Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1883-09-20

DAd bOysen Die of SuMOcatiOm or
From Other Causes?

From Other Causes?
The SENTINEL published yesterday morn
ing an account Of the death OF Chris
Boysen, q miner, at the bottom Of the
Oswego incline shaft or Tuesday morning,
which account was substantially repro
duced yesterday before the Coroner's in
quest. 1t will be interesting to snalyze
that testimony to determine, as far as may
be, on the ground Of probability, what
was the immediate cause of Boysen's
death. We are not unaware that the Cor.
oner's jury gave its verdict to the effect
that Boysen's death was the result Of his
breathing foul air. The verdict of the
lurNrpsy be correct. The presumption ID
in favor of it's correctness, but il may be
wrong.
We follow the testimony and judge by
It. The incline shaft (angle not given)
had foul air in IL. The shaft ia only so
feet deep on the incline and less, of course,
on the perpendicular. 1t was not given in
evidence, but there are two small drifts
above the bottom Of the shaft. 1t il
readily perceived that the space in
the shaft is not ample for the generation OF
foul air, and the small drifts are
above where Boysen fell and breathed his
last. Although the space may be large
enough in which to form poisonous and
suffocating gases, 1t is hardly probable
that these gases in such q space could form
in such quantity as to produce almost
instantaneous death. The fact is that the
inhalation Of carbonic acid gas. the only
gas probably generated in the Oswego
shaft, does not cause immediate death.
Lynott stated in his testimony that he
heard Boysen hello, and that he ran to bis
relief and in four minutes he had de-
scended TO the bottom of the shaft, when
he found his partner dead. He stated
also, which, however, was not taken down
by the Coroner, that Boysen had not been
gone more than three or four minutes
before he heard him scream for help.
When these figures are considered it will
appear that Boysen was dead and "as
lump as a rag" in four minutes, the actual
time 1t took Lynott to run and descend
the incline.
That he should expire so quickly from
the suffocating effects OF foul air seems in
credible. Death by such means has never
been known to be 30 rapid. There are
poisonous gases that cause instantaneous
death, but no such gases are known in this
mining region. The gas by which Boysen
was affected, if affected to q serious extent
by any. was earbonic acid gas. The over
p0wering effect Of this gas is so gradual
that those who have been saved from its
influence say that they we're hardly aware
of the approach Of danger.
DR.. Owen cited an instance. Hon.
Thomas Rockhill Of Hamilton, q miner Of
great nerve and presence Of mind, says
that he was once in 9 drift OF bad air. He
felt q disposition to yawn, and he had the
sensation Of going off into q pleasant sleep,
He had been in the foul air for some lime
before he ~succumbed, and lay down, as he
thought, to take a nap. fortunately, as
he lay PROSTATE and unconscious q draft
blew in. and driving the n~oxious gases
above him gave him q chance to fill his
lungs with fresh air underneath and he re.
vIved and made his escape. He was over
come 80 slowly. so gradually and so
insidiously that he had no thought of cry
ing for help. even il he had had the
strength to do so. He did not know what
the danger was until it had all passed
away.
But here we find that in a 50-foot in
cline, the bottom of which you can see dis
tinctly from above. q mar dies SAL dead as
a door nall in four minutes,
And he utters a yell when he finds him.
self in danger Of suffocaiion, that Lynott
heard distinctly at the cabin. distant 100
yards from the mouth OF the incline. SO
distinctly that he recognized his partners
voice. Such q yell under the presumed
circumstances lsuffocation) is not credible.
One OF the witnesses testified that he
could have breathed in the incline Tues
day afternoon ten minutes and then climb
.-., aaa.Ix nor shat ia - ha Af1 mot
work in the bad air-and Boysen did nc
work. There were no Tools in the incline.
DR.. Owen testified that the face of a man
who has been suffocated is discolored in
the same manner as though he had been
choked by hanging. The complexion be-
comes suffused by dark. purplish, veinous
blood. Boysen was taken out probably
within, at most, an hour after he had ex-
PRED. Witnesses state that whea the
corpse was brought to the surface its face
was pale. There was nothing about the
countenance to indicate the death agony
but q frothy mucus from the nose and
mouth. q phenomenon never attending
suffocstion. 1t was given in testimony
that Boysen, sinc6 1876, when he was
poisoned by drinking water melted from
snow In q galvanized vessel, had been sub
ject to fainting fits, having been attacked
in that way as late as last Saturday on
Mccoy Hill, near Eureka.
From all Of these circumstances ccnsid-
cred together, IL seems highly probable
that the unfortunate Boysen, upon reach
ing the bottom of the incline, was at
tackled by a 1T. s~uperinduced, perhaps, by
had air, aud that in the agony Of the
paroxysm he screamed aloud. This scream
Of pain his partner, Lynott, very proba-
bly,, being greatly excited, construed into
a yell for hep.
The body bore no wounds except that
the upper lip was cut as the deceased
fell with his face down on the ground.
There was q confusion towards the fore
head near the temple, doubtless caused
in the same way. His limbs seemed
bruised, but that appearance was caused
by the rubbing the body was subjected
to when brought to the surface in the
fruitless endeavor to restore the de-
ceased to consciousness.
An autopsy, which would have deter
mined the cause Of his death, would have
been eminently satisfactory. for wherever
there 10 ground for doubt in such q case
it il always OF interest to know how 3
fellow human came to sudden death
There was no indication Of foul play.
however, which alone would legalize the
expense Of an autopsy; hence none was mad.
Accident NJ En- rsOn.
For the onvenience Of spectators the