Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-24
GHERARD|S
HERO|SM
Just Made Public After Much Red
Tape in the Navy De-
partment,

Iardlly comes official recognition to
Lisisn waiter 4. Gherardi tor an act
OF splendid bravery, brief mention of
Whlcn was made in the columns of the
inter Mountain a few days ago. The
news that the young sailor again has
peen honored by his government for per-
sonal herolsm will not astonish those
VINO have followed his career, for twice
before has he been commended from his
country's capital. Because of his most
recent act of daring the young sailor
was III for many weeks, suffering from
hardships and exposure.
Young Gherardi saved more than two
hundred men. women and children from
snlps IN the harbor of San Juan, Porto
ftlco, While the cyclone that recently
swept over the island was at it's height.
His bravery and wisdom on that terrible
night is set forth in a circumstantial ac-
count OF the affair sent out from the
navy department in WASHINGTON last
week.
I Captain Snow, commanding the IInitaa
States naval station at San Juan. is the
author OF the official paper that gives
credit to the ensign. 1t is supposed to
have been received long ago at the de-
partnnent, but red tape hes kept back
the facts until now.
Captain Snow writes that while the
storm was at it's height, Ensign Cher
ardi and j. j. Jiminez, a civil engineer.
ran along the beach to a point Where
oAiApS u uIdSSIlS anchors
through the terrific force of the cyclone,
to see if they could not be of assistance
to the people aboard the tossing vessels.
1t was plain that unless something was
done many hundreds of lives must be
lost, as no ship could live in such a sea.
Gherardi and Jiminez saw the schooner
Conception, loaded with $50 immigrants
from Santo Domingo. in great distress.
Nearby was the steamer Vasco, also la
boring heavily. On the Conception the
terrlfled passengers had gone mad and
We're jumping overheard.
'Gherardi,' the report proceeds, "at
once plunged into the water with his
clothes on, and began dragging the UNI
fortunates from the waves and Dringin
them to the shore. He ordered those
but they We're so terrorized that they
We're unable to do anything but iumD
into the water, Whore they were caught
by Gherardi and Jiminez and Drought to
shofe. There were o six women and
children who did not dare to jump into
the water. They We're told to do so, but
remained where they We're and undoubt.
eddy We're lost, as the schooner soon vent
to pieces.
Those rescued numbered nearly $50
souls. The steamer Nasco then was
battling with the waves a few hundred
yards off. Gherardi called for a life
line, and, forming a party of rescuers
in a line. joining hands and extending
out INTO the water himself at the head.
he soon had hold of the line and, bring,
ing it to shore, fastened the end to a
neighboring tree. The crew climbed
and along the line and We're safely
nded.'
There We're about IS persons thus taken
from the Vasco, and more than 200 in all
saved.
Ensign Gherardi was in of
the picket boat Sioux off Key West dur
ing a trying period of the war with Spain.
He then was twenty-three years Old. and
was ubbed the baby commander of the
navy in contrast with Captain N. Mayo
Dyer, of the Baltimore, the Oldest com
mander in the service. He is the son
of the renowned sailor, Rear Admira |
Gherardi, retired, and was born
in Honolulu, where his father, then a
captain, was stationed as commander of
The Pensacola.
While a big storm was in progress off
in the winter he jumped from
I ship into the waves and saved a sailor
rom drowning. For this act congress
a media to him. While his
mp, the Texas. was lying at the Brook
yl navy yard a few months later Cher
trdi saved two sailors from drowning
1t the greatest risk to his own life, He
again received official recognition. and
vas declared a hero by the board of gov
.rnorS OF the United States Naval Alum
ii association in a set of resolutions. The
Kings Daughters of Brooklyn also took
of his heroism by visiting the shin
n a body and decorating him with a cross
badge,