BURIED IN SAND PIT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19092, 10 August 1925, Page 10

BURIED IN SAND PIT.

BOY'S TERRIBLE ORDEAL.

COLLAPSE OF A BANK.

RESCUERS DIG WITH HANDS.

[BY TELEGRAPH, —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] TAUMARUNUI. Saturday. Bay Bernie, the young son of Mr. and Mrs. C. Bemio, of Matapuna, had a remarkable cscapo from death. He was playing in a ballast.pit at tho back of his parents' house and digging under a 20ft. bank, whon it.gavo way, .burying him to a depth of 3ft. Tho fall must: have weighed fully a ton.

Another little. boy who had been playing with him ran to tho houso, but Mrs. Bernio did. not understand what ho meant at first. When she realised her son was buried she rushed down and. began to scrapo tho sand away with her hands, but gavo up in despair, She then ran for a neighbour, and together they began scraping tho sand away. Their efforts were in vain, however.

The mother then sent for Mr. R. V. Pickin, who ran to the sceno of tho accident and worked feverishly With his hands. At last ho felt .tho boy's hand and at length managed to got him out. Tho boy was black in tho faco when extricated, but Pickin workod with him, and at last saw signs of. returning life. There is no doubt that but for the timely arrival of Pickin the boy would havo lost his life. Ho was under tho sand for fully a-quarter of an hour and would probably have been killed outright but for tho fact that his arm was- under his head and tho weight full on fiis back.