The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-03-10

A SINGULAR ACCIDENT TO A You've Wo-
| MAN-SWALLowED UP INA PIT-AH ExCITIsG
AFFAIR AND REscUE-An extraordinary and
most unfortunate accident happened yester-
day morning to a young woman, Mary Man
| ming, employed in the family of MIR. Robert
T. Baldwin, No. 335 Madison avenue. She
was In the yard in the rear Of the dwelling
hanging out clothes on line to dry, and
talking to a man-servant who stood in
the doorway. All Of sudden the pave
ment sank beneath her. and she disap-
peared as completely as If swallowed
by an earthquake. The man ran to the
spot, and was horri6ed to see cbasm rum
ming obliqueIy underground over twenty-five
feet, which bad engulpbed the woman and
com petely bid her from view. The house
hold was Immediately notified, and the ladies
were seized with great alarm. Mr.. Robert
Baldwin, Jr., aided by ncighbors and SER
| wants who had been summoned, speedily
lowered ladder twenty feet long into the
! assure, displacing mass of sand and debris.
The young woman could not be seen, but her
voice was heard by those above ground.
She seemed to have fallen through the small
end of funnel descending into an unknown
area below, judging by the hollow sound of
her voice. The pavement-area that had caved
10 was about four feet square, the earth un-
derlying it being fine white sand.
A rope was pushed down to the girl with
q clothes.prop. w. II. Worley with some
difficulty descended the ladder and displaced
the debris, so that the glrps head and shout.
ders became visible. She fastened The rope
under her arms, and ready hands above pro-
ceeded to draw her up; but the rope broke,
and the operation had 10 be repeated. At
last, greatly aided by the efforts Of Mr.. Wor-
ley, who stood on the top rung OF the lad
der, and by MIR. Robert Baldwin, Jr, who
was above, the girl was drawn from the pit.
She was greatly Frustrated, aud was drip
ping with mud and water. Her head and
face were covered with blood. There were
several deep cuts on her head, caused by
falling bricks; but DR.. 3. B. Brown, who
was at hand, found the skull had not been
fractured. The injured girl was taken into
the house and most tenderly cared for. but
last night her condition was very precarious.
The unfortunate young woman is about
twenty five years of age, and has been living
with the family for ten years, two of her Sis
tiers being also in the house.
The cause of the singular accident was eVi'
dent when close examination had been
made. Mr.. BadWin's premises has so feet
front by 100 feet deep. There is we'll so
feet deep in the rear of the yard, walled in
on each side all the way down to running
water. Into this is conveyed by stx-inch
pipe all the waste from the bathrooms and
closets in the upper stories. About year
ago a small portion Of the yard-area sank a
few feet, and PAYERS were employed to fill it
up and repave the yard, which they did, and
since then there had been no trouble. 1t now
seems, however, that the waste-pipe, on its
way to the well, bec,ne disconnected, and
tor some time past the water from the house
has percolated through over 80 feet of the
sandy foundation of the yard to the running
water beneath the well, forming pit shaped
something like funnel. The upper surface
gave way and precipitated the girl to the
bottom.- Baltimore Sun, 9Th.