BURIED IN SAND.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 456, 18 May 1932, Page 5

BURIED IN SAND.

Sydney Man’s Terrible Ordeal. AIR GIVEN BY TUBING. (Special to the “ Star.”) SYDNEY, May 4. Timothy Kennedy, aged 40 years, of Sydney, underwent a terrible ordeal yesterday. He was buried under tons of sand at the City Council’s depot at Ultimo. He had been buried up to his neck for a quarter of an hour when he was discovered by his workmates. They worked half an hour to rescue him and at times the sand covered his face. Kennedy’s life was saved by the resource of the laboratory research chemist, Mr C. Nicholas, who uncovered the buried man’s face and inserted a tube in his mouth, which enabled him to breathe when his head was covered by sand. Kennedy was working in a wooden bin when the accident occurred. Portions of the bin are used to hold road metal, but the section to which Kennedy was detailed was filled with about 100 tons of sand. He shovelled the sand on a moving belt, which took it to the hot mixing plant, where tar was made ready for applying to the roads. Part of the structure slipped and Kennedy was trapped in the sand. Soon after Kennedy’s workmates had started to dig him out there was a further fall of sand and Kennedy disappeared from view. The sand was hastily cleared away and he could breathe again. The rescuers were hampered by the fact that every attempt made by them to remove the sand threatened to bury Kennedy. Mr Nicholas ran back to his laboratory for a piece of narrow rubber tubing, one end of which was placed in Kennedy’s mouth, while the other was held clear of the sand by a workmate. This device enabled the rescue party to proceed with their work and Kennedy was soon extricated. He was taken to hospital, where he was treated for shock. After a short stay at the hospital he left to join his workmates.