Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-19
FIVE BOYS ESCAPE
DEATH EXPLORING
GAS-F|LLED SEWER
Gameness of Leader in Seek
ing Help Credited With
Saving Band.
CRIES FOR AID HEARD
BY 9-YEAR-0LD STUDENT
Rescue Squad Members Brave
Fumes to Bring Adventures
Out of Trap.

Search for adventure within the inky
blackneSs of a storm water sewer near
their homes in Cleveland Park lured
five youngsters to the threshold of
death late yesterday afternoon.
Only the feeble cries of one of their
band and the alertneSs of Johnny Cra-
goe, 9-year-old Janney School student
of 1929 Warren street, saved them from
death by aSphyXiation in the gas-filled
tube, where they were playing follow
the leader.
The boys, Ned Denton, IS, of 1909
Alton place; Louis Schneider, 13, of 1909
Yuma street; Carroll Bilbrey, IL, of
1851 Veazy street; Kimball Scribner, IL,
of 1902 Alton place, and William john
son, jr., Is, of $500 Yuma street, were
all well on the road to recovery at
Georgetown Hospital today.
Started on Exploring Trip.
The youngsters, equipped with fash
lights, told companions they were going
to explore" the sewer and entered the
outlet at Reno road, near the Bureau
of Standards, and began their perilous
journey through the long, black con-
duit
Accumulated sewer gases began to
affect them after they had craWled
nearly half-mile through the mud and
as they neared a manhole in front OF
| the Cragoe residence.
The Schneider boy, himself suf-
| ferer from asthma, kept on, however,
| and fought against the deadly effects
Of the gases until he came upon lad
der leading up Is feet to the manhole
| opening. Cropping his way up the
rungs he tried to push up the cover,
| but failed and cried out for help.
T1H1 fNT.afr OWN nm frNFH
lawn of his home, heard the shouts
| and ran into the house and brought
out his father, Carl S. Cragoe, a
| physicist at the Bureau of Standards.
| The father seized poker and opened
the manhole cover with the aid of
! Harry p. Samuelson of 1905 Warren
street, pressman at the Bureau of
| Standards, and Capt. II. F. Wnkerson
| of 1926 Warren street. They found the
Schneider boy clinging to the ladder
and pulled him to safety Are there
any others down there?" Cragoe asked
| Eyes, sir" the boy mumbled and
lapsed into Inconsistencies.
Sees Boy in Water.
Peering into the gloomy interior of
the sewer, Cragoe made out the form
4 of a boy in the water. He raced into
his house and called the Fire Depart
l kl1CIt 1OI k1AC ACONuC SAudO &41C 4cO
later turned out to be Bilbrey.
Members of No. 90 Engine and IL
| Truck Companies, block from the
scene, and the two downtown rescue
| squads responded.
Pvt. E. E. Davis Of No. IL Truck Com
! pany climbed into the nanhole with
out mask and brought out two boys
he found unconscious in the shallow
| water. He was Sickened by the gas
I fumes after the Snc0ad raSrt1a and W.
| given first-aid treatment and removed
! to his home at $500 Wisconsin avenue
Pvt. w. A. Walker of No. 20 Engine
Company and Pvt. r. G. Madert of
No. u Truck Company also descended
| into the sewer without masks and
rescued the remaining two.
Members of the two rescue squads
went to work over the youths with
respirator apparatus, being helped in
the firSt-aid work by G. L. Bagley, a
| druggist of 1907 Twenty-eighth street.
and Paul Bosch, 15-year-old Boy Scout.
of 1901 Warren street. They later
were rushed TO the Georgetown Hospital.
Police Battle Crowds.
The noise of dashing fire apparatus
attracted hundreds of people to the
| scene and police of No. Il precinct had
| battle on their hands to keep back
! the crowds.
Pvt Lee Wilckerson, attached to No.
Fire Rescue Squad, donned a mask
| and searched the sewer from the Reno
road outlet to Warren street to ascer-
| tain If there were any others in the
sewer before the fire companies returned
| to their quarters.
| The oxygen supply of Wilckerson's
mask was exhausted in the sewer and
he nearly collapsed before regaining the
street.
| 1t was expected that the boys would
i be discharged from the hospital late
today.