New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-24
A FFAIRS IN BROOKLYN.
BURIED BY A SAND-SLIDE
rrvo poYs sMorHERED TO DEATH AND ANOTHER


,,xvo HoYs SMOTHERED TO DEATH AND ANOTHER
MAY DIE.
A., .ccident which resulted In the death OF two
,,,,, children and the serious injury Of a third &C.
a,rrod Yesterday afternoon by the cavlng Of sand
h.nk on the south side OF Nineteenth-st., between
Seventh and Eighth ayes, South Brooklyn.
+ Hickey Son, contractors, had been digging SAND
.,m the vacant lots at that point for in the con-
e,ct,en of block in the neighborhood, and had OK
AWAITED TO the depth OF fifteen foot. The hole runs
,ock from the sidewalk, and along the inner edge OF
tho walk there rises hllock which is about tweivo
st higher than the top of the pit thus leaving mass
., earth some twenty fest above the bottom OK
tho hole At.
After dinner four small boys went to play In this
aft They were James McDonough, six years o'd I;
Tnomas his brother, years Older sons OF Thomas
ycDorourh painter OF No 900 Nineteenth-st Rich-
ard Thoms six and onc-haf years old. Of No 4O1 Nhe
,conth-st and Joseph Pray. seven years Old OF NO.
9o7 Nlneteenth'st.
The children played around in the sand for some
Time covering one another up aud throwing the sana
IN one anothers faces. In their play they had come
10 the base of the cut, almost pcrpendiculary waed
from the bottom to the top of the hlock. suddenly
n mass Of the bank gave away. Joseph Pray saw tue
earth as It was loosened and turning ran at the t0p
Of his speed He Just escaped the falling SAND inc
Tnoms boy also saw the danger, but he was not SO
,cv for the outer edge OF the sliding mass OF earth
came down upon him, imprisonlng him Win us "eign'
p,hetber the McDonougl boys did not see the lm
nending danger OF parslyzed with fear will never
be known. At any rate they did not move ana the
sand glacier buried them in its depth, smoiherinS
the life out Of them.
number Of people happened to be passing pet"eoh
Greenwood Cemetery ald the city some OF them
saw the falling ebankment and called out tnat three
bovs had been buried crowd of neighbors hastenco
10 the spot with spades, picks and shoves, ara III
An incredibly short time band OF workcrs werc
digging out the fallen sand. -o..s
In about twenty five minutes what was supposSu
IN lie the dead body OF Thoms was reached by the
uorlmen but on being lifted ont he was found to DC
stu alive The hoy was taken to the nome Oh .l
narents and DR. Thomas Wide of No III seventn.
ave attended him. II found on examination that
his right hand and left leg were badly brIlsen ~
was impossible to say whether he was internally uroo
or not a., ..~~.u. 10
1t took fully half an hour longer for the diggcrs 10
reach the bodies OF the McDonough children VINO ~erc
found lying close together and both quite aean'
Though several Of their bones were broken tne ain
LARGE surgeon, who was the ground and ASSISTING
with a SHOVEL said that they undoubtedly ded from
The bodes OF the two little fellows were carried
home to the mother whom they had left only an nour
before for their afterdlnner play she was c0hpye os
Frustrated with grief. Inc fathcr' 'oo' 10 ""o
broken down. A., ... 4.a4 . s,+ol
This is The second time during the year that tatai
accident from O falling embankment mas occuriee ~
fiat neghborhoOd. Last April cavne sahdodnk w
SHteenths and Seventave. caused tne qe.ath Oh WV
CHILDREN who like the McD0noughs. were bFothcrs.
When asked why he did not call ont 10 ms COIL u
n,nions when he saw the sand beginning 10 cave III
iIttIc Joseph PRAY said to u Tribune reporter !
didn't shout TO 'cm cause ] was IN 100 HUGH VI
hurry to get out OF the hole myself"