Gas chamber

lucus

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How does it works? It's painless or not? In which country is still in use?
 
In reverse order:
None so far as I know.
Almost certainly not though it must depend what gas is used. If an anaesthetic such as nitrous oxide was used it presumably would be, in fact one would probably die laughing (not quite literally by the way). In practice I think the gas has normally been either hydrogen cyanide or carbon monoxide and both would be unpleasant - basically you would (and did) choke, coughing and spluttering, often pissing and shitting yourself, convulsing, and finally dying of asphyxia. Remind me not to experience this!
Basically you strap the guy into a chair in a very small chamber - in the US at least he was naked except for a pair of very loose boxers (since otherwise the gas trapped in his clothing would e dangerous to the guards when they entered to retrieve the corpse). Then at simplest you simply pump the gas in, or run it from a pressurised canister, though cyanide gas was often generated actually in the chamber by dropping a packet of potassium cyanide crystals into a tank of acid actually under the chair (the tank also served to collect his, um, effluvia as he died). Then you pump the gas out and go get the body. I think it normally took maybe 3-5 minutes for him to die though of course it would vary according to the gas and its concentration and they would leave him in longer to be sure.
 
Others I'm sure can add to this and I've done it top-of-head rather than Googling for info.

But please no Holocaust stuff - I know it's not strictly logical but for me that immediately crosses the boundary between what's interesting and hot so long as I keep the mental screen between me and reality of what was it felt like for the guy and his relatives friends etc (because I'm not remotely cruel in reality), and what is immediately chilling and deeply unpleasant.
And I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way.
 
In practice I think the gas has normally been either hydrogen cyanide or carbon monoxide and both would be unpleasant - basically you would (and did) choke, coughing and spluttering, often pissing and shitting yourself, convulsing, and finally dying of asphyxia.

I have always read that death by carbon monoxide would be preceded by drowsiness, and perhaps a headache, but for the most part you'd just fall asleep forever. I thought that was why people in enclosed areas so often succumb to it accidentally. Before they realize there is a CO leak somewhere in the vehicle or building, they are dead. Are you confident in your claim about CO's pre-death unpleasantness?
 
If it is a low concentration yes, you are right - that is why CO is so dangerous. But if it is a high concentration it is basically death by rapid asphyxia so what happens is basically similar to death by cyanide or bagging ( a bit les similar to strangling or hanging because there is no pressure on the neck).
 
Thanks a lot, I'm interest about US gas chamber, why prisoner is strapped? It's quite a lot close it in the chamber and close the door outside ;)
 
It has just occurred to me that, if the desired result in a gas chamber execution is to kill the condemned by asphyxiating him, the same result could be produced by just pumping the air out of the chamber. Wouldn't that be simpler and cheaper? Would it be any more distressing to the victim than suffocation by poison gas?
 
I think it would be much slower, in fact if you did t quickly there would be a risk that his blood would boil and he would explode possibly before death. And I don't think he would enjoy that at all, not even slightly.
 
Lucus, I will search for info about US gas chamber deaths, but I'm time-poor at the moment so it may not be tonight.
 
Ok, here is some info. I should have gone to bed ages ago since I have things on tomorrow (oh shit, that's 'today' already), so I'm afraid it is just links without any additional info.
And WARNING it does include Holocaust info since I had no way of excluding it without losing most of the OK info. And second warning, this includes some material that I found seriously unpleasant even skimming through.
Lucus, I think we might enjoy talking by PM.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas_chamber
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/feb/01/northkorea
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/descriptions-execution-methods#gas
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/some-examples-post-furman-botched-executions?scid=8&did=478
https://www.britannica.com/topic/gas-chamber
http://www.zundelsite.org/archive/leuchter/report3/ch7000.html This is a very detailed description of the process but says very little about what happens to the execute during his dying.
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/descriptions-execution-methods#gas
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_monoxide_poisoning Alex, this one is for you.
http://deathpenaltycurriculum.org/student/c/about/methods/gaschamber.htm
http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/gascham.html
https://www.liveleak.com/view?i=724_1186059108
http://articles.latimes.com/1992-04-22/news/mn-509_1_gas-chamber Pp 2-3

There is more but I have completely run out of time. It is an easy job to follow further - I just Googled gas chamber and followed the first page and a bit, excluding obvious Holocaust material.
 
In reverse order:
None so far as I know.
Almost certainly not though it must depend what gas is used. If an anaesthetic such as nitrous oxide was used it presumably would be, in fact one would probably die laughing (not quite literally by the way). In practice I think the gas has normally been either hydrogen cyanide or carbon monoxide and both would be unpleasant - basically you would (and did) choke, coughing and spluttering, often pissing and shitting yourself, convulsing, and finally dying of asphyxia. Remind me not to experience this!
Basically you strap the guy into a chair in a very small chamber - in the US at least he was naked except for a pair of very loose boxers (since otherwise the gas trapped in his clothing would e dangerous to the guards when they entered to retrieve the corpse). Then at simplest you simply pump the gas in, or run it from a pressurised canister, though cyanide gas was often generated actually in the chamber by dropping a packet of potassium cyanide crystals into a tank of acid actually under the chair (the tank also served to collect his, um, effluvia as he died). Then you pump the gas out and go get the body. I think it normally took maybe 3-5 minutes for him to die though of course it would vary according to the gas and its concentration and they would leave him in longer to be sure.

The Chaplain at San Quentin wrote a book about being with the guys as they go to the Chamber including some famous ones like Chessman. He describes in details the minute by minute last two hours of one guy. About 15 minutes to 10 a.m. the doctor would arrive and request the man to remove all his clothes and he would ocnduct a quick physical and afix the heart monitor onto the chest. the males would then be given a white button down shirt through which the rubber hose would hang out. He would be given a blue pair of slacks and then walk around the corner into the Chamber. Once strapped down and the hose hooked up the door would be sealed and the pellets dropped into the acid. It would take 30 to 50 seconds for the gas to reach the man and they were told to inhale deeply once it had built up. The gas worked by coating the cells so oxygen could not get to the cells.ite literally by the way). In practice I think the gas has normally been either hydrogen cyanide or carbon monoxide and both would be unpleasant - basically you would (and did) choke, coughing and spluttering, often pissing and shitting yourself, convulsing, and finally dying of asphyxia. Remind me not to experience this!

In reading further, it appears the man will pass out within 10 to 60 seconds as the brain and heart are both deprived of oxygen. However, the heart (just like in hanging continues to beat after he has passed out. There are reports that air will at some ppoint about three to four minutes exhale with some noise and the man's head will fall and rise. It is said Jimmy Gray knocked his head on the pole behind the chair up to 10 times so they now anchor the head to the chair. Saliva flows out the man's mouth. It takes about 3 hours or more to remove the gas so the workers can go in in hazard gear and spray the executed with foam to neutrlaize the gas. They lay his body on the floor naked and hose it down, burning the clothes.

North Carolina or one of the southern states had the guy only wear boxers into the Chamber.

Personally I would prefer this method of death than the electric chair which can mess up the body, boil the blood, etc. and while the electric chair may be faster if a seocnd round has to be done, it is no faster at all.
 
Thanks a lot, I'm interest about US gas chamber, why prisoner is strapped? It's quite a lot close it in the chamber and close the door outside ;)

The first use of the gas was to pump it into the guys cell without a specific time. It turned out to be too dangerous to the workers and others.

The San Quentin Chaplain talks of one fellow who managed to get out of his wrist straps and thus got out of the chair and started to try to find a way out. When the gas hit him he just fell still on the floor.
 
OMG, djbear, you have given me such an education. Not many people think to ask about this sort of stuff, but it's interesting as hell when it's finally explained. I am left with this question: what is the rubber hose for that you speak of coming out of the white shirt of the condemned?
 
OMG, djbear, you have given me such an education. Not many people think to ask about this sort of stuff, but it's interesting as hell when it's finally explained. I am left with this question: what is the rubber hose for that you speak of coming out of the white shirt of the condemned?

The hose is to connect to the stethescope for the doctor to be able to proclaim death - it runs through the sealed window which has a venetian blind so he can watch but the prisoner cannot see him.
 
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