TANK TRAGEDY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16377, 27 June 1927, Page 2

TANK TRAGEDY

LIfTLK BOVS BURNT YOUNG, (N.S.W.), June 14. When .Mrs. Spark, wife of Mr. ESi. Spark, solicitor, of Voung, told her little five-year old son, Hick, that she was going to take him for a motm ride, he hedged to he allowed to stay at home and play ..with his liitle pal, Jimmie Barnett, b. who lived next door. She consented, anil hate then imeiveneil. While playing in Barnett’s yard, the little follows, as was their wont, crawled into a disused 1000-gallon iron tank, and they must have set alight the bag of straw which, it contained. Thinking she heard cries later, Mrs. Barnett went into the yard, and saw smoke issuing from the tap of the old tank, which was lying- on its side. She rushed round to the opening on the other side, from which dense smoke was pouring, and heard the muffled moans of the little boys. Her frantic calls to the youngs! ers, elicited no response, so -Mrs. Barnett quickly threw several buckets of water into the opening, in the hope of putting out the lire, but the smoke glVw denser. She then grabbed an axe and hacked an opening in Hie tank, and, groping inside found, the two little Lvs huddled in the back, unconscious. She carried them out. and they were hurried to the hospital, both critically burned about the hands, facQ.s, and heads. Dicky Spark died later.