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Show 5 BABY DEATHS' LAID TOHEATER PERTH AMBOY, N. J, Oct 24 Lf A 9-day-old boy, K1 survivor of a nursery tragedy, cried healthily health-ily In hit hospital basket today as police blamed a defective radiator " valve for the steam asphyxiation of his five infant companions. Four of the Infants never regained re-gained consciousness and the fifth, . 6-day-old son "of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Hatarlck of Perth Am boy, died in the general hospital several sev-eral hours after being revived. Only the child of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Abary of Carteret survives. sur-vives. He was reported in "good" condition and In no danger. Police Chief Frank Selboth as-' as-' serted that the escaping steam came from a radiator valve which had been repaired with adhesive tape. Radiator Faulty He said Engineer .Raymond C Hunt, "engaged by Middlesex County Prosecutor Charles Morris to Inspect the hospital heating plant, reported "the condition of 1 m - ht ' iha thread had little or no holding power with the thread of the radiator." Hunt's report Chief Selboth added, add-ed, said that "from hte condition of the thread of the air valve It could have been dislodged either by a Jar of the radiator or by the normal pressure (of steam)." The tour'mfants who died yesterday yes-terday morning were the 5-day-old son of Sergeant and Mrs. John Rigg of Raritan arsenal, the 9-day-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Jankowskl of Woodbrtdge, the 10-day-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Ruszala of Perth Amboy unwed mother. Steam Asphyxiation ' The county coroner's report said the deaths were due to "asphyxiation "asphyxia-tion by steam" and later Dr. William Wil-liam C. Wilentz, county medical examiner, announced the same decision de-cision after an autopsy on the Hatarlck child. The parents, unaware for some time of the deaths, took the news "very sensibly and bravely," Sarah Van Gelder, hospital superintendent superintend-ent said. "We did not have any trouble with them." Miss Van Gelder said the steam exhausted the nursery's oxygen . some time between 1:30 a. m, when the nurse In charge made a routine check, and 2 a. m., when she returned to take the babies to i. .tiaCa" mothers for feeding. |