Toddler in the Well

Chantal Porter glanced out the window of her Del Rey Oaks, Calif. home to check on her two young children in the back yard. It was a warm, mid-December morning, 1980. She spotted 4 year old Quincyann but not 15 month old Christopher. A deeply concerned search brought no results. Then she spotted the 9 – 10 inch well hole her husband had been digging with an auger. Surely he could not have slipped down there. The shaft of the auger protruded from the hole and the unmistakable crying confirmed the worst.

Panic stricken, she summoned police, firemen and ambulance. A light aimed down the shaft showed he had slid down feet first and was wedged in just above the auger. A hose was lowered to provide air but attempts to pull up the auger would severely injure or even kill the boy. Additionally it could dislodge dirt and suffocate the lad. The only solution was to dig a large, deep hole nearby, gently, and then tunnel horizontally to the boy. The top backhoe operator, Harold Clark, was enlisted for this very delicate maneuver. Too much vibration would cause the shaft to cave in and suffocate the lad. 45 minutes later he had a 22 foot hole. Another two hours of 3 men digging the tunnel by hand, shored up by boiler plates they brought in, reached the lad. It could have easily been a disastrous result instead.

Parents, Jeff and Chantal, plus others from their church prayed fervently throughout the ordeal. At about 6 pm one of the men brought the slightly injured boy to his grateful parents. Their response was “Thank you, Jesus” and thank you to all the rescuers and those who helped support the family.

Amazing rescue,

Henry Wiebe