The evening times., 1899-03-14
sMoTHERED IN oU1cKsANDs.
Man Embedded Eight Days In Sight
of His Residence.

of His Residence.
New York. March 14-While on his way
home from visit to a doctor, from whom
he had procured medicine for sick CHILL.
Patrick Quincy. of Fort Wadsworth Sta
tlon, Staten Island, was sucked into bed
OF quicksand and smothered to death. For
eight days his body lay embedded within
sight of his home while scores OF men
searched for him. On the night of his dis
appearance his wife passed directly over
his sunken body in the road at least nall
dozen times.
Quincy, with his wife and seven chill
dren, lived in Tompkins Avenue, at Fort
Wadsworth Station, just south OF the
tracks of the Staten Island Rapid Transit
! Company. Tompkins Avenue. which is a
county road, runs from Fingerboard Road
diagonally to and across the railroad
tracks About half way between Finger
! board Road and the tracks, and block
! from Quinney's cottage. there is depres-
sion in Tompkins Avenue. For more than
/ a year the borough authorities have been
trying 10 make the read pasSable, Dnt.
! though thousands of loads of dirt have
/ been dumped into the little hollow, solid
] bottom has not yet been found ii ap-
pears that this portion of the road Is di-
rectly over bed of quicksand, the depth OF
which has not been ascertained II mas
been sounded for 80 feet with no sign OF
bottom.
In going from his house TO Fingerboard
( Road, the main thoroughfare of the village,
il was optional with Quincy to walk up
the railroad track or Tompkins Avenue
The railroad route is dangerous. but 1t
proved to be less dangerous that the seem
ingly solid Tompkins Avenue in the case OF
Patrick Quincy.
Quincy made money during the sum-
mer, but in the winter he could get moth
ing to do He told his wife on the morn
ing CT March > that he expected 10 go TO
work next day. After dinner he started
for Clifton TO order a barrel OF potatoes
and TO get some medicine for one Of his
children from DR.. Morris. The potatoes
were delivered at his home the next day
and the medicine was found III his pocket
when his body was recovered.
The road was solid enough as Quincy
travelled over it in the afternoon. but while
he was at Clifton a storm came up. Wa
ter collected in the quicksand hollow \
man named Cox saw Quincy at O'Clock
start down Tompkins Avenue toward his
home and that was the last seen of him
alive.
From the position OF the body when
found IL was apparent that when Quinney
reached the weak spot the bottom literally
dropped out OF the road. throwing him
face downward in puddle Of mud, sand
and water As he fell the road slipped
down on him, completely buTying him
from sight. AS there was probably a ton
of mud pressing him down escape was i'm
possible.
When Quincy failed TO return to his
home for supper his wife became alarmed
She went out to look for him at o'clock
walking down Tompkins Avenue. The
hole in the road in which her husband 5
body lay had been bridged over by plank
on which she crossed. Three times she
back, passing six times over the body OF
her husband.
All sorts Gf theories were advanced 10
account for Quinney's disappearance but
none thought Of the quicksand hole in
Tomphins Avenue. Laborers preparing to
fill the hole again dug dram last Thurs
day to carry on the water. The body OF
Quincy was discovered on Friday after
noon by a man who was passing through
a field alongside the road and saw a man
hand sticking out of the mud The body
was about 1 feet underground at the feet
and feet at the head. Had il not been
so oppOTtunely discovered il would have
sunk further, many loads OF dirt would
have been thrown over it. and the mystery
of Patrick QuinIey's disappearance would
have proved impossible OF solution.
The man was buried on Sunday Hi:
family is in destitute circumstances \
corOners inquest was held last night az
Clifton to enquire into the cause of death
Witnesses testified substantially as the
story is told above.