NORFOLK, Va. — John and Edward Lane Sr. made a science out of killing moths.
The father and son started manufacturing cedar chests in 1912 in the tiny railroad town of Altavista, near Lynchburg, Va. The Lane Co. soon emerged as the top maker of cedar chests in the United States, largely because its product was sealed so tightly that Lane offered customers a free moth insurance policy.
The company concluded that newborn moth larvae smother in fumes from an oil found in the wood. The chests had spongy strips to seal the lid and special glues to reinforce the corner joints. Special locks and hinges prevented air from seeping in or out.
In perfecting the "aroma tight" cedar chest, Lane overlooked one thing.
"We began to realize these things are hazardous to children," said Edward H. Lane Jr., 86, who worked for 30 years in the business started by his grandfather and father. "We never thought of that. We were only thinking about moth larvae."
Twelve children have suffocated inside Lane cedar chests. The two most recent cases occurred last year.
In August, three children ages 7, 3 and 1 died in St. Louis, Mo., inside a 1941-model Lane chest at the foot of their parents' bed. The children were home alone while their parents were at work.
Four months later, in Springfield, Mass., two brothers ages 13 and 6 climbed into a trunk, apparently to hide from their sister. They were unconscious when their mother discovered them and could not be revived.
In pursuing airtight perfection, the Lanes put locks on their chests that latched automatically and could not be opened from inside. The company did not make childproof locks standard until 1987.
Medical experts say a child trapped inside an airtight chest can die before a parent is aware that he is missing. Dr. Sam Bartle of the pediatric emergency department at Virginia Commonwealth University Healthsystems said suffocation deaths handled by the Richmond hospital typically occur in 15 minutes or less.
On Aug. 5, three young sisters, ages 2, 4, and 6, crawled into a cedar chest as their mother did farm chores near Unity, Wis. They had suffocated by the time their mother and older sisters found them less than an hour later. Information on the maker of that chest was not reported.
Ken Giles, spokesman for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said Lane cedar chests are the oldest product on the agency's list of recalls. Next in line is a freezer made between 1945 and 1970 that poses a suffocation risk because its lid automatically latches.
Lane made 12 million cedar chests with unsafe locks between 1912 and 1987. Officials estimate that 6.5 million are still in use. And finding the owners, many of whom have inherited the keepsakes or bought them as antiques, is a mind-boggling task.
"We know there are millions of them out there in people's attics still," Giles said. "It remains an open question what more could be done."
The Lane family sold the cedar chest company to Mississippi-based Furniture Brands International in 1988. The new owners agreed to pay $900,000 to settle accusations that it failed to report several suffocation deaths in the early 1990s. Federal law requires companies to report any deaths, injuries, consumer complaints or internal testing that suggest a product may be dangerous.
Since 1996, Lane has spent about $2 million advertising in national magazines, including Better Homes & Gardens and Modern Maturity, to spread word about its lock replacement program. The company distributed a video news release on the program to every television news station in the country.
The Lane family never imagined that its cedar chests would be the source of grief. The Lanes' dream was to perfect the "hope chest," a treasured heirloom filled with bridal gowns, grandma's quilts and other keepsakes.
"My father came up with the idea of the hope chest as an initial gift from a young man to a young lady he was interested in as a prior gift before the engagement ring," explained Ed Lane Jr. "He came up with the slogan, 'The gift that starts the home.' "
The last Lane cedar chest manufactured in North America rolled off the assembly line in Altavista in September 2001. The chests are now made in China "to meet competition," company officials said.
That was a bittersweet day for Ed Lane Jr., but, nearly a year later, he is philosophical about the impact foreign competition has had on his hometown and his family's former business.
There is one part of the company history that Ed Lane Jr. would rewrite if he could. But, he wonders, who could have anticipated the lost children.
"When the Lord said on the cross, 'Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,' he wasn't just talking about those two guys up there with him. He was talking about the whole human race," Lane said. "We all do things when we have no idea what the consequences will be. We couldn't foresee this, but we did the best we could to correct it."
How to get a new lock:
Owners of Lane or Virginia Maid cedar chests made between 1912 and 1987 can get a free replacement lock by:
Calling Lane toll-free at 1-888-856-8758.
Visiting the Lane Web site at Newlock.net
Writing Lane Furniture Industries, P.O. Box 1627, Tupelo, Miss. 38802.
The new locks are simple to install, but Lane will make special arrangements for consumers who need assistance.