The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1916-01-28
NAVAL OFFICER
.OVERCOMEBY GAS
TAKING A BATH
Lieut.. Duff's Life Saved by
DR.. Patton After Heroic
Fight
FOUND UNCONSCIOUS
LYING IN BATH TUB
Women and Boy Rescue Him
and Save Him From AS
phyxiation

Lieut.. L. A. Duff, of the UniteC
States Battleship Sacramento, who i.
spending a months furlough in the
Cape, yesterday narrowly escaped as
phyXiation While taking bath at the
home of l.. J .Pott at 233 North Ellis
street. Heroic treatment by DR.. w
c.. Patton saved his life.
The accident was caused by de,
fcctive gas burner, which is used fol
heating the water 1t flied the bath.
room with gas fumes and the naval
officer was o-ercoTe while sitting in
the tub Of water.
Lieut.. Duff retired to the bath room
shortly after 3 o'clock in the afternoon,
lighted the heater ard prepared to
bathc. He had not been in the room
more than fifteen minutes when Miss
Irene Fott, who was on the floor be-
low, heard him moaning. She has
tened to the second floor of the house
and called to Lieut.. Duff, but he did
not respond.
Miss Eott then ran to the home of
Mrs. Carrie Eckhardt, who lives n
door, and where Lieut.. Duff has
taking his meals, and notified Mrs.
Eckhardt that the naval officer was ill.
Accompanied by her son, Claude,
Mrs. EckharClt hurried back to the
Pott residence with Miss Irene Pott.
Another effort was made to get a re-
spouse from Lieut.. Duff, but their CT
forts were futile.
Mrs. Eckhardt and her son then
climbed out OIL the roof of porch
Just beneath the bathroom window.
With stick they broke open the Win
dow and young Eckhardt climbed in
to the bath room and opened the doer,
leading into the hall.
He found Duff lying unconscious in
the water, his head resting against the
rear end of the tub, but his nose and
mouth were out Of the water, He was
dragged from the water and carried
into his room and placed in bed. While
Claude Eckhardt rubbed him, the
ladies telephoned to Or. w. c. Patton.
The physician was only notified that
d man had been overcome by gas, and
he summoned two policemen, who Cs-
corted him to the Pott home. When
DIR. Patton reached the scene, Duff's
pulse had ceased beating. He ordered
Martin Lorberg's ambulance and hur-
ricd the naval officer to St. Francis
hospital, where DR.. Patton worked he
roically upon his patient to save his
life. After a battle with death that
lasted more than thirty minutes, Lieut.
Duff began to regain consciousness,
and few moments later he had been
revived.
When DR.. Patton reached Duff the
lieutenant was cold ard clammy and
life appeared to be extinct. His pulse
was not perceptible and his feet had
become stiff as if in the grip of death.
1t is belieevd that had DR.. Patton
reached the lieutenant ten minutes
alter, it would have been impossible !
for the physician to have revived him.
Lieut. Duff could not recall anything
that had transpired in the bath room. |
He remembered entering the bath tub, |
put he could not recall when he began |
20 pass under the influence of the |
fumes. The fact that the bath tub |
vas only of moderate length prevent
I'd Duff from being drowned. His
teet touched the head of the tub, thus
his head sinking below the
water.
Lieut.. Duff, who came to Cape Cir
lrdeau about three weeks ago to spend
4 months furlough, arrived in this
;ity from New York, where he left his
hip, the Sacramento. He has sew
.ral close friends in this city, among
whom is Miss Smith, teacher at the
Normal School.
Since arriving in the city he had
,ccn roOn1ing at the Pott home and
aking his heals at the Eckhardt resi-
lence. which is next door to the Pott
'esidence.
Duff reached New York after a long
our. He was with the battleships
hat spent several weeks in the waters
# Hayti, during the revolution. He
S graduate of the Annapolis Naval
academy, and has been assigned to
he Sacramento since his graduation.
lie was with the American feet that
vent to Mexican waters two years ago,
md since he has been on the Sacra-
nento, this sea battlcr has been sever
i times around the world.
z Z Eor-ac+ hos ,ot,,rT,nJ from, 9, |