simpson sends Vandiver Brown Dr. Shull's asbestosis article and George Fabel's letter about it. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 6, 1937. L. J. Silverman tells Sumner Simpson that Union Asbestos & Rubber will pay $250 a year toward Dr. Gardner's Saranac experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 6, 1937. Vandiver Brown thanks Sumner Simpson for a reprint of Dr. Shull's asbestosis article and George Fabel's letter of December 18. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 8, 1937. E. H. Jeffords tells Sumner Simpson he will review Dr. Shull's asbestosis article with the company's attorney and Dr. Kenneth Lynch. Read it (Motley 1000)
January 8, 1937. E. H. Jeffords tells Sumner Simpson that U.S. Public Health Service men will arrive January 19 to survey dust at the North Charleston plant. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 9, 1937. Sumner Simpson accepts Union Asbestos & Rubber's offer of $250 a year toward the Saranac dust experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 9, 1937. Sumner Simpson tells Vandiver Brown that Union Asbestos & Rubber has signed the Saranac agreement for a reduced yearly share. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 11, 1937. Vandiver Brown suggests to Sumner Simpson that the 70 North Carolina asbestosis claims sent to Saranac are the cases in Dr. Shull's Radiology article. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 11, 1937. W. C. Scott of Keasbey & Mattison asks Sumner Simpson whether the Saranac agreement has been signed and by how many companies. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 12, 1937. Sumner Simpson's office tells Keasbey & Mattison that all sponsors but American Brake Block and Gatke have signed the Saranac agreement. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 21, 1937. Sumner Simpson tells Vandiver Brown that every sponsor except Gatke and American Brake Block has signed the Saranac agreement. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 22, 1937. M. F. Judd of Raybestos-Manhattan presses Thomas Gatke to return the Saranac agreement, since Dr. Gardner's work has begun. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 22, 1937. Vandiver Brown tells Sumner Simpson that J-M has found a fine enough asbestos dust for Dr. Gardner, who will need about 1,200 pounds a year. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 26, 1937. Thomas Gatke returns the Saranac agreement unsigned, arguing that companies with more asbestos textile plants and workers should pay more. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 29, 1937. Sumner Simpson sends American Brakeblok the Saranac agreement and offers it the same $250-a-year share as Union Asbestos & Rubber. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 29, 1937. Sumner Simpson regrets Gatke's refusal to join the Saranac study, saying the whole industry should be interested in "the probable dangers to our employees." Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 30, 1937. Simpson's secretary sends Vandiver Brown a copy of Gatke's January 26 letter refusing to sign the Saranac agreement. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 1, 1937. Thomas Gatke says he is willing to join the dust study but thinks the cost should be shared by each company's number of employees. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 1, 1937. American Brakeblok signs the Saranac agreement, limiting its share to $250 a year, and asks that Dr. Gardner's reports go to W. A. Blume. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 3, 1937. M. F. Judd sends Thomas Gatke the Saranac agreement again, offering the $250-a-year limit given to Union Asbestos and American Brakeblok. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 3, 1937. M. F. Judd thanks American Brakeblok for the signed Saranac agreement and promises Dr. Gardner's reports will go to W. A. Blume. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 5, 1937. Thomas Gatke returns the signed Saranac agreement and asks that Dr. Gardner send results to every sponsor directly rather than through Johns-Manville. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 5, 1937. Vandiver Brown tells Raybestos-Manhattan that U.S. Gypsum wants to join the Saranac experiments to a limited extent and that he will handle Gypsum himself. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 8, 1937. M. F. Judd sends Vandiver Brown the fully signed Saranac agreement and asks whether to give the sponsors what Thomas Gatke has asked for. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 10, 1937. Vandiver Brown sends U.S. Gypsum the Saranac agreement, saying every company at the first meeting has signed and hoping Gypsum will join. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 10, 1937. Vandiver Brown says Johns-Manville and Raybestos-Manhattan will remain the "clearing house" between Dr. Gardner and the other sponsors of the Saranac experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 10, 1937. W. C. Scott of Keasbey & Mattison asks Simpson's office for any news of the agreement with Dr. Gardner. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 12, 1937. Simpson's office tells Keasbey & Mattison the Saranac agreement is fully signed and that Vandiver Brown will pass Dr. Gardner's information to the sponsors. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 15, 1937. Vandiver Brown sends U.S. Gypsum his letters with Dr. Gardner and says the experiments address general problems, not any one branch of the industry. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 26, 1937. Vandiver Brown sends Dr. Gardner the signed Memorandum of Agreement naming the companies paying for his asbestos dust experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 26, 1937. Vandiver Brown confirms U.S. Gypsum's $250-a-year share of the Saranac experiments and promises it the same results as the other sponsors. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 27, 1937. Vandiver Brown tells Sumner Simpson the industry is fully canvassed and lists the eleven companies sharing the cost of Gardner's experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 27, 1937. Vandiver Brown reminds Sumner Simpson that the asbestos companies paying for Dr. Gardner's experiments decide whether and how the results are made public. Read it (Motley 1000)
March 4, 1937. Sumner Simpson's secretary acknowledges Vandiver Brown's letters on the Saranac sponsors while Simpson is away. Read it (Simpson Papers)
March 13, 1937. Sumner Simpson tells Raybestos-Manhattan's comptroller to send Johns-Manville $666.67, the company's 1937 share of Gardner's dust experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
March 19, 1937. Sumner Simpson's secretary thanks the comptroller for returning the Saranac agreement papers to Simpson's file. Read it (Simpson Papers)
March 20, 1937. Sumner Simpson returns J-M's first-quarter invoice, saying Raybestos-Manhattan has paid its $666.67 share for the whole year. Read it (Simpson Papers)
March 22, 1937. Vandiver Brown sends Simpson's request to J-M's general auditor to reissue the Saranac invoice for a full year. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 5, 1937. Leroy Gardner reports that the industry-funded asbestosis experiments at Saranac have begun, with animals breathing chrysotile dust from Manville. Read it (Motley 1000)
May 10, 1937. Metropolitan Life's Lanza reports unusual X-ray shadows in long-serving Lompoc workers and hesitates to say diatomaceous earth dust is harmless. Read it (J-M chronology)
May 11, 1937. Vandiver Brown sends Union Asbestos & Rubber a copy of Leroy Gardner's first progress report on the Saranac asbestosis experiments. Read it (Motley 1000)
May 11, 1937. Vandiver Brown sends Sumner Simpson Dr. Gardner's first progress report on the Saranac asbestosis experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 11, 1937. Vandiver Brown sends Union Asbestos & Rubber Gardner's first progress report on the industry-funded asbestosis experiments at Saranac. Read it (J-M chronology)
May 13, 1937. Union Asbestos & Rubber passes around Vandiver Brown's copy of Gardner's first Saranac progress report, which finds no significant early results. Read it (Motley 1000)
May 13, 1937. Sumner Simpson sends Dr. Gardner's first progress report to A. F. Townsend, Raybestos-Manhattan's executive chairman. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 13, 1937. Sumner Simpson sends George R. Weber at Manheim a copy of Dr. Gardner's first progress report on the Saranac asbestos experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 13, 1937. Sumner Simpson sends Dr. Gardner's first progress report to S. R. Zimmerman of the Lancaster law firm Zimmerman, Myers & Kready. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 13, 1937. Sumner Simpson thanks Vandiver Brown for Dr. Gardner's first progress report on the Saranac experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 15, 1937. S. R. Zimmerman thanks Sumner Simpson for a copy of Dr. Gardner's first progress report on the Saranac experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 20, 1937. Dr. R. R. Sayers of the Public Health Service sends the North Charleston plant its dust control study and asks to publish it in Public Health Reports. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 26, 1937. E. H. Jeffords urges Sumner Simpson to have dust readings deleted from a Public Health Service report before publication, because of the workers' suits against the company. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 28, 1937. George E. Pope reports the Stratford plant is adding bag collectors to answer a town committee's complaint about dust from the roof. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 1, 1937. An insurer's engineering manual tells inspectors asbestosis can cause disability and death, while treating shipbuilding as free of occupational disease hazards. Read it (J-M chronology)
July 22, 1937. E. H. Jeffords welcomes Johns-Manville dust engineer A. E. Rathgeb to the North Charleston plant on July 26. Read it (Simpson Papers)
September 23, 1937. Dr. Leroy Gardner reports that animals breathing asbestos dust for five months show no fibrosis yet; Vandiver Brown sends the report to Sumner Simpson. Read it (Simpson Papers)
September 25, 1937. Sumner Simpson sends George R. Weber a copy of Dr. Gardner's September 21 letter on the asbestos experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
September 27, 1937. Sumner Simpson reports that Dr. Gardner finds his early results "somewhat promising" but that a Harvard asbestos sample killed his animals on injection. Read it (Motley 1000)
September 29, 1937. Vandiver Brown tells Sumner Simpson he has heard nothing from Dr. Gardner about the Harvard asbestos sample that killed laboratory animals. Read it (Motley 1000)
October 18, 1937. Dr. Leroy Gardner tells Sumner Simpson that intravenous asbestos injections are causing striking results he cannot yet explain. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 23, 1937. Sumner Simpson sends Vandiver Brown a copy of Dr. Gardner's October 18 letter on the injection experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 25, 1937. Vandiver Brown thanks Sumner Simpson for Gardner's letter on the difficulties with intravenous injection of asbestos. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 10, 1937. South Carolina's state health board sends the North Charleston plant its dust study of the twisting department, showing improvement since February. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 11, 1937. E. H. Jeffords thanks the South Carolina health board's engineer for the twisting department dust report and accepts his offer of further studies. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 12, 1937. E. H. Jeffords sends Sumner Simpson the South Carolina health board's new dust report, saying the North Charleston plant still holds "an enviable position" in dust control. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 15, 1937. Col. A. F. Townsend thanks Sumner Simpson for the North Charleston dust control report, noting by hand "Very Fine." Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 19, 1937. Sumner Simpson tells E. H. Jeffords the state reports show North Charleston is "way below any possibility of asbestosis or any other asbestos disease." Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 22, 1937. On Sumner Simpson's instructions, E. H. Jeffords sends the Manheim plant's George R. Weber the state health board's North Charleston dust report. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 22, 1937. E. H. Jeffords tells Sumner Simpson the November dust study skipped the card room, whose latest counts are in the spring 1937 report. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 24, 1937. George R. Weber says Manheim will send Mr. Luttenberger to copy North Charleston's dust removal system and wants a similar Pennsylvania health report on file. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 26, 1937. Sumner Simpson asks E. H. Jeffords for a copy of the last dust report on the North Charleston card room. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 29, 1937. Sumner Simpson's secretary tells E. H. Jeffords to disregard the card room report request, since the report is already on file. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 6, 1937. E. H. Jeffords welcomes Mr. Luttenberger's visit but says North Charleston's experimental dust equipment has no drawings, offering to have some made. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 6, 1937. E. H. Jeffords sends Sumner Simpson his exchange with George R. Weber about Manheim copying North Charleston's dust control. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 22, 1937. Town officials and a citizens' committee tour the Stratford plant's dust and fume controls; asbestos dust is seen coming from roof cyclones. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 29, 1937. The Air Hygiene Foundation sends its members Legal Bulletin No. 3, a critical review of workers' compensation legislation. Read it (Simpson Papers)

1938

1938. The Saranac Laboratory's 1938 annual report publicly mentions results of Gardner's industry-funded asbestos dust experiments on animals. Read it (J-M chronology)
January 1938. J-M tells its Manville workers it is company policy to make plants "safe, healthful places to work," without naming asbestos or any dust disease. Read it (J-M chronology)
January 31, 1938. M. F. Judd tells the comptroller that Raybestos-Manhattan joined the Air Hygiene Foundation on May 12, 1937, and that Simpson wants the dues charged to the corporation. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 1, 1938. W. H. Dunn acknowledges the Air Hygiene Foundation dues and asks for the membership papers for the Passaic files. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 4, 1938. M. F. Judd sends the comptroller the Air Hygiene Foundation membership application, dues schedule and Legal Bulletins to circulate. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 5, 1938. The Air Hygiene Foundation thanks Sumner Simpson for Raybestos-Manhattan's $150 check for its 1938 membership. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 7, 1938. Raybestos-Manhattan's comptroller asks for Air Hygiene Foundation bulletins for each division and questions the company's dues bracket. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 8, 1938. Raybestos-Manhattan asks the Air Hygiene Foundation to send its bulletins to each division where asbestos is processed. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 8, 1938. M. F. Judd explains that Raybestos-Manhattan pays the Air Hygiene Foundation a special $200 rate instead of the $350 its size calls for. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 10, 1938. The Air Hygiene Foundation agrees to send its publications to each Raybestos-Manhattan division. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 15, 1938. South Carolina's state health board reports that dust in North Charleston's mule spinning room is far below the level needed to cause asbestosis. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 18, 1938. E. H. Jeffords thanks the state health board's engineer for the mule spinning dust study and welcomes further checks. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 18, 1938. E. H. Jeffords sends Sumner Simpson, in confidence, the state health board's favorable dust study of the mule spinning room. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 18, 1938. J-M's board learns its Canadian mill at Asbestos, Quebec, spreads about sixty tons of dust over the town, and that $215,000 is authorized to stop it. Read it (J-M chronology)
April 18, 1938. Saranac Laboratory reports that a year of very fine asbestos dust caused no fibrosis in animals and proposes that only longer fibers injure the lung. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 19, 1938. Dr. Leroy Gardner sends Vandiver Brown his second progress report, hoping the sponsors won't be too disappointed by its negative results. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 25, 1938. Vandiver Brown sends Sumner Simpson a copy of Gardner's second progress report on the asbestos dust experiments, with photographs. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 27, 1938. Sumner Simpson sends Gardner's second progress report to the North Charleston plant and asks for it back. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 27, 1938. Sumner Simpson tells Vandiver Brown that Gardner's negative fine-dust results surprise him and wonders what the experiment missed. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 28, 1938. Vandiver Brown tells Sumner Simpson that a mechanical action of asbestos would be good news because it would answer claims that the fibrosis progresses. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 29, 1938. Dr. A. J. Lanza of Metropolitan Life tells Vandiver Brown that Gardner's mechanical theory of asbestos dust is "very much in favor of the industry." Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 29, 1938. Sumner Simpson tells George R. Weber that Gardner's fine-dust tests showed practically no harm to the animals and asks for the Manheim plant's comments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 2, 1938. E. H. Jeffords sends Julian Mitchell the Simpson and Brown letters on Gardner's report and the Shabani Mines extract. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 2, 1938. E. H. Jeffords sends Sumner Simpson a South African report finding no asbestosis among Shabani mill men and plans to review Gardner's report with Dr. Lynch. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 4, 1938. Sumner Simpson sends Dr. Leroy U. Gardner the South African journal extract on the Shabani mill men. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 4, 1938. Sumner Simpson sends Vandiver Brown the South African journal extract reporting no asbestosis among the Shabani mill men. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 4, 1938. Sumner Simpson tells Vandiver Brown the money spent on Gardner's experiments looks "well worth while up to date." Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 5, 1938. Vandiver Brown tells Sumner Simpson the Shabani findings match J-M's experience at Asbestos, Quebec, and hopes for more "encouraging" medical reports. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 6, 1938. Dr. Kenneth Lynch writes that sufficient exposure to asbestos dust will cause asbestosis and doubts that Gardner's work disproves that the disease progresses. Read it (Motley 1000)
May 6, 1938. Dr. Leroy U. Gardner calls the Shabani mill men's record "quite gratifying" in light of his own experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 17, 1938. Sumner Simpson sends Dr. Gardner a copy of Dr. Lynch's comments on his report and invites him to write to Lynch directly. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 17, 1938. Sumner Simpson sends Vandiver Brown Dr. Lynch's comments on Gardner's report. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 17, 1938. Sumner Simpson's office asks North Charleston to return Gardner's original report so it can go to George R. Weber. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 18, 1938. Vandiver Brown tells Sumner Simpson that Dr. Lynch's comments are thoughtful but that any conclusions from Gardner's experiments so far would be premature. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 19, 1938. The Charleston factory manager returns Dr. Gardner's progress report on the asbestos dust experiments to Sumner Simpson's office. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 19, 1938. Dr. Gardner tells Sumner Simpson he suspects Dr. Lynch's autopsied asbestosis cases had silica exposure and defends his findings on the lack of progression. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 21, 1938. Sumner Simpson sends Dr. Gardner's progress report and related letters to George R. Weber at the Manheim plant. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 21, 1938. Sumner Simpson's secretary thanks the Charleston factory manager for returning Dr. Gardner's progress report. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 1, 1938. George R. Weber returns Dr. Gardner's progress report and the related letters to Sumner Simpson. Read it (Simpson Papers)
August 1938. The U.S. Public Health Service publishes its study of asbestos textile workers and proposes 5 million particles per cubic foot as a tentative safe limit. Read it (J-M chronology)
September 9, 1938. Bronson Batchelor alerts Vandiver Brown that the Public Health Service's asbestosis study of the textile industry has been listed in the Capitol Daily. Read it (J-M chronology)
October 7, 1938. Asbestos magazine's editor sends Sumner Simpson an India-Rubber Journal item on a British dust respirator whose filter is made of chrysotile asbestos and wool. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 10, 1938. Sumner Simpson invites Asbestos magazine's editor and publisher to visit the Charleston or Manheim plants and see the dust control in the dust and card rooms. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 23, 1938. Metropolitan Life's Dr. McConnell asks Raybestos-Manhattan to X-ray Manheim workers a third time to show in its asbestos report that asbestosis develops very slowly. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 28, 1938. O. H. Cilley agrees to X-ray the 63 Manheim workers on Metropolitan Life's list, at about $315, and asks how the cost was handled before. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 6, 1938. Dr. McConnell tells O. H. Cilley that the Manheim films matter for Metropolitan Life's nearly finished asbestos industry report because earlier films exist for comparison. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 9, 1938. Leroy Gardner reports that very finely ground asbestos has caused little lung scarring in animals and starts a new experiment with long-fibered chrysotile. Read it (Motley 1000)
December 16, 1938. Sumner Simpson thanks Vandiver Brown for sending a copy of Dr. Gardner's latest progress report on the Saranac asbestos experiments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 19, 1938. A Union Asbestos & Rubber manager reports that Gardner's Saranac experiments point to particle size, not chemistry, as the cause of asbestos fibrosis. Read it (Motley 1000)
December 22, 1938. M. F. Judd sends the comptroller Johns-Manville's invoice for Raybestos-Manhattan's $166.67 share of the fourth quarter payment for the Saranac asbestosis study. Read it (Simpson Papers)

1939

1939. A Johns-Manville release on its Asbestos, Quebec, hospital says workers show "remarkable freedom from dust diseases" and that dust "is not a serious hazard." Read it (J-M chronology)
January 9, 1939. Dr. Paul Snoke sends the Manheim workers' X-ray films to Metropolitan Life and reports that most show no change but several show marked changes. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 10, 1939. O. H. Cilley thanks Dr. Snoke for his daily X-ray reports and says he has asked Metropolitan Life to compare the old and new films. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 10, 1939. O. H. Cilley asks Metropolitan Life's Dr. McConnell to compare the Manheim workers' new X-rays with those taken in 1935. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 11, 1939. Raybestos-Manhattan's comptroller sends the Air Hygiene Foundation a $200 check for the company's 1939 membership dues. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 12, 1939. The Air Hygiene Foundation thanks Raybestos-Manhattan for renewing its membership, saying such support builds favorable public opinion toward industry. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 20, 1939. A. F. Townsend proposes outside plant examinations and running dust records for use against compensation claims and the asbestosis lawsuits facing Raybestos-Manhattan. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 25, 1939. Sumner Simpson answers A. F. Townsend that factory dust control is well in hand, offering to discuss it at their next meeting. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 26, 1939. Metropolitan Life sends Manheim its comparison of three sets of workers' X-rays, finding in most cases no very definite progress of the disease. Read it (Simpson Papers)
January 27, 1939. Vandiver Brown has J-M's Newark lawyers watch for New Jersey bills that would make silicosis, asbestosis or pneumoconiosis compensable. Read it (J-M chronology)
January 30, 1939. O. H. Cilley thanks Metropolitan Life for the X-ray comparison, saying Manheim's dust control of the past three years seems to be showing results. Read it (Simpson Papers)
February 8, 1939. Vandiver Brown reviews New Jersey bills to make dust disease compensable, noting nearly ten years without a claim by a Manville employee: "I am keeping my fingers crossed." Read it (J-M chronology)
March 21, 1939. A. S. Rossiter of Asbestos magazine sends Sumner Simpson a clipped article on asbestosis. Read it (Motley 1000)
March 22, 1939. Raybestos-Manhattan's Bridgeport office sends the comptroller Johns-Manville's $166.67 invoice for the company's first quarter 1939 share of the Saranac asbestosis study. Read it (Simpson Papers)
March 22, 1939. Sumner Simpson tells Asbestos magazine's editor, in confidence, about the Saranac findings and says he will not make them public for now. Read it (Motley 1000)
March 23, 1939. Asbestos magazine's editor agrees to keep asbestosis out of the magazine and keep Sumner Simpson's Saranac news confidential until he is ready to publish. Read it (Motley 1000)
March 23, 1939. The comptroller pays Johns-Manville's Saranac invoice and notes that the last Saranac report in his file is the one sent in May 1937. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 5, 1939. The Air Hygiene Foundation offers Raybestos-Manhattan dust surveys by a "disinterested" authority, to help defend against workers' compensation claims. Read it (J-M chronology)
April 5, 1939. Vandiver Brown returns Simpson's copy of an article by Drs. Sayers and Dreessen and says he will get the journal for his files. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 10, 1939. A trade journal prints Mellon Institute's annual report, with a section praising the Air Hygiene Foundation's member companies for their work on workers' health. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 10, 1939. Sumner Simpson declines an Air Hygiene Foundation plant survey, saying the industry is already carrying on its own three-year dust study, and refers Meller to Vandiver Brown. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 10, 1939. Sumner Simpson sends Vandiver Brown copies of the Air Hygiene Foundation's survey offer and his reply declining it. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 19, 1939. Asbestos magazine's editor sends Sumner Simpson and Vandiver Brown word of a medical journal review of the Public Health Service's asbestos textile study. Read it (Simpson Papers)
April 27, 1939. The Air Hygiene Foundation sends members Mellon Institute's annual report, with its section on the Foundation's work. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 3, 1939. Vandiver Brown reminds Raybestos-Manhattan that under the 1936 agreement the funding companies decide whether and how Gardner's asbestos results are made public. Read it (J-M chronology)
May 4, 1939. Sumner Simpson tells Vandiver Brown that Gardner should not use asbestosis material "without our consent," since results could be "very embarrassing." Read it (J-M chronology)
May 5, 1939. Sumner Simpson asks Leroy Gardner for the Saranac Laboratory's 1938 report and his February 1939 mining engineers' paper. Read it (J-M chronology)
May 5, 1939. The mayor of Asbestos, Quebec, thanks Canadian Johns-Manville for new equipment to catch the mill dust that had spread over the town. Read it (J-M chronology)
May 10, 1939. Saranac Laboratory sends Sumner Simpson its 1938 annual report, with Gardner's paper to the mining engineers, and puts him on its mailing list. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 24, 1939. Vandiver Brown arranges for Metropolitan Life's Dr. W. J. McConnell to read X-rays of workers at J-M's new Jarratt, Virginia, plant. Read it (J-M chronology)
May 25, 1939. Metropolitan Life's Dr. McConnell sends Sumner Simpson two copies of the recheck dust survey of the Manheim plant. Read it (Simpson Papers)
May 29, 1939. Asbestos magazine's editor tells Sumner Simpson of a short item on asbestosis in the May 20, 1939 Journal of the American Medical Association. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 2, 1939. O. H. Cilley asks Sumner Simpson for a copy of Metropolitan Life's spring 1939 dust survey at Manheim to compare with the previous one. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 2, 1939. Sumner Simpson sends George Weber the Metropolitan Life recheck survey of Manheim and asks whether dust has improved in each department. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 2, 1939. Sumner Simpson thanks Metropolitan Life's Dr. McConnell for the Manheim recheck survey report. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 3, 1939. Collier's reports Canadian experiments in which aluminum dust kept rabbits breathing silica from developing silicosis. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 6, 1939. Sumner Simpson tells O. H. Cilley the Manheim survey report went to George Weber on June 2. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 10, 1939. O. H. Cilley sends Sumner Simpson a table showing Manheim dust counts fell sharply from 1935 to 1939 and says further reductions are practicable. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 16, 1939. Sumner Simpson sends A. F. Heinsohn at North Charleston the table of Manheim dust counts for 1935, 1938 and 1939. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 16, 1939. Sumner Simpson congratulates O. H. Cilley on the drop in Manheim dust counts between 1935 and 1939. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 19, 1939. Saranac Laboratory holds its Fourth Silicosis Symposium, with no session on asbestos on the program. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 20, 1939. A. F. Heinsohn compares Manheim's 1939 dust counts with North Charleston's 1936 and 1937 counts, which are lower in most departments. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 23, 1939. Raybestos-Manhattan sends its comptroller Johns-Manville's $166.67 invoice for the second quarter 1939 share of the Saranac asbestosis study. Read it (Simpson Papers)
June 26, 1939. Raybestos-Manhattan pays Johns-Manville $166.67 as its share of the Saranac experiments for the quarter ended June 30, 1939. Read it (Simpson Papers)
July 12, 1939. Vandiver Brown assures the Budd company that J-M's Stonefelt insulation cannot cause silicosis, citing a Metropolitan Life survey of J-M plants. Read it (J-M chronology)
August 1939. Julia Lacho sues Johns-Manville over the death of her husband, a Manville plant weaver, saying the plant was full of asbestos dust; the case is settled. Read it (Motley 1000)
August 3, 1939. Manville plant workers' families sue J-M over asbestos dust; a plant memo on one case says it "was not the policy of the Company" to warn employees of dust danger. Read it (J-M chronology)
September 28, 1939. Metropolitan Life tells Sumner Simpson that its Mr. Petrick will come to the Stratford plant on October 9 to make a dust study. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 2, 1939. Sumner Simpson welcomes Metropolitan Life's dust study at Stratford and notes that the Bridgeport plant has closed. Read it (Simpson Papers)
October 6, 1939. Vandiver Brown chides Aetna's Walter Paine for not visiting, promising to "raise no 'dusty' problems" next time. Read it (J-M chronology)
November 27, 1939. Vandiver Brown sends Sumner Simpson Leroy Gardner's letter: fine ground asbestos has given negative results, and a long-fibre test needs another year. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 29, 1939. Metropolitan Life sends Sumner Simpson two copies of its recheck dust survey of the Stratford plant. Read it (Simpson Papers)
November 29, 1939. O. H. Cilley at Manheim receives the Air Hygiene Foundation meeting report from Sumner Simpson and passes it to the plant's staff. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 4, 1939. Sumner Simpson's office acknowledges Metropolitan Life's recheck survey of the Stratford plant. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 14, 1939. Leroy Gardner tells the sponsoring asbestos companies his animal experiments have not produced the expected asbestosis and asks them to fund another year. Read it (J-M chronology)
December 15, 1939. R. B. Davis invites Connecticut's Dr. Albert S. Gray to tour the Stratford plant and asks for the state's dust-count standards. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 18, 1939. Vandiver Brown receives Gardner's interim report, will send it to the ten sponsoring companies, and leaves further funding to the group. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 18, 1939. Raybestos-Manhattan pays Johns-Manville $166.67 as its share of the Saranac experiments for the last quarter of 1939. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 20, 1939. Connecticut's Dr. Albert S. Gray agrees to inspect the Stratford plant after the new year and will bring dust-count figures. Read it (Simpson Papers)
December 26, 1939. Vandiver Brown sends Raybestos-Manhattan Gardner's interim report and asks whether it will share $5,000 to finish the asbestos experiments. Read it (J-M chronology)
December 28, 1939. Sumner Simpson agrees to pay Raybestos-Manhattan's share of Gardner's experiments for one more year, but no longer without definite results. Read it (Simpson Papers)

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