The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-04-17
STIFLED WITH GAS.
A Young Mans Struggle for Life
Against the Poison.
EFFORTS TO REsUsc,rATe md.
vashsn kaneheP Leaves the Gas Turned
- end Breashes IL for Houfs-
His Life Despaired Of.

George Mclaughlin, . young vashon
island rancher. was found insensible IN
room 4S at the Queen City hotel yesterday
morning At II O'Clock from the effects of
gas. The physicians in charge labored
with him all day and did not give up hope
until midaight, when the verdict was
given that he could live but short time.
II is thought by all who knew the young
man that he turned out the gas and at the
same time turned it on. He was q hard
working, light-hearted fellow, without bad
habits and had $40 under his pillow when
found. By q process of elimination the
theory of suicide would be excluded.
Mclaughlin came into the hotel about
IL o'clock at night, registered and was as
signed to an inside room, No. 43. He was
perfectly sober, and carried 3 bundle in
which were pair of shoes and some pen
ellis. In accordance with the rules of the
hotel he was given q candle, although
there was gas in the room. The object of
tn . on the part of the proprietor is econ
omy and protection to people who come in
late and might not handle the gas fixtures
properly.
Mclaughlin was seen to come down
stairs about o'clock in the morning, and
/. then 60 back to bed. He did not talk to
any one, and nothing unusual was OBJ
served in his manner. At IL o'clock one
of the lodgers came running down stairs
and told porter Michael Donough that
some one was groaning in room 43, and
that he could smell gas in the hall. Dom
ough went to the room and found the
door locked, the transom closed tightly,
and from inside he could hear the dull
groans of q person in distress. He forced
up the window that opens on the hall
and found Mclaughlin lying in bed un-
dressed and breathing heavily in q dense
atmosphere.
He turned of the gas and then, picking
up the stupefed man. took him across the
hall to an outside room. The windows
were thrown open and word sent to Drs.
George Newlands and Oliver p. Askam.
They arrived in q short time and COM
menced the work of resuscitatIon. From
the beginning there did not seem to be
chance for the unfortunate young man,
for at the least calculation he had been
breathing the poisonous combination for
three hours. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon
the doctors still kept on with their efforts,
although the patient had not reused or re-
sponded in the least to the oxygen
pumped into his lungs. 1t seemed as if
the gas had permeated every pore and so
thoroughly taken hold of the blood that it
was simply question of few hours be-
fore the young and vigorous life must
give up the battle. The doctors agreed
that were it not for a vigorous constitu-
ton the dread messenger would have been
admitted before.
At 4:3O o'clock McLaughlin's condition
changed for the better, and, though his
heart was weak. the color in his face be.
came normal and he moved once or twice.
From then on to $50 o'clock there was
little change and the main hope lay in the
possibility that he would be able to stand
the stimuiants given by hypodermic in
jections. Drs. Askam and Newlands were
both at the bedside at midnight and said
the patient was rapidly losing strength
and the end was not far distant.
George Mclaughlin was about % years
old, native of Canada, born near Toronto.
and had been in this country four years.
He took up ranch on Vashon island and
worked in shingle mill. His father and
mother are alive and he has an aunt, Mrs.
Robert Goodburn. living at 6l9 James
street, this city.