TWO MEN BURIED ALIVE.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 241, 11 February 1888, Page 3 (Supplement)

TWO MEN BURIED ALIVE.

A terrible accident occurred in George, street, Sydney, recently, whereby two men, named Timothy Kane and Henry Cripps, were buried beneath a mass of earth where they were excavating. The two men were working in company with Peter Mclnerney at laying the foundation of a building to be erected adjoining Mr S. Punch's hotel, opposite the Town Hall. An excavation had been made about 18 inches into the southerly bank, which apparently caused a mass of earth and clay to overhang the placo where the workmen were employed at a height of about 10ft. 6in. The first warning of the accident was a shout from Mclnorney, who saw the earth slipping away. His cry of alarm was heard by the two others, and they jumped from beneath the mass of overhanging earth. Cripps succeeded in getting about 7 yards from where ho was working, but Kane was not so fortunate, and only managed to get about 3 yards from the spot. Without any noise the bank gave way, breaking up into huge clods as it fell, and buried Kane and Cripps, while Mclntrney had a narrow escape from sharing their fato. As soon as possible the two unfortunate men we.re extracted from their position by their followirorkmen and others who crowded around the spot. It was found that Kane had been struck by the falling earth with great violence, and forced against an upright beam which supported a portion of an adjoining building. He was conveyed to the Sydney Hospital, but died soon after admission. Cripps was not apparently very seriously injured. He was taken to theSydnoy Hospital also, where he was admitted. His injuries are about the back and hips, and ib is thought that he will probably recover. Kane was a single man, 20 years of age, and had no relations in the colony.

Splitting the Hurricane.— A Maine paper tells of a man who, on seeing a hurricane coming for his barn, took two boards, placing their edges together in such a way that they formed a wedge, thus splitting the hurricane and saving his barn. It is an outrage on humanity to tell such an infernal fib as that, but there is no telling how ftoon some fool will fcry it on a cyclone and find himself wafted over into a neighbouring State. A newspaper mnnot be too careful of what it publishes.