It all started on Sunday 14 February 1904 when a forty-nine year old man called John James was found dead, lying across a hearthrug at his rented home. Doctors were called to the house where they found several other people in a very poorly condition. They had all been ill since the previous Friday and were in a very sad state. Consequently those exhibiting such symptoms were removed to the Royal Infirmary, whilst the body of James was taken to the Sheffield Mortuary. Those removed were identified as being Georgina Parry and her fourteen year old daughter Ethel May, who had both lived in the same house for the past two years.
A next door neighbour forty-seven year old John Smith had also been affected and he too was taken to the Infirmary. They all complained that they had started feeling ill on the Friday with an attack of dizziness, followed by fainting, excessive vomiting and finally losing consciousness altogether. It seems that Mrs Parry had a neighbour called Mrs Hopewell, who had gone to call on her on the Friday night. The two women had been chatting when suddenly Georgina stood up and clutched at the kitchen table. She told her neighbour that she felt ‘funny.’ Mrs Hopewell gently guided her to the sofa and urged her friend to lie down for a minute, which she did.
However, she no sooner lay down than she started vomiting. Her daughter, Ethel was sent to buy some whiskey and brandy from the local shop in order to try to settle Georgina’s stomach. Later, around 10 pm, Ethel herself started to have the very same symptoms. The next day being Saturday, neighbours again went to the house to find out how the pair had fared during the night. Georgina said she had slept on the sofa, whilst Ethel had managed to go upstairs to bed. John James at that point seemed to be in his usual health, although he admitted to having a hangover from going out drinking alcohol the night before.
Local surgeon Dr Byrne was called out on Saturday but he was unable to give an opinion as to the cause. Both mother and daughter had complained of feeling very muddled and confused and were still complaining of pains in their heads. Dr Byrne was at a loss to explain their symptoms and simply prescribed warmth and nourishment. The lodger John James was very concerned about Georgina and little Ethel and he and the neighbour John Smith decided to stay up all night and check on the pair occasionally. Later that day Georgina’s married daughter, Florence also went to attend to her mother and sister
She arrived at the house and had not been inside long, when Florence too began to feel strange. She complained about hearing a strange noise in her ears before she too fell down unconscious. The following day around 8 am, yet another neighbour called Mrs Summers went to the house. There she found Smith sitting upright in a chair foaming from the mouth. James was also there lying on the hearthrug, but he was clearly already quite dead. When news of this sudden tragedy began to circulate, Inspector Hebb of the Sheffield police was sent to the house to investigate, but he too could not detect fumes of any kind.
He and a sergeant searched the house from top to bottom, but there was no suggestion of anything poisonous, either by foul air or gas to be found. Both men spent some time especially in the kitchen where most of the attacks had taken place, but thankfully neither suffered any ill effects whatsoever. However the Inspector noted that the air in the kitchen seemed very bad, but still confirmed that there was no smell of gas. He discussed the case with Dr Hargit who had sent the sufferers to the Infirmary. He stated that he had also examined the people at the house for signs of any narcotics by checking the pupils of their eyes but found none of the usual symptoms were present.
An inquest on the body of John James was arranged for Wednesday 17 February 1904 to be held at the Sheffield Mortuary by the Deputy Coroner, Mr Kenyon Parker. Neighbour Mrs Mary Ann Chapman told the jury that on Saturday, James came into her house and asked her to come and stay the night with Georgina and her daughter who were all ill. However the witness mentioned that his own manner was very strange indeed and as he talked, he threw his arms around and exclaimed that he was ‘going mad.’ She finally persuaded James to lie down and he did so on the hearthrug in front of the fire.
Another neighbour, Mary Summers confirmed her account when she too went to the house in the early hours of Sunday morning and saw James on the floor. However, by this time Mrs Chapman too was foaming at the mouth. The witness said that around 3.30 am she took the afflicted neighbour back to her own house, although she had vomited on the way home. Georgina’s married daughter, Florence told the inquest that at 9 am she had gone to her mothers house where she found John James still on the floor, but he was quite dead. She stated that whilst she was at the house she had to keep going to the door for fresh air.
She described it as being ‘no smell but the air of the house was stifling, especially in the kitchen’. Whilst the inquest was ongoing however, it was not the Inspector or the surgeons who finally came up with the conclusion to this puzzling case. Instead it was a suggestion which had been put forward earlier that same day by the Sheffield Daily Telegraph dated Wednesday 17 February 1904. The report indicated that James’ house abuts on the end wall of the Star Steel Works which contain Siemans steel furnaces. The premises had been empty until the previous Thursday, the day before Georgina and her daughter were taken ill.
They had since been taken over by another firm and it had been supposed that when the furnaces were re-lit, that the stale gas would be set in motion and carbonic oxide was formed. This might have caused the illnesses which had also affected a house fronting onto Attercliffe Road occupied by a family named Baxter. It was suggested that when the furnaces were in full production there was no danger from carbonic oxide as it usually escapes up the chimney. However the theory suggested that unused gas in the chimney had caused the outbreak.
Accordingly, after hearing from all the witnesses, the inquest jury came to the conclusion that both the death of John James and the other persons illnesses came from this carbon monoxide gas. It was suggested that it may have come into the house via the cellars from the brickworks of the underground flues of the steelworks next door. The Sheffield Medical Officer of Health, Dr Scurfield confirmed this giving his opinion that the brickworks might have contracted through being out of action for so long, before being started up again, leaving open joints.
Dr Scurfield said that he had communicated with the Siemens Company and they reported that the furnaces were indeed started up again on Thursday 11 February after being idle for some months. Georgina and her daughter became ill the next day. The surgeon concluded that the house was now to be left empty, although he said it was to be rented by the steelworks next door. It was hoped that after six months to erect a concrete wall to a depth below the foundations of the house, in order to prevent such an occurrence happening again.