Author Topic: Death from coal gas poisoning  (Read 7491 times)

Offline Jang

  • RootsChat Aristocrat
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,501
    • View Profile
Death from coal gas poisoning
« on: Sunday 26 March 17 07:42 BST (UK) »
Was death from coal gas poisoning unusual in the 1930s and 40s in Scotland?

I have a brother and sister who both died from coal gas poisoning - the sister in 1932 at home in Dundee - "found dead 7.30am, last seen alive September 26 12 midnight". The cause of death was given as: "probably asphyxia by coal gas poisoning". The informant was her brother, who died in 1943 "found dead at 8.00am in Plumbers Warehouse, Dundee". The cause of death was "carbon monoxide poisoning from inhalation of coal gas".

Jan
England:
Durham: COULSON, FENWICK, HUNTER, LOWES, NAYLOR, ROBSON
Norfolk: DEWING, OUGHTON, TAYLOR,
Lancashire: TWEDDLE
Ireland: KEATING, KIRBY, Limerick; NELSON, Donegal
Scotland: BENNIE, Glasgow; COOK, Renfrewshire; HENDERSON, Alloa/Dundee; HUNTER, Glasgow; KIRKWOOD, Alloa; LAMONT, Dalkeith; YOUNG, Glasgow
Switzerland: VOSTI, DELUBINI
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Johnf04

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 611
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Death from coal gas poisoning
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 26 March 17 08:22 BST (UK) »
It was a reasonably common form of suicide.
Farrell  - Ayrshire
Cairns - Ayrshire
McCann - Ayrshire
Brown - Ayrshire
Petty - Yorkshire, Durham
Lucas - Staffordshire, Durham
Whitaker - Yorkshire
Thackrah - Yorkshire
Stephenson - Durham
Marshall - Yorkshire
Walker - Staffordshire, Southland New Zealand
McCullough -  Antrim, Southland New Zealand,
Cavanagh - Galway, Southland New Zealand
Anthony - Tipperary, Southland New Zealand
Bath - Cornwall, Tasmania, Southland
Brungot - Alesund, Norway; Southland
Bonthron - Fifeshire, Southland

Offline scotmum

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 4,480
  • A tree full of life, a life full of branches!
    • View Profile
Re: Death from coal gas poisoning
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 26 March 17 08:36 BST (UK) »
But often there were other circumstances too.

For example, also in 1932, a chap in a Dundee tenement accused his neighbours of trying to poison him by turning on the stair gas. Again in 1932, three young children were found in their Dundee home suffering from gas poisoning. Another in Dundee in 1932, saw two elderly sisters dying following the escape of gas from a leak in a bracket on the mantlepiece.
"Trees without roots fall over!"
 
""People who never look backward to their ancestors will never look forward to posterity." - Edmund Burke

Don't just wait for the storm to pass, learn to dance in the rain.

“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Be curious and however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.”  Stephen Hawking

In a world where you can be anything, be kind .

Offline Jebber

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 5,357
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Death from coal gas poisoning
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 26 March 17 08:49 BST (UK) »
Health and safety was not like it is today. Unqualified people  installed  gas appliances and more made alterations to gas pipework, often with fatal results.


Jebber
CHOULES All ,  COKER Harwich Essex & Rochester Kent 
COLE Gt. Oakley, & Lt. Oakley, Essex.
DUNCAN Kent
EVERITT Colchester,  Dovercourt & Harwich Essex
GULLIVER/GULLOFER Fifehead Magdalen Dorset
HORSCROFT Kent.
KING Sturminster Newton, Dorset. MONK Odiham Ham.
SCOTT Wrabness, Essex
WILKINS Stour Provost, Dorset.
WICKHAM All in North Essex.
WICKHAM Medway Towns, Kent from 1880
WICKHAM, Ipswich, Suffolk.


Offline buckhyne

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 520
  • James Lawrie & Mary Ann Watson (1878)
    • View Profile
Re: Death from coal gas poisoning
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 26 March 17 08:53 BST (UK) »
I have a relative who died in Lower Largo in 1939, aged 79, from 'asphyxia from coal gas poisoning accidental'.
Lawrie name in Fife (and elsewhere) with all its various spellings.

Offline Jang

  • RootsChat Aristocrat
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,501
    • View Profile
Re: Death from coal gas poisoning
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 26 March 17 09:24 BST (UK) »
Thanks everyone for the feedback. I did wonder about suicide ... Neither of the death certificates or the RCE said "accidental". The sister was 49, the brother 52.

Scotmum, thanks for the examples - I might try a search on the "Dundee Courier" for "coal gas poisoning" in those years. I would think if it was accidental, it might rate a mention, but not if it was suicide.

Jan
England:
Durham: COULSON, FENWICK, HUNTER, LOWES, NAYLOR, ROBSON
Norfolk: DEWING, OUGHTON, TAYLOR,
Lancashire: TWEDDLE
Ireland: KEATING, KIRBY, Limerick; NELSON, Donegal
Scotland: BENNIE, Glasgow; COOK, Renfrewshire; HENDERSON, Alloa/Dundee; HUNTER, Glasgow; KIRKWOOD, Alloa; LAMONT, Dalkeith; YOUNG, Glasgow
Switzerland: VOSTI, DELUBINI
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline My_Scottish_Ancestors

  • RootsChat Extra
  • **
  • Posts: 2
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Death from coal gas poisoning
« Reply #6 on: Monday 24 July 17 04:42 BST (UK) »
Hi Jang,
I just downloaded my ancestors death record from the ScotlandPeople's website and learned that she died from Coal Gas Poisoning in the 1920's. There was an additional document linked to the first one that indicated that the cause of death was Suicide by Coal Gas Poisoning. If you are downloading from ScotlandsPeople, make sure to check if any corrections were made because they can be easy to miss. If there are any corrections, then above the document you are viewing, it will say

*There have been 1 corrections identified with this entry: View 1st correction

Offline medpat

  • RootsChat Aristocrat
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,351
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Death from coal gas poisoning
« Reply #7 on: Monday 24 July 17 06:02 BST (UK) »
Using the gas from the oven was a common way for suicide as well switching on the gas to fires without lighting them. Had someone in my class in the 1960s go home from school to find mother dead in the kitchen - she'd committed suicide.

No automatic lighting of the gas equipment then, also poor ventilation caused deaths - well known for causing accidental deaths were the gas water heaters in bathrooms.

GEDmatch M157477

Offline Jang

  • RootsChat Aristocrat
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,501
    • View Profile
Re: Death from coal gas poisoning
« Reply #8 on: Monday 24 July 17 06:59 BST (UK) »
Thanks for the tip. I did download the RCE for the sister which said, "asphyxia by coal gas poisoning" but for some reason (maybe lack of credits at the time), I never downloaded the RCE for the brother. Just did and it says "carbon monoxide poisoning from inhalation of coal gas. Suicidal." So it looks like the first was accidental and the second deliberate.

Jan
England:
Durham: COULSON, FENWICK, HUNTER, LOWES, NAYLOR, ROBSON
Norfolk: DEWING, OUGHTON, TAYLOR,
Lancashire: TWEDDLE
Ireland: KEATING, KIRBY, Limerick; NELSON, Donegal
Scotland: BENNIE, Glasgow; COOK, Renfrewshire; HENDERSON, Alloa/Dundee; HUNTER, Glasgow; KIRKWOOD, Alloa; LAMONT, Dalkeith; YOUNG, Glasgow
Switzerland: VOSTI, DELUBINI
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk