Attempt to save girl in well fails

April 10, 1949: All weekend, thousands had gathered in San Marino, where rescuers worked to reach 3 1/2 -year-old Kathy Fiscus, who had fallen down an abandoned well Friday afternoon. The girl was trapped more than 90 feet underground, in a pipe just 14 inches wide -- and at first she could be heard, talking and crying. But when rescuers finally reached her about 6 p.m. on Sunday, she was dead. A doctor said she had probably died Friday night. Across the nation, people followed the drama, jamming switchboards at radio stations and newspapers. In Los Angeles, only about 20,000 people had TVs, but they could watch the effort minute by minute. In a groundbreaking move, TV station KTLA reported live from the scene -- for 27 1/2 hours.