Dramatic Effort To Rescue Child Fails

Chronicle (Levin), 12 April 1949, Page 5

Dramatic Effort To Rescue Child Fails

(N.Z.P.A

. — Reuter,

Copyriglit)

Received Monday. 11.10 p.m. NEW YORK, April 10. The ho'dy of Kathy Eiscus, aged three, who fell down the 14-inch shaft of a disused well at San Marino, Oalifornia, waS recovered tonight. The hody was found in water and a doctor said the child died from drowning. Apparently she died l^te . Friday afternoon, two hours ^ after she had fallen into the well, ; A shaft 100 feet deep alongside the pipe holding the child, was driveh and rescuers timnelled to the wall of the pipe below where they beiieveci the child was lodged. When water began flooding into the tunnel, they had to cease rescue efforts^ while pumps were brought in to controi the flow. A huge crowd gathered around the well and gave an audibie sigh when the doctor returned to the surface „ and announced through a public address system that the child was dead. The announcement ended 53i hours of tension for the whole nation and almost, the entire world. Kathy 5 s father, who is manager oi the San Gabriel system of the Galifornia Water and Telephone Uompany, returned home a few hours before the accident from Sacremento where he appeared hefore the Legislative Committee to support a Bill which wouid require that abandoned welis be cemented shut. Newspapers, radio ' stations and television operators gave unbroken reports of the rescue operations.