I took a guided tour of Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, in 2018. This tour included the Byers Mausoleum. The industrialist Eben Byers now rests here, inside of a lead-lined coffin.
2 thoughts on “The Lead-Lined Coffin”
Eben, who died of cancer, lost his entire jaw after yers of drinking radium water, water that was infused with this radioactive element. Online photos show his disfigurement. He as buried in a lead lined coffin because of radiation, the effects of which weren’t known earlier. Radium water was prescribed by doctors for a variety of ailments, and was something of a fad in the early 20th century.
Thanks for commenting, and thanks for reading my blog. Yes, I was aware that the deceased had passed away from cancer after drinking the radium water. I believe that this is referenced in “Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women” by Kate Moore.
Eben, who died of cancer, lost his entire jaw after yers of drinking radium water, water that was infused with this radioactive element. Online photos show his disfigurement. He as buried in a lead lined coffin because of radiation, the effects of which weren’t known earlier. Radium water was prescribed by doctors for a variety of ailments, and was something of a fad in the early 20th century.
Thanks for commenting, and thanks for reading my blog. Yes, I was aware that the deceased had passed away from cancer after drinking the radium water. I believe that this is referenced in “Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women” by Kate Moore.