Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-07-23
THE EVENING STAR.
WEDNESDAY,. July D. 1879.
"Nan the NewsbOy."
LFE-sAyING AS SUBSTITUTE FOR LoAFINa.
Nicholas Cos

ssNan the Newsboy."
LIFE SAVING AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR LoAFINa.
TFrom St. Nicholas for August
Nan, The newsboy, Is among the latest OF the
edd characters which spring into fame from
time to time out OF the varied life OF the great
lily OF New York. A year ago he formed
little band consisting OF himself and two Others.
10 patrol the East river docks at night and res
cue persons from drowning. Some charitable
station 10 live In, boats, neat blue unffsrms and
small weekly salary to devote their whole
time 10 the work Mans real name is William
d. ONell. he Is thorough street Arab in his
manners, and uses the dialect common among
ragged newsboys and bootblacks.
me regulations by which the association
few and simple. AS Jotted down with other
matters in his rough log book. they are:
!; Members shall do whatever the president
2. No one shall be member who drinks or
gets drunk.
3. Any member not down in Dover dock. and
miss one night except In sickness, shall be fined
80 cents by order OF the president.
4. No curslng allowed.
Spelling is not Mans strong point, and have
the usual custom. Nor does he keep records In
scientific manner. Case four, In his list of
rescued sets Gown only :" jew boy" Case
i've Is "a Ied-headed boy who fell In thewater,
but could not find his pame."
Ihe first meeting OF the association took place
o ei,t, peasant day In June, ISIS. We was a.
oIetih VII DoNtE N. Nan SAYS. =" 1elllU stores.
We got talkin; about how a body was took out
most every day. and some said 200 was took out
ia year. wed heered about life savin' On the
Jersey coast too So says: Say we makes a
soc1ation OF II. boys, for to go along the docks
pickin' EN- up regular All right" they saws.
ard they nomernates me for preSerdent We
on COrI erS."
Might as well be brave and humane fellows.
that Is as idle and dangerous loungers, Yes
indeed they might. and this modest Wav of put
ting 1t is Infinitely to Mans credit The three
have nothing very distinctive In their appear
ance, excepting their plain uniform. Nan has
rosy complexion and serious manner. He has
sold papers almost ever since he can remember
Edward Kelly is paler and slghter. and has
quite decided air OF dignity. Gilbert Long is
eye. he looks as If likely to be the most TecK.
lessly persistent of the lot in any dangerous
straits. The three boys all were born In Cherry
street: Long has been tinsmith's apprentice.
AID Kelly leather cutter. They have with
them also five unpaid volunteers who serve at
night. The force is divided into three patrols
Cherry street and its vicinity abound In tene-
meIts, sailor boarding houses and drinking Sa-
looms. The upper part OF South street is kind
OF breathing place for this squalid quarter 1t is
much favored by idle urchlns especially, who
lind hundred ways to amuSe themselves
among the boxes and bales. A breeze blows
from the water across the edge OF the dusty
coffee colored piers and gives breath OF fresh
air. The flsh-dock and the old '.dirt"-dock In
Peck Slip on summer evenings are white with
the figures OF bathers. Often, too, even when
the law was more stringent against 1t than
low, they found means 10 swim I'm the day.
time. They wrestle and tumble over one
another, remain ia the water for hours, swim
across the swift stream to Brooklyn and back
and dive to the muddy bottom for coins thrown
to them by spectators. This was the training
school Of our nfe-sayers. Accidents were very
frequent here, and the boys made many rescues
without thinking much OF them.
Their house is a little box OF place, painted
bright blue mOOred under the shade OF the
great Brooklyn bridge, and close to both the
Fulton and Roosevelt street ferries. The front
is through hole In a dilapidated fence; then
down ladder and perhaps across a canal boat
or two to where it lies wedged In in the crowded
basin. They have rOw-bOat and life-saving
raft of the catamaran pattern. Inside, the sta
ton has three hunks, some lockers to hold mis-
cellaIeous articles, q small stove In a corner
and small case OF books contributed by the
Seaman's Friend Society. These are largely
accounts OF courage and ingenuity in danger
LIKELY to be aggregated by boys In their cir
over, Nan plays the banjo and what he calls
the "cordeeD, and there is quite social time
Nan had saved eight persons, Long six, and
| Kelly four, before the association was formed
| and Nan had received a silver medal from the
| United States life saving association. His most
| gallant case was the rescue OF three young men
| overturned from row boat by collision with
| the Harlem steamer off 18th street. He was
| selling his papers on the dock at the time.
When his notice was attracted to the accident he
| He was taken out himself In drowning condl-
| ton. when you drowns," he says, speaking
feeliDgly from experience, mot thing you ever
| did but it comes up In your bead. Tnen, may
be- after that, you hear kim o. noise like music
In your ears" Longs best case was the saving
OF a son OF Police Sergeant Webb'S Ia Dover
dock. and kelley's OF a boy at Bay Ridge, who
| drew him down twice In the effort.