Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • S U M M E R 2 0 1 7 20 O n June 26, 1939, three Bureau of Public Roads employees were driven to a work- site at the bridge across the Yellowstone River just east of Tower Junction. They were Bill Nelson, 20, Vaughn Roley, 21, and Earl Johnson, 18. They were to perform some work in a 26-foot deep pit. The Bureau of Public Roads routinely dug these types of holes to accrue information about ground formations before building roads and bridges. Johnson and Nelson lowered Roley in a bucket into the test pit. Roley noticed a slight sul- fur odor when he was about eight feet from the bottom, but rode on down and got out of the bucket. At that point, hydrogen sulfide gas began to cut his throat and lungs and haze his vision, so he got back in the bucket and called for the other two men to pull him up. Suddenly, Roley lost consciousness. He fell out of the bucket, leaving only his feet in it. Nelson immediately began sliding down the rope in an attempt to get Roley back in the bucket. But part- way down the rope, Nelson, too, was overcome by the gas and fell to the bottom of the hole. Johnson began to operate the hoist. Seeing that Roley's feet were still in the bucket, Johnson pulled him to the surface. He saw a terrible yellow foam coming out of Roley's mouth and nos- trils. When Roley regained consciousness, Johnson ran to the Tower ranger station for help. While Johnson was away, Roley again lost and regained consciousness. Then he attempted to use the rope hoist as a lasso, trying to catch Nelson by his feet or hands in order to lift him to the surface. Johnson returned with help, and finally, holding his breath, Roley was lowered into the pit by a rope tied around his chest. He was forced to take a breath at the bottom of the pit and immediately felt himself blacking out. But Roley was able to slip the hoist rope around Nelson's foot before the gas caused him to lose consciousness. When both men were pulled to the surface, Johnson saw the same hideous yellow foam coming out of Nelson's nose and mouth, and fresh foam coming out of Roley. Both men were taken to the hospital. Roley survived, but Nelson died the following day. Plant! Poison # 10 # 9 Poison Gas! T he death of park ranger naturalist Charles Phillips is attributed to water hemlock. On April 11, 1927, Mr. Bauer, the winter keeper at Old Faithful, cleaned out the growing vegetation along the stream that emptied into the reservoir. He collected some roots of plants that were growing there to give to Phil- lips for identification. Phillips announced that they were good to eat, thinking them roots of the camas plant eaten commonly by the indians. So the two men and Mrs. Bauer ate them that night. Later that evening, Phillips picked up the top of one of the plants and began to look at it more closely. The Bauers stated that he had kind of an undecided look on his face, and then he commented, "Some of these (herbs) should be cooked, but I like them raw." About two in the morning, the Bauers were awakened by waves of nausea and vomiting, which made them so sick they stayed indoors until the next night. Mrs. Bauer was practically a "raving maniac" until four in the morning, vomiting continually and having convulsions just before daylight. Mr. Bauer was intensly sick to his stomach but could not vomit. It was Phillips's habit to come to the Bauer's home each night to talk and listen to the radio. On the night of the 12th, Bauer wondered why he had heard noth- ing from Phillips, so he crossed the several hundred yards of deep snow to the ranger station. He found the building dark and cold and Ranger Phillips dead on the kitchen floor. Bauer immediately laid the blame for their illness on the roots they had eaten. Why Phillips did not call them during the night was not known, unless it was because the poison acted too quickly. A hot spring at Norris Geyser Basin was named for him as Phillips Cauldron.

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