The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-01-02
OVERCOME BY GAS
David Doolittle, of Salina, Meets
Sudden Death.
Gas Heater i'm the Bath Room
Out of Order.
WIFE UNCONSCIOUS.
Narrow Escape From Being As
phyxiated in the Tub.
Managed TO Reach the Telephone
and Call Central.


sa1ina, Kan, Jan. 2.-The Union
says:
Overcome by gas, David Doolitt!e,
living on South santa Fe7 avenue in
the Hopkins home. fell dead beside his
unconscious wife last night, at midi
night. His wife had tainted and it is
thought that he had started to assist
her when he fell. Mrs. Doolittle lay
in the room for fully one hour and
thirty minutes before she. revived and
a few minutes later she found her
husband, lying dead on the floor,
David Doolittle was a travelling
salesman for a Kansas City house. He
had been working late at nights be-
cause of the holiday rush, and last
night did not get his trunks packed
until very nearly midnight. His wife
assisted him and when the task was
finished she went into the bath room
to take a bath. In the. bath room
there was an instantaneous gas heater
and Mrs Doolittle heated this to- heat
the water. 15F-r~ ,t~;~- -
1t seems that this heater was badly
in need of repair and the plumber had
warned them not to use it. Without
thinking. however, Mrs. Doolittle
lighted it and few minutes later
stepped into the tub. 1000. --.--.-
At the time she felt a very queer
feeling coming over her and she
called for her husband. He came into
the room and at that time she was
naerly fainting.
Mother. the water is too hot" he
said and then he advised her to step
out of the tub, which she did. Next
moment she tainted and she remem-
bered nothing more. This was about
midnight.
Between 1880 and 1:45 o'clock this
morning. she commenced s. to revive.
Although the eleetrfez light was still
burning in the room, sho could scarce
was. She attempted to get up. but
could not walk and crawled out into
the bedroom. She found; the bed
empty, and called her husbands name.
dragged herself out to the kitchen
There she found some whisky and
drank a little of 1t. This revived her
to some extent and she was able to
walk into the bath room. There she
saw him, in the corner, in a sitting
posture, his head lying down on his
breast. y
She called him, but receiving no an
swer, thought that he too had tainted.
She tried to make him drink whisky
and then fear caused her to rush to
the telephone where she called Cen
trail, and dropped the reeeiYer1zs.s.s~
as Central knew by the fri htened tone
that something was wrong and rang
ed that DR.. Crawford be sent for.y~ In
few minutes the doctor arrived and
found that Doolittle was dead. The
body was already growing stiff and it
is believed that he dropped dead a
moment after his wife tainted
The coroner was called and an ex-
animation made. 1t was found that
the dead man had been asphyxiated.
The only thing that saved the wife
was that she had turned off the in
Simultaneous heater and when she fell
she lay stretched out on the floor so
that the draft from under the door. fell
upon her. AS the room. cooled and
her body grew cold, she revived.
Mr.. Doolittle had suffered with
heart trouble and it was thought at
first that heart trouble was the cause
OF death, but such was later proven
Mr.. Doolittle was 80 years of age.
He came to Salina with his wife in
March, 1905. He leaves - beside his
wife, two children, both boys, aged 6
and ! year. He is also survived by
his father and mother, in California
and one brother in Sabetha,
the home. 20 Isl srF. 80 -