St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-06-29
The James Lambert of Connecticut.
HOW ONE LAD HAS SAVED 13 PEOPLE
FROM DROWNING.

The James Lambert of Connecticut.
HOW ONE LAD HAS SAVED 13 PEOPLE
FROM DROWNING.
When two years ago great English
novelist told for an English and an
American newspaper the true narrative
of "A Hero and Martyr" two nations
became interested in the story, and,
thanks to Charles Reade, the hero,
James Lambert, is no longer a martyr
except for the loss of his eyesight con-
sequent upon his humane efforts in
saving human life. 1t came TO the
writer's knowledge the other day that
we have in Hartford young man of
23, who has already performed so many
feats of the same order as those of
James Lambeth. e., saving the lives
of drowning persOns-that it seems that
his heroism should go no longer unre-
warded, especially as all the reward he
has yet received for saving thirteen lives
is $5 bill given him by Trinity stu
dent, who was the sole one of those thus
rescued that has rewarded him. My
attention was drawn to him in this wise:
On Thursday afternoon of last week
Q4th) little girl of five years was
playing on the banks of Little or Park
river that is the northeastern boundary
of Bushnell park, when she fell into the
| river. Children near by gave the alarm,
when John F. McDermott, the subject
of this paper, came running down. the
street from the saloon where he is en-
plOyed as bottler of lager beer, and,
disregarding the advice of some of the
10y ISLANDERS as to the proper place to
look, stopped only to kick off his shoes,
noted the bubbles rising from the water,
and plunged in after the child, who had
sunk for the third time. In his first
plunge he struck his hands, skinning
the knuckles, and came to the surface
without her. AT once he plunged again,
and this time with his hands found the
child lying, face downward, on the hot
tom of the river. Placing his right foot
brought her ashore, where she was with
some difficulty resuscitated and sent
home.
Finding that this was the 18th life
that Mr.. McDermOtt had thus saved,
sought an interview with him, and will
let him tell his own story in the main
in his own words: "When | was going
to school and 10 or IL years old, l was
coming home one day and playing
Shiny on the ice, / was going back
ward, when fell through into the river
Chief Eaton (chief of our fire depart
ment) saved me. | was proud of that
man ever since, and have took pattern
by him. You see people threw me
clothes-lines and all sorts of things,
but it didn't do any good. The chief
came along and brought ladder with
him. He told 'em to hang on to one
end Oh the shore while he went out after
me. The ice bent under him, and the
ladder went deeper and deeper, but he
kept on till he grabbed me and pulled
me out. | had gone under four times.
| People may doubt this, but I'll leave
it to the chief.) | was all gone, and
they had to roll me OH a barrel CHATS
about the best thing you can do to a
half drowned man) to bring me to.
was skating again next day.
"AnOther time | was with a boy
named John Miller skating on the river.
He said, Pm tired of skating; let's go
up and race down. We did so. | went
over the ice rolling under me like Il
piece of cloth. He followed, broke
through and sunk. | was little fellow
then and couldn't swim, so he drowned.
His mother felt so bad about it they
had to tie her to bed for two or three
weeks.
Il have always lived near the Park
river. The first life | saved was that
of boy named Tom Kennedy. He
fell through the ice into Park river
while skating, and pulled him out.
''The next that l remember was a
brother of Kennedy. He couldn't swim
at all, but one day when he was bath
ing in the Connecticut he caught hold
of boat that was pushing off from the
shore. In a minute or two he let &c
and sunk in deep water. | was dress
ing on the bank, but jumped in and
saved him.
"Charley Scott was the third. He
was skating on the ice under JEWELS
bridge, when he went through. He
sunk but once, as got him quick.
ga young fellow named Owen, a stu
dent, was bathing back of the colleges
He got into the hole we call the old
well'-it's fearful deep! | was swim
ming neal by, and went for him. l got
him as he was going under the third
time. He gave me a fiye-dollar bill
all the money he had with him.
''Two years ago a stout boy fel
through the rotten ice in Park river.
had warned him, but he took no heed
| was on Welles street, but ran down
and went in, shoes, coat and all on Gt'>
very foolish to keep on shoes, sir, be.
cause you cannot sound with them).
went down and grabbed him behind
, / had to hit him in the face to make
him let go U had to hit that Kennedy
how that I nulIed Out of the Connection
three times to make him let go, and tt
hit 'em in the face is about the bes
! way any one can dO.) This fellow wa,
very heavy, and it was hard work.
got him ashore by sounding" (McDer
mott here explained that body is 81
light under water that, if no resistance
/ is offered, it is not difficult for him t,
lift and carry one, while he himsel
works shoreward by these continued
springs upward from the bottom of th,
river, striking on his feet but to re
bound upward.)
, ''FOur years ago, up near Plimpton'
factory, two girls were skating, when
warned them off. One complied, tn,
other kept on, and, in moment, wen
| through a crack in the ice. l walked
t right out to her and saved her easily
getting her by her limbs and pullin,
3 her out.
''The next one to her was down a
Colts dike--a fellow named Manion fel
off an old dock. We we're both strip
ped. He couldn't swim, and plunget
for him. l split my head on a sharl
S stone at the bottom (since then L al
ways put my hands in front of me whel
| dive), which made me dizzy. go