Smyrna times., 1885-08-12
A NARROW ESCAPE FROM
DROWNING.
AN EXCITING SCENE AT ATLANTIC
CITY.

The Philadelphia papers Of Thursday
give the following account of the mar
row escape from drowning of one OF
our citizens in company with some
Philadelphia ladies on Wednesday
last:
"ATLANTIC CITY, Aug. 9th.
"The most sensational rescue ever
made in Atlantic City occurred to-day
during the bathing hour, about IL
O'Clock. The Misses Hance, three
daughters of r. A. Hance, the manu-
featuring chemist of Philadelphia, who
has a cottage here on Rhode Island
! Avenue. were in bathing with some
! friends at the foot of Massachusetts
! Avenue, near the site of the iron pier
Being experienced swimmers they ven
tured out into deep water and were
carried further out by the tide, which
is somewhat treacherous at this point on
account of the inlet current. w. ..
HofIecker, of Smyrna, Del, seeing
their helpless condition, went to their
rescue and did all he could to keep
them ahoat. A. A. Moore, of the
Phoenix Bridge Company, and w. c.
Sherman, one of the sub-cOntractOrs,
were standing on the pier talking
when Mr. Moore saw the young ladies
struggling in the water. He at once
pulled of his coat, threw a heavy
panksintO the water and flOated it to
the struggling ladies and assisted Mr..
Hofecker in placing the drowning
persons upon the plank, but he found
the task so arduous that he became
exhausted. Mr.. Hoilecker had already
sunk and was drowning, when Mr..
Moore's son came to his rescue, and be-
fore he had taken him ashore was re-
lieved by another gentleman. He re-
turned and found his father in a sink
ing condition and had much difficulty
in bringing him to the beach.
"The young ladies in the meanwhile
were clinging to the plank. Those on
the beach had become frantic and 4
dozen of planks were fOated to them
= but on account Of the roughness of the
surf 1t was with difficulty that they
, were directed to the spot. Young
Moore became exhausted and had tC
be brought ashore. A rope was Sc
2 cured and Charles Tindall carried il
| out to the struggling ladies, who haC
lost all consciousness and were floating
q on the waves. James Hetfy, of tht
:. crew of Rutter Brothers, ran a hal
mile along the beach and plunged a
= once into the waves. He gathered thu
three drowning ladies together anC
, placed them on several planks of whicl
he formed an imprOmptu raft. Mr.
y Tindall tied the rope around tn,
; planks and several hundred willing
l.. 1,i IAI Of . lt, NJ
q the raft with its almost liieless freight
= A shout of JOY arose from the thous
d ands that had gathered on the beach
$ and the girls all bleeding at the nos
d and mouth, were laid on the beach
y Two unknown ladies who were in thu
water at the time became frightenet
Z by the shrieks of those on nshOre, faintet
u in the water and were fast being car
st ried out by the tide when rescued b!
Charles Tindall and another gentle
man, James Leroy, who attempted t.
swim out to the Hance sisters when il
their most perilOus condition, becam
n exhausted and sank into the water an
d was rescued with much difficulty.
was fully thirty minutes before tn
'0 party were brought in-all Of theI
" thoroughly exhausted, and the Tescu
lie is one of the most remarkable that ha
as occurred for years. Too much prais
"A cannot be given to Mr.. HOffecker fC
his daring manliness. In his prOstr;
"a ton, where he is being attended b
m kind friends and admirers, he is recei'
ID ing the ovation only given to the brav
"a and the noble The ladies are all r
- covering and express the most heartfe
IL obligation to their heroic rescuer."