DOWN A TEN-INCH BORE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 122, 17 February 1920, Page 7

DOWN A TEN-INCH BORE

A BABY'S TRAGIC DEATH. {By Telegraph—Press ABBociation.) Gisborne, February 16. Norman Kelly, aged fourteen months, a son of Hugh Kelly, an employee of the Waipaoa Freezing Works, fell down a bore 17 feet deep and 10 inches in diamoter, which the father had sunk for water. 'An endeavour was made to extricate the child by means of ropes and hooks, but the narrowness of tne aperture rendered this impossible. Men from the freezing works then set to work to dig the child out, and after a long and arduous task this was accomplished, but the infant when recovered was unconscious and in a pitiablo condition, and died shortly tfterwards. Later. At the inquest tho father stated that on Sunday ho and his wife were in the. house while the two children—Percy Kelly, aged 3 years, and Norman, aged 14 months—were • playing in the yard. Suddenly Percy called out "Normie is down the hole." The hole referred to was the bore 17-feet deep, sunk for a well, 12 feet from the back door. The top was covered by a piece of planking about 2 feet long, 12 inches wide, and H inches thick. On hearing the boy call witness saw what had happened. He summoned assistance, and in the meantime endeavoured to get the child out himself, trving to hook tho child's clothing with a* hook attached to tho end of a pole. He got the infant up within foirr feet of the top on two occasions, but the hook gave way and the child dropped to the bottom again. A large number of neighbours, arrived, and commenced digging. It Tvas an hour and five minutes from the time the child fell till it was got out. The child was then just breathing. Artificial respiration methods were applied by two nurses and continued by a doctor on his arrival, but all efforts proved hopeless. , The doctor gave evide»:e that death was due partly to shock and partly to asphyxiation. A verdict was returned nc, cording to the medical evidence, and no blame was attached to anyone.