Boy Trapped In Sand Hopper Has Lucky Escape

Chronicle (Levin), 22 January 1949, Page 5

Boy Trapped In Sand Hopper Has Lucky Escape

WELLINGTON, Jan. 21. Trapped in the bottom of a sand hopper and buried in four feet of wet sand for 30 minutes, a 3|-year-oid boy had an ainazing escape from death on Thursday night. He is Colin James, son of Albert James, of Ohiro Bav Road. The child was later admitted to Wellington Hospital and his condition todav was reported satisfatcory.' Five local residents dug frantieaily for half an hour to reiease the child. While four men worlced from inside the hopper, the boy's father pushed his arai up through a narrow outlet of the bin to keep the clinging sand away from the child Is face. "His legs were astride an iron bar aeross the outlet 'and he was wedged, " said Mr. James today when describlng the struggle to free the boy. "The /sand kept pouring down as we attempted to get our arms up to him. The bar was thick and a hacksaw could not cut it fast enough to free him. The men on top of the sand had a terriiile job on the sliding sand endea\'ouring to get down through to the child." Mr. James, whose arms were skinned from the tips of his fingers to his shoulders during the resc-ue efforts, said it he had not battled to allow a little air to reach his son's face the boy would have suffoeated. "They told us in hospital that if we had taken another 10 minutes to get him out he would not have lived," said the chiia's father. The boy sat still, his legs astride the heaA-y bar AA'hieh trapped him in the opening and waited for the men to get to hi'm. Had the sand been drv he would have been suffoeated immediately. A pair of small legs dangling through the outlet of the hopper was the first indieation to the lorry dri ver AA^ho was loading his truck .that there was anyone in the liopper. One of several in the quarry at Ohiro Bav they are eonstructed in the form of a triangle, being wide at the top. It is thought-the' child had been playing on the level surlace of the sand at the top of the hopper. When the hopper gate was apened to load the lorry the child was sueked into the bottom of the bin. Almost immediately the sand which had molftentarilv clung to the sides of' the hopper, fell in and buried the child. , The dri ver immediately ealled for aid' and women in the heighbouring houses- , sped to get assistance. Working iike men possessed the party dug down from the top, eleared the child 's head from the sand and then pulled him clear. jchs eves and nose were choked Avith sand. There was a taxi waiting and the child was rushed to the hospital while the , rescuers applied artificial respiration.