Connecticut western news., 1879-07-23

drew the man out. They found him to be 'longshoreman, who had walked over the edge while intoxicated.
 This is very common story. The larger part of the rescued, or those assisted before they have 0 chance to come to harm-for the boys make this praiseworthy part of their occupation, too-are of similar sort. They are sailors searching in dazed way fol their ships, persons of low condition attempting to walk straight across the open Coenties Slip, or to the lights of Brooklyn, forgetful of the water, or others lain down to sleep on the string pieces of the piers.
 The suicides are generally intoxicated, too. Those who are not go out upon the ferry-boats, perhaps to make surer work of it. It is a strange experience to hear one of these boys tell how he found middle-aged woman on the edge of the pier, "prayin' and lookin' up at the sky" how she "made bounce " and he "grabbed her, and how he advieed her, when she groaned that she had been robbed of her money and clothes and wanted to die, to "just go right home and don't bother no more about it.
 These are lives so long steeped in the dregs of wretchedness as to be almost tiresome to their owners, because they are so hopeless.
 Then there are the careless children, for whom there are regular seasons. Many such rescues happen in the spring when the little folk begin to play on the loose logs and rafts in the basins with the first fine weather, but the majority occur in the summer bathing-time.
 The grown people are shy of giving their names, or making any stir about their preservers, through shame at the condition they were ID. The children often have wholesome fear of further punishment at home, should they re- turn dripping and their whereabouts at the time be known.
 Frequently some sad victim of boy, as he might be thought, just drawn from deaths door, may be seen playing gayly at tag, waiting for his clothes which are spread out to dry in the sun.
 We stop to see tho shelf, turned up against the side of the shed on the Har- lem pier, which wss Nan's place of business in former times. He has trans ferred it to cousin, thus keeping it still in the family. We talk with the watch man on tall British bark in the India trade. Then we pick up tramp, stow ed away in dangerous place by the Bridge-stre ferry, and hand him over to the police, who receive him grumb- ling.
 The boys are sorry that we do not have chance to see them in the actual heat of their occupation. They offer, if we wish, to go through the form of rescue, by having one of their own num- Der fall in and two others get him out. We do not, of course, accept so barbar- ous test of hardihood, for it is early spring and the water is icy cold. We are satisfied to hear from them their manner of doing it.
 The lifeline is thrown as near the sinking person as possible. Two of the patrol go into the water. One puts the line about the subject with "half- hitch," the other helps support him to land. If he struggle and seize the res cuer so as to endanger both, the latter sinks little, when the drowning man let's go his hold in alarm. In some cases it has been necessary to strike him, so as to render him partly insensible.
 The drowning person is always to be approached from behind, turned upon his back, and drawn in by the hair, the rescuer swimming on his back also. This plan is recommended by the best authorities, and it may be we'll for some of our young readers to bear it in mind.
 These young fellows have had the odd experience ofseeing themselves and their work represented on the stage. They went to see, at one of the cheap down. town theatres, a sensational piece en- titled "Nan, the Newsboy," which was acted to the satisfaction of quite large audience.
 The boys speak of this play with great disgust. It was the richest life-savin' I ever see" says Nan. "They had me in it, and me mother in it, and all of uz. There was woman, and she hadn't not no more than lost her baby when I steps up and says, Here's yer baby, mississ.'
 "Then there was river pirates and milliner. A girl she come singin' down the docks about twelve o'clock at night. There aint no girls comes singin' around us. The river pirates they stabbed the girl and throwed her in. Then there was another one throwed in. We had all three of 'em out in five minutes. The feller what was supposed to be me was about thirty years old. The one what looked like Kelley he had mustache. |" A glance at the smooth countenance of Kelley, so innocent of any such deco ration, showed this to be an error quite worthy of the vigorous way in which it was found fault with.
 The account given of the way rescued persons behave after their rescue is net at all favorable. Or attitude is said to be the last thing they think of. Often there is positive abuse. If hat be lost during the confusion, as is of course not uncommon, this trifling mis- hap drives everything else from their minds.
 It is clear that it is not the interesting characters of the persons saved by which