Billie Poulter and Billy Talboys - both aged 10

DISTRESSING FATALITY

TWO BOYS SUFFOCATED.

DUNEDIN, This Day

A distressing fatality occurred yesterday afternoon, two boys, aged ten years, named William Ross Talboys and William Russell Poulter, being suffocated under a fall of sand in a vacant section at Musselburgh. The boys had excavated a tunnel through a high sand-bank, and while the victims crawled through a third boy remained outside. The bank collapsed suddenly, completely burying the boys.

Assistance was secured, about twenty men digging frantically, but the boys were dead when recovered. — (HA.)  -Wairarapa Daily Times, 30/11/1931.

BOYS’ TRAGIC DEATH

SUFFOCATED BY SAND 

ARDUOUS RESCUE EFFORTS 

An inquest concerning the death of the two 10-year-old boys, William Russell Poulter and William Ross Talboys, who were buried under a fall of sand at Tainui on Sunday afternoon, was opened at the residences of the parents yesterday morning, Mr H. W. Bundle, SM, sitting as coroner. 

Evidence of identification in respect to the boy Poulter was given by his mother, Annie Grace Poulter, who stated that the deceased had left home about 3.25 p.m. on Sunday to play on a vacant section near the house. So far as she knew he had not dug in the sand on this section previously. 

William Charles Talboys identified the body of the second boy as that of his son, whom he last saw alive about half past 3 on Sunday afternoon. He understood that the lad was going to play in a vacant section adjacent to his home, and he had heard him telling his mother that there was a good tunnel in the sand. His mother had advised him. not to play in it as it might fall in. 

The inquest was resumed at the Courthouse in the afternoon, Sergeant McCarthy representing the police. 

Dr Allan stated that in response to a telephone message received shortly after 4 p.m. on Sunday he proceeded to Quarry street, where he saw several men digging in some fallen sand on a vacant section. He assisted for a time in digging away the sand, and about 20 minutes after his arrival the body of the boy Poulter was found. Witness at once commenced artificial respiration, at which he was relieved in turn by others present. This was continued for about an hour and a-quarter, but without avail. When the body was first recovered all signs of life were absent, and witness could not hear any heartbeat with his stethoscope, nor could he detect any sign of sand about the mouth or nostrils, which appeared to indicate that the boy was unable to breathe immediately on being buried. There were no marks of injury on the body, and witness was of opinion that death was due to asphyxia resulting from obstruction by sand of the air passages, and the pressure of heavy, wet sand on the chest and back. The body of the second boy was recovered a few minutes after the first one, and, although artificial respiration was carried out for some time, it proved unavailing. From the appearance of the body the cause of death was the same as in the case of the first boy. The rescuers worked as hard as it was possible for them to do, and very little time was lost in extricating the bodies.

Douglas Robert Park, aged 12 years, said that on Sunday afternoon he went with the boy Talboys to the section in question, where they joined Poulter. Some boys had been making a tunnel in the sandpit on the section, and when they got there Poulter was digging in it with a shovel. Witness, Poulter, and Talboys decided to make the tunnel larger, but, having done so they found there was not sufficient light in it, whereupon they dug a “peep hole” through the side. Witness was looking from the outside through this peep hole, and just as he caught sight of Talboys’s face the tunnel began to cave in, slowly at first, and then with increasing speed. Witness at once ran for assistance, and got a Mr McTaggart, who went to the spot. Thomas McTaggart stated that about 4 o’clock on the afternoon of the fatality the boy Park came to his house and told him that two boys had been buried on a section nearby. Witness at once got a shovel, and with his wife went to the section, but on seeing the amount of sand that had fallen in he sent her back for Dr Allan, the police, and any assistance she could find. Within 10 minutes there were 20 men with shovels on the spot, Dr Allan arriving almost at the same time. After about 40 minutes’ digging, the bodies were recovered, and witness estimated that about eight tons of heavy wet sand had to be removed.

Constable Hansen corroborated Dr Allan’s statement with regard to the finding of the bodies. In returning his verdict the coroner said that from Dr Allan’s evidence it was clear that the boys were suffocated at once, and it should be some little consolation to the relatives to know that they had not suffered a lingering death. He could only find that death was due to asphyxiation caused by an accidental fall of sand.  -Otago Daily Times, 1/12/1931.

Southern Cemetery, Dunedin.  DCC photo.

Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin.  DCC photo.