HURLED EIGHTY FEET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15500, 6 January 1914, Page 5

HURLED EIGHTY FEET.

FATHER AND SON FALL INTO WELL. '~ r

[raw oto own coaaEapoßßiaiffi.|' Stoke*, December 31.>fV>* Two 'cases of people having fallen down " deep wells and had narrow escapes from death, are reported in the papers, both.' having occurred last Saturday. '->;• ';-, "X W. Hitcben, . a pJranber, and his son, : l William Hitcken, were engaged in.jjwcfc. > iff' ing a windmill. over a well at Gilgandra "-- (New Sontn Wales), and were connecting " a pipe below the surface, when,a staging ■"''■■ col'apsed, and both fell to ibs bottom ' - of the wo'.}, a distance of 80ft.' { ■• : H./' p£ *i° n i. th way down _the y crashed' M through four sets of staging, '.'Wen- '■»■% tually fell into sft of, water: ' After s'trik- -'5 ing the water the lad found his father ■*■/- lying at the bottom unconscious. He im- : " mediately got his brad above water and propped him up in a comer with pieces - of wood. He then climbed up the piping, which he did after a hard- struggle. -' When he reached the top" of the pipii» he '"■■' was still Bft from the.'6m^acVwwcb%ia : " v " had -ao means of ' reaching -owing to the " collapse of the staging. The lady however, balanced himself otf;the pipe, which -' brought his hands about 3ft from th>iiirface, *' ms'iing a desperate suc- ' ceeded i? catching a piece of wood placed across the top. He pulled himself -Wear, and harcessed a horse \sEicb ; wSa .handy - and drove into town for assistance.-" S : young men Went down, and wife the aid an ropes rescued Hitchen, "who was foimd to have received severe ininries to hia back. The lad was found to" be suffering irom a number of cuts and bruises." Miss Hoye, daughter of William Hoye, of Wagga, had an alarming experiencA, She went tc a well, and while lowering a bucket for water over-balanced and fell a distance of 30ft. Nobody witnessed thd Accident. Her criss failed to attract at* tention. She remained in the water fcr over an hour. After a time her cries grew fainter, as she was suffering from shock and exhaustion. Her mother, who rose later, missed the girl from her bedroom, and a search was instituted. She was rescued just as her strength was exhausted. The girl .ullapsed when raised from the well.