Buried Alive-The horrifying truth of the 19th century

By Mrs Amy Ritchie   

I bring you to the 19^thcentury, where electricity was not only being invented but were still refining the technology…Where the popularity of railroads and steamships were growing to such extremes they became an industrial flourish all on their own…A century where wonderful inventions such as the light bulb, typewriters, and telephones were being invented only to make everyone’s lives easier. Scientists were starting to become a popular professions, and so were Dr.’s and physicians…While Dr.’s were highly intelligent and few and far from many places they weren’t far from discovering some horrifying truths to their professions.  Many Dr.’s were called to certain burial sites only to find certain victims that have been thought to have been dead were actually buried alive!                

Sure I know what you’re probably thinking, “What? That’s just an urban legend…” Well it might be an urban legend but it’s true. There have been several recorded events of people being buried alive. Many people who realized they were buried alive tried to scratch their ways out of the coffins…For example:               

  In the year 1837, a man by the name of Cardinal Samolgia had apparently fallen ill. And when they presumed him dead they went to embalm him. While doing the embalming he woke up trying to push the knife away but was killed because of the flesh wound.               

  In the 1850’s when the disease diphtheria was taking its toll a young girl had caught the disease. Her name was unknown but she was visiting Edisto Island of South Carolina. For fear that the disease would spread the family forced her into their mausoleum alive.                

To provide even further evidence on January 20^th, 1885 a man by the name of Jenkins lived in  Asheville,  N.C. was unfortunately buried alive. The man had gotten sick with a fever and was sick for several days. By the time they thought he was dead and had prepared him for burial. By the time they went to bury him they found scratch marks on the coffin and he was lying face down…    

            

In order to prevent from having people be buried alive, Count Karnice-Karnicki had patented in 1897 a coffin that had a long tube. The tube was connected to a box about 3.5 inches in diameter and was attached to the top of coffin.  The tube was attached to a ball with a spring inside that would rest on the bodies chest.  There was a flag attached to the box. If the ball moved light and air would signal the flag and the person would be removed from the casket. Also to prevent people from being buried alive people would take mirrors to people’s faces that they thought weren’t alive and hold the mirrors near the nostrils that way of the person was still alive they would see the steam coming out of their nostrils and be able to rest as ease knowing they were still alive. 

Being buried alive still happens today but luckily it is very rare and hardly happens at all. So you don’t have to worry about anything happening like that any time soon!