Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-08
WOMEN AND WHISKY
Saved the Life of a Young East Ender
Who Skated Into Silver Lake.
A TWENTY-MlNUTE PLUNGE BATH
That Rendered the Bather Unconscious for
Fully Half an Hour.
THE MARROW ESCAPE OF TWO MEN

Propped up in a big rocking chair, en-
yeloped in blankets aa6 comfortables, sur
rounded by anxious and frightened men,
women and children, Robert H. Alexander
was seen yesterday afternoon, after his inn
promptu plunge into the icy waters of Silver
Lake.
Mr.. Robert, in company with two other
young men, George w. Ackerman and
George l.. Dawson, all of Bloomfield, went
down to Silver Lake shortly after 3 o'clock,
and putting on their skates paid their Is
cents admission fee and struck out gaily
over the smooth surface of the ice. Scarcely
ten minutes had they enjoyed the exhilarat-
ing sport, when, with an ominous cracking
of the ice and loud shouts of those around,
two of the skaters disappeared in
a treacherous hole. One of them,
very fortunately, and in a manner which no
one, in the excitement Of the moment,
seemed able to explain, pulled himself out
and Immediately vanished while his COM
panion in the water shouted ''A board, a
board.'
There was a general rush for ropes and
boards, and two ladies who live on the
banks of the lake were on hand in less time
than it takes to tell, with couple of clothes
lines, while the men drew as near to the
edge of the hole as possible with boards.
ALONG AND CHILLY WAIT.
In the meantime, Mr.. Alexander, who
was able to swim, and thus, prevented him.
self from sinking, was calling for George"
which might have meant either of his
comrades, and crying: "For Gods sake
help mel can't stand it much longer"
For fully 20 minutes the poor man strug-
gled in the cold water without being able to
grasp any of the many ropes or boards BY
which he could save himself Just as he
was giving up hope and succumbing to the
chill of the water, a rope that was thrown
him by George Ackerman and the young
man in charge of the lake, wrapped around
his body, and by it he was saved.
Once out of the water he lost all conscious
ness, and was carried into the residence of
Mrs. Foster, where he was quickly divested
of his wet clothing and Dr. Rugh, with the
assistance of Mrs. Foster, Mrs. Black and
his two companions, applied the usual reme-
dies and rubbings given to drowned man.
For half an hour no sign of life encouraged
them in their efforts; then, gradually the
man returned to consciousness, and hot
whisky and the careful attention given him
BY the ladies, coupled with the knowledge
of his narrow escape made him quite con-
tented with his lot, and he was a very docile
patient.
NOT QUITE THAT OLD.
The ladies deserve great credit for their
prompt actions while the young man was
in the water and their kindness to him
afterward, but one of them, who at the
time was engaged in holding his head and
feeding him hot Scotch, objected very
strongly to having it called 'motherly
kindness" as suggested to THE DISPATCH
reporter by one of the gentlemen present
She preferred not to be considered quite
that old, she said
The physician in charge says that unless
pneumonia sets in, Mr.. Alexander will
suffer no serious effects from his plunge
bath, and with his permission at $50
o'clock the young man clothed in his right
mind-as nearly as a man could be after
having been fed with hot whisky for two
hours-and clean, dry clothing, was con-
veyed in carriage to his home on Cedar
street.
The skaters-about 15 in number and |
and among them some of the fair sex-as |
soon as the rescue was made struck out for |
the shore, and one young lady, falling upon |
The ice, imagined herself about to repeat the |
1rama, and forthwith made the woods re- |
sound with her screams of terror As the |
water she expected did not close over her, in |
lime she became reassured, and, with as |
'istance, made her way home.
Some criticism upon the proprietors of |
he lake foated round in the breezes for |
allowing the skaters upon the ice when it |
was not perfectly safe, but one of them was |
IN hand promptly to paw all expenses,
whether for casket or carriage.