The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-05-25
LIFE SAVING HIS BUSINESS.
SMALLEY GETS NO MEDALS OR GLORY
AND MIGHTY LITTLE MONEY.
At Least a Hundred Persons Owed Their

At Least n Hundred Persons Owed Their
Lives 10 Him-Now lie IL Dead In Pow
erty-Leavesn widow and Two Children.
"You may talk about Capt. Jack Hussey and
other men who has score Of medals given
them for saving people from drowning" said
William II. Gibbons agent Of tho Myers EX-
cursion and Navigation Company yesterday.
but there wasn't one OF them that had rec
ord to compare with that Of Ed Smalley In
the fifteen years that he has made life saving
his business. he has rescued at least 100 per-
sons from death by drowning. don't hesitate
to say that he was the foremost life saver OF
the last decade. He never made his exploits
known. and no society ever gave him medal
Edward Smalley died suddenly yesterday
morning OF heart disease. He was 35 years old.
and lived with his wife and two children at G6
Market street He had gone down to the river
early in the morning. and returned complain
ing Of feeling i'll. He lay down on the floor in
evident suffering, and his wife hastily sent for
DR.. Hemingway A few moments after the doc
tor came. at about IL o'clock, Smalley died:
Deputy Coroner jenkins viewed the body and
said that valvnar disease OF the heart was tho
SmaiIey had been in the most robust health
all winter. Friday he TOOK practice row on the
river. He was going out with the lorkville
Literary Union excursion UP the sound from
as life saver. and tomorrow was going with the
IOks IpiiuV Wasserfahrt excursion. from
East Thirty-sc street. to Long Branch.
His business was following excursions with u
rowhoat and rescuing those who tumbled over
board.
street. this city. OF English parents. As boy
no was II powerful swimmer. He tookto boat
most expert handlers of the oars In this harbor
He got himself rowboat aud picked up many
to row. row down the bay to meet Incoming Vessels
and accompany them to dock aud carry their
hawsers ashore against adverse tides. He
painter ile followed this trade only when
rrow-boat work was slack about the harbGIr
Once he regularly engaged himself as u
eha painter in furniture aac tor but he got
him that the third time be got 1t he won!d die.
He got Jobs occasionally to GO out with
overheard. aud his rowing and swimming eN-
plots here attracted the attention OF the
Since then he has accompanied about 100 ex-
cur;ons a summer, and in the winter has
worked ut such odd Jobs as he could pick up
s smr eowoTn bud HAN He had fair hf har
no beard or moHstnchs and strong
He was really the originator OF tho
practice which all excursion companies now
eurHon to pict up folks s who tumble oyerboard
He fastened his boat TO the stern OF the excur-
sion b9a by Nth han an Iron
held the end OF the line. and when any one
tumbled overheard he let 10 the rope. seized
the oars: and rowed 10 Dim. Many OF the ex-
cursion barges which leave the city. especially
on sunday, are supplied wi an abundance Of
liquor. and often several excursionists fall
overheard drunk. On church and sunday
sch DOL excursions II Is not uncommon for chill
dren 10 tumble in. SmAlley never lost man
woman, or child in all his experience. he
rarely had to Jump out of his rowboat TO res
cue them, but when he had to no proved
powerful swimmer. who was ready for
every emergency in the water. One
thing that the company that employed
him and his friends complained OF was that
Smalley never got the names and addresses OF
the people he rescued. They wanted him 10
note down his rescues and make record for
himself but he refused. He said that life saw
ing was his business. that he was paid for 1t.
and that he was not working for medsfS ana
glory. He never talked voluntarily OF the lives
he had saved. So the number Of lives he saved
is unknown. but the steamboat people say that
100 is q small estimate.
.Smalley has left his family very poor. His
Oldest child Ia q girl Of years His second
child Is boy Of 3. His youngest child died
three weeks ago.
=, Life saving does not pay as a business.
SmallOy got only $50 month for four months
OF the year. The rest Of the year he depended
upon odd Jobs. He had no relations in the
country. and his wife has neither friends nor
the means OF support. The family occupies
two small rooms Ia rear tenement house at
&c Market street.