The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-28
THEY; HAITI. Their SAyIoRs
Persons Rescued From Violent
Death Are lnsrates.
Not Five IN 10000 Reward Those Who
Bring Them Back to ufs-sslhsh.
ness Probably the Cause

s~T IA 4 common belief that persons
saved from drowning are forever
grateful to their rescuers. There -
little II any foundation or justinca-
tion for this belief, for persons res
cued from watery graves invariably
detest and ignore those who nave r1skeo
life or limb to save them.
The same may be said OF those VINO
have been saved from accidental death OF
any kind, but the ingratitude OF the ones
rescued from drowning seems to be most
pronounced. Every one who has saved
life In the water has had some experience
with this seemingly unnatural phase OF
human nature.
1t is true that there have been instances
when the rescuer has been rewarded. but
among 10000 persons saved II - barely
possible to pick out five who proved that
they were grateful.
According to the st. Louis Globe-Demo-
crat. psychologists and others who have
made q study of this ingratitude account
for It from the fact that persons saved
from a violent death have such q horror
of the incident that they hate everything
identified with 1t.
Another reason, and logical one. too.
Is that the rescued one feels he owes, not
only his being, but all he possesses, to his
rescuer. and can reward him only by Of
fering his all, even though he possesses
millions. The selfishness Of nature then
asserts itself and he concludes ito offer
nothing. AS with the man who borrows
SO and promises to pay 1t back and does
not even after an extension OF time. ne
begins to think iii, then speaks Ill OF yous
and finally cordially hates you.
In proof of this here are q few notable
instances of this base human 1uality:
For many years Nathaniel Story has
been in charge of the drawbridge at
Prison point, Charlestown. Mass. and
has saved upwards Of forty persons from
drowning. He has never been rewarded
by any one Of them. and several for whom
he risked his life have deliberately tried
to injure him in various ways.
One bitter. cold night In the latter '70s
he plunged overheard from the Eastern
railroad bridge after an old man who had
accidentally walked on the bridge. After
considerable hard work and intense suf-
fering he managed to get him ashore He
carried the unconscious man into his
house and did everything to save his life,
but the man died. His name was Little
field, and he proved to be the pastor or
the Swedenborgian church and greatly es-
teemed by. his flock. A sermon which he
was to have delivered on the following
Sunday was found in his pocket, and Mr..
Story was rewarded for his good work
with an invitation to come over to tho
church and hear 1t read. Mr.. Story was
not a good church member at that time
The following winter he rescued :
woman at the drawbridge. She was car
ried into his house; she became very III.
and for several days was threatened with
pneumonia She was nursed by Mr..
Story's wife, and his family physician
was called In to attend her After three
weeks care she was able 70 start for her
home In Newburyport. Mrs. Story loaned
her a dress, the dress she had worn hav-
ing been ruined by the salt water: Mr..
Story provided her with railroad pass
to her home. and since then she has never
recognized his services, never returned
his wife's dress, or even sent q postal
card of thanks.
A man for whom he rislked his life in
the icy waters on bleak winters night
had petition in circulation in Cambridge
for his job as draw tender less than q
fortnight afterwards. =
.Tha late Capt. william II. Daily, OF
Boston, a life saver of national reputa-
ton. best known on the Pacific slope.
saved upwards of fifty persons from
drowning and experienced the ingratftuds
of the rescued on several occasions
Once when in a tight place he wanted
to borrow $50 from millionaire, Mr..
M, whom he had saved from drowning
in 1881 at great peril. but M told him
that his money was all locked up In real
estate and he couldn't oblige him.
Another rich man who was assessed for
real estate in San Francisco for $4,000
was rescued by Capt Daily after q hard
struggle. and didn't even return thanks. +
A resident of Vine Hill, Cal. a wealthy
man saved from drowning blythe brave
Daily, would not sign the certificate prov
ing the rescue which was to be forwarded
to Washington and through which he was
to obtain the national medal for bravery
in saving life.
Shakespeare probably had the ingrati-
tude of the rescued In mind when he
wrote:
..I'm rapt and can not cover
The monstrous bulk OF this ingratitude
With any size of words
L'Athenee des Danes. a copy of which,
dated January 4. 1908. has been found In
the French national archives. was prob