The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-02-10
1lrE-SAVING ALECK LABRE.
mr. T}iTRrfEN PERSONS RESCUED ONLY
ONE SIID " THANK IOU."

uo,, he Helped the Coroners TO LnrEe Fees.
"con YOU tell me where Alexander Labro
,,,.s ." asked % reporter for THE Sun of rag
.,I h,-untt, red fisherman who sat bohbing for
al. al tli, foot Of East Tenth street Tho angler
.boltl not seem to be in luck. hitched up his
,,,,..r-. ooiled the end Of his limo around the
bulkbrad nnd. passing the back OF his hand
sn,lo.o,icaly over his unwashed face. said.
With yawn. You mean Acck' Labrc. tho life
saver"
'Ye-"
"w,.l vou'll fnd him up thrcc pair Of stairs
n,orthrre D." pointing in the direction of n tall |
,erc,apt up the street. business hasn't been |
very lively with him lately-that il. In the life
saving line Irs moron three weeks. guess, |
slnechc's hauled anybody out Of the river
Going up the treble flight of stairs at 453. on |
the south side Of the street. the reporter found
himself face TO face with small, compact young
man. with the bronzad skin and 1.-the. agile ig-
ure of the French Canadian. His hair was
straight md dark as that of an Indian, andtum-
bed ha 4 from his forehead in smooth even
vav. which suggested tho washing Of many
vater- His eyes were black and piercing, and
his manner cool and self possessed llo is
deckhand on Grecnpoint ferryboat. and 1t is
while engaged in that capacity that some OF his
most daring exploits have been performed. His
emplovor- are proud Of him. and IL was through
ther efI ,rts that. after saving dozen lives. the
Liie.savng Benevolent Association was in
duced 30 reward him.
Iabrc was born in Montreal. about thirty
years ago. His father was a ship carpenter
who had all he could do TO got food for his chil-
dren and could not send them to school. When
A,ck was Ave years old his father moved to
New York. and settled among the wharves
around Corears Hook The boy took to the
water Ike South Sea Islander He learned to
swim when Q years old. and in the warm sum-
mer nights ho was nearly always swimming
and diving from the neighboring piers. to the
admiration Of the other youngsters. aud the
dismay and wondermcnt Of adults. Bets as to
his sability TO swim long distances under water.
to dive from the highest picrheads and to bring
up rings and coins from the muddy bottom,
were common among the loungers Of the Hook,
Andit was rarely that Aleck disappointed his
hackers.
"Manys the warming I've got" he said. with
Asmiio. for going swimming when hadn't
ough, %. but they didn't stop me-"
HI first res ,ue was when he was only l3. The
Russians had been building a man-oi-war at
the foot NJ East Ninth street close to the Nor
gan Iron Works. and were fitting wheel into
her ship carpenter engaged on her was
getting into a rowboai from the old Sound
steamer Connecticut. which lay alongside. when
the who. water from passing tux capsized
the boat and sent him under He went down
Oh the ,iarbJurd side ot the Connecticut. and
rose 10 iAe surface again on the port side.
AMI rowing 10 the -iJ.. 1l the drowning man
ssl7sd Nm, ANN lust a. hr was going down for
he thiri time. With much difficulty the hoy
toved Him 10 the shore. Then the man who
owned tne skin came up. swore at Aleck Tor
arownins man, nnI even Threatened To put him
In ai'. A. for the shin carpenter. he did not
v" b' Xxx th,rt ,.oIi - exclaimed tho rcp1rter
ina.t,ni.huant
~. .~.i H.. ,o-y r.- .lr that thOse thnt are
,ay.d ,,.rtbank The On. y,lln puils them ont |
nayor knew Nut ono WHO thanked mo or offered
70 d. ANYTHING far me-"
y ,Hr .-., mi r..-,ll. WAS made several years
laar 4 ylun. man WHO III boats N tl.c Bat
INV ~ 80 -. .1'i,iul, mn. tis Sixteenth street
tJ- .l.-.. ir.,~,a i.,'i,,Ds saw him drown
IN. All s.. .uf.l a. IN. yu,in. mans friends.
VII ~. r. .t1rlir, IN tte wharf Thny slii
mtt ,. onI ma XVIII, vh"rcuion Aleck
W,ni d lnt. tb..W.t rin ID clothes. an .. after
H. r.--..r ,c.- r,.ft .,'.,.l un'isr Lli,spcl
him g., H.. fa.l of'i To-. '.... and uul',i him
Gsear. 1I. Wax, nr Wis revived oy his
"'''r -t, ', ii,,
on, ,if.i, /, I'm H.. ......r..f 1865 Iahr4 saw
b., ~ ~ nus ,. v'.' r.,tr H. llw down m
v.a,.r .,,l ~ hI.,ttsi T.. .5n1plrt.lv covered
Is bare ' 'oated w'n :, ls, s9t III.
m-r. ulIr.--.'..'I m Stunned Off and
irl DO, ? WatIr' rl l,.n,e ".yM ,,..r NJ ~
Hi AH Me- T. WI IT,, iI,,,r rcHs ,r's a., /"
-, rnu' ' ~ ~, l." - , ii, ~ n,
80, ~ ~ '|'" Nv p,.H ~ , In. I'm nsbere
,t ~ t.,.-'5'll 49,, t,,,rs Ia,
rey,yi XXX XXX VIZ w, r ~. t,, ,,rj fo,tnd ma tn,
~ 'l',' ~, t !, o. "', , a. n.,', tt,i,,,, IN T. M.
m"a was lAlnr nnin.1 - bri.n' lNyns ~ II, i,n
a. ii"' VIZ. WNnlut Hi' M iMii- "yM ~. \ ~ ,,,ie,s
NJ ..-,,5 'l Guu' ~ N'' ue' pest "h" >" '''S
Piit ~ ui' L"sl hN1r, ,,.........tt hin.
,in w. sam" year l.oNf '.-l ~ L '.im ,,
s.ll 10y -iNlhS "" I'VE 90. l,l ' ,h w., w
-' I,W,hg oU b,l"' yy'J '',' ',,'.r,t,t, ,' In ~
Vi seventy -hhli sltt'A VIII l,'' t"E u ~ ~ H.
he.s4norhooi. he h"ard Shouts ", hslp
br'p. '"nlng ron tiI lltr,'.ii ~ %, i"n Mise, @
a. .e.n.I i1w"Id - b1.k"a lSinn , H. ,n nu n'', ~"
la WIN 'Wn nlch "nu r.. b, n,it nj
T. 7'N'H Nrl'"-Iu. sh'h nilin ~, ~, " ~ ~
tA9 -ll"hlu' On hrNllhs sheit ht Doa, a. ~ 70 a.
Nc. sshiS 10 U.s. sreal rautl3n. hs ,iu ~ ulU % ~
nm IN tuelr stIhsfl's lhlSin gas,,y ~ ,1 a
NJ pnIo. tne tnr'e, wa. r,In&EImS & VI '"G ,'lr ohr
nh.h nAl r." tnrhnl pnu}'i up",tu, nh, tnr III
?, NrH up ur BOY nrHi' ana theh WTfna f 'ou .l ~,
m"n' me cuIr,I H. Eas %ds.ur runsuH wn iHitsnd,.
suii,9 gu unur. anu In' a,mT ~ ,,d tba
III ~ .I"Nl uhls.r' ~ H.cI w"tn no 'yu'q ~; asb "a i
s w rhln" - e'lt & u1 u 5a,n nj net the en-,
49, ' s~NrhN 49, lv.t ~ 49, hSsd i'll dn,vn
ent l3r thls Pprposr' tney nun i ,ttorha HoJr
'', M'lEllhE t'iI.i Ii 'p's' - p,i',t ,nen IA
~ ,'pt 'NNHS ,i''t 'u"-' III H. l., a., - H.