The Dickinson press., 1885-02-07
Pulled Out Of tho Ground.

q eAAA0VA ~AV W OAAV 0AASkA
One can imagine the excitement and
anxiety Of the parents Of the little one
who experienced the thrilling adventure
and escape related below,-and their
solemn resolve (when it was almost TO
late) never again to leave a deep hole
uncovered for a child to fall in. The
trick of lifting little children by their
heads, which is thought funny by some
mistaken people, is only justiiable as
o last resort in peril,-as here,-and
the man who performed it so patiently
and skilfully, and saved a young life is
worthy of all praise. A farmer near
Thamesville, Ont, in endeavoring to
procure water, drilled atseveral points
holes in the ground afoot in diameter
and of various depths, filling each up
before another vas commenced, as 20
MS it was evident that water was not
there.
The last one drilled was sunk fifty
feet. Into this hole came water, and
after q time it was partly filled with
! water and mud, the latter reduced to
a soft consistency by the former.
Ale 1duli1N Ildo " lltule G"O-S ei1- oii
boy playing about the d%ooryards, but
suddenly the baby was missed. Calling
him and hunting for him proved futile,
until the father thought of the hole
twelve inches in diameter.
AS a last resort, witlloutreallv think
ing the child was there, he looked into
the hole, but of course could see moth
ing. While doing so, however, he
thought he heard the child's voice, and
after several moments of anxious listen
ing, became satisfied that he was at
the bottom, at least twenty. five feet
below the surface, in a space of such
of rescue was q problem.
The neighbors We're appealed to for
suggestions. Among others it was pro
posed to dig down to ths little one, but
it would take two or three days, said
one. and the child might die meantime,
while another called attention to the
prospect of smothering or killing the
child by clods falling upon him.
Finally a colored man came up, anc
was informed of the catastrophe
and dilemma. He asked for a mirror
and holding it above the hole, gazed in
to it and saw the reflection of the chile
at the bottom. From the baby's posi-
ton, lie had evidently stepped into tin
hole, and with his clothing had filled j
so full as to sink gradually, the air be
low offering he sistance enough to pre-
vent any injuriously swift descent.
The colored man next asked for
rope, on the end of which he made
loop large enough to go over the child
head. Then he procured wooden strip
which he fastened strongly together
until he mad II strip twenty-five fee
or mora in length. He dropped til
rope down the hole and lowered tn
wooden strip.
While another person held the mir
ror above. the colorcd man knelt b,
the opening, and taking his bearings b:
frequent observations in the mirror
worked faithfully to place the loop owe
the head of the little one.
Meanwhile a physician had been sen
for, that he might be at hand in case c
need. The co,ored maj tried again oh,
again to get the loop over the back c
the child's mead and around under hi
nose. The pressure against his nos
caused the little one to throw his hea
back as far as possible, thus bringin
the weight principally on the back c
the head, and in this position he We
r pulled up to the surface. The doctc
examined him and found him little til
, worse for his remarkable %experienc.
and he was then returned to his owe
/. joyed parents and a proper guard place
about the mouth CT the hole.