and two more infected people were found in a third one—a rare occurrence at that time. I firmly believed that there were more incidents of the disease in that house, intentionally or unintentionally hidden. And placing the bedding of a sick person in a chamber where the gas was too weak to keep even people at bay would bring disease and disaster on all the tenants who had their possessions in that chamber.
[9] Therefore, I demanded that the brigade immediately stop their work. I told the doctor and the director that using unsuitable sulphur in this building was tantamount to poisoning a well with cholera germs. It would flood the tenement with typhus, which, in time, could reach us as well. Although it sounds impossible, my explanations fell on deaf ears. I was told that it was my duty to carry out my instructions, using the material that the department had provided for us. I gave up, thinking that the command of the brigades would obtain adequate sulphur in the meantime, and would not allow the chambers to be opened until they were tested and possibly re-gassed.
The following day, on 12 June, I told the director of the degassing section not to allow the chambers to be opened without consulting with the command, and I drew his attention to the great danger if the contents of the chambers were to be given back to the tenants. That day, I was working in a tenement house at Franciszkańska Street 21. Due to the size of the property, there were two directors of the operations, one from yesterday—K., and another one—B. I, as usual, was responsible for sulphur. To my horror, I was once again given the crude sulphur which would not burn. I turned to the brigade doctor, Dr. G, and explained to him the dangers of using this material. I got a briefing that said I was not to worry about it, and that I was to take care of my own affairs. This response, despite [10] its clarity, was far from satisfying. Feigning subordination, I decided to prevent the column from completing its work that day. Fate worked in my favour. The supply of materials that day was particularly inadequate. There were not enough brushes, paper, denatured alcohol, or tin, or even employees to seal the chambers. And I was not trying very hard, as was my usual wont, to restock the lacking supplies. In the evening, however, thanks to the efforts of director K., everything was ready and at my disposal. I set up gas in only some of the chambers. Among all that work—it was 8:30 in the evening—I left, citing the late hour and my long way home as my reason. I left everything to the grace of God, believing
