In the 19th century, premature burial of still living persons was of very real concern. In 1896, Count Karnice-Karnicki, chamberlain to the Tsar of Russia, invented an ingenious device to help prevent the terrors of the grave. His apparatus consisted of a tube which passed vertically from the lid of the coffin and passed through an airtight box above ground. Resting upon the chest of the thought-to-be-deceased was a glass sphere, attached to a spring running the entire length of the tube. The slightest movement of the buried persons chest would move the sphere in a way that the spring would cause the lid of the box above to fly open and admit air and light. The spring also activated a flag, a light and an extremely loud bell to attract the attention of passersby. His device could be rented for a small fee and, after enough time passed that family and friends could be confident about a loved one having actually kicked the bucket, the tube could be pulled up and used in another coffin.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 07:32:46 +0000
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