The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-10-14
Barney 0'Rourke Walked Into
Tannery Brook and Sank Up to
His Neck in Mud and Quick
sand
RESCUED BY MILKMAN
AND TWO BICYCLISTS
HurriedIy Taken to Station ! and
Life Put in His Legs and Body
by Vigorous Treatment by
Sergt. MCMurray and Drivers
Kennedy and Mccarthy

Barney O'Rourke, an odd character
in New Worcester and Cherry Valley,
had narrow escape from drowning in
Tannery Brook, north of Salisbury
Pond early yesterday morning. Es-
Gaping from that danger Barney was
threatened with death from exposure,
being caught fast in the mud of the
stream with water flowing about up to
! his shoulders. The muck of the stream
in which he floundered was a good deal
like quicksand and the more the man
struggled and tried to get out of his
predicament the worse off he got and
he sank rapidly into the mud until only
his head remained above the surface
of the water.
! His affrighted cries brought help in
the person of two bicyclists who were
Just starting out for a Sunday ride
into the suburbs and milkman coming
to the city. They were astounded to
see the unusual plight O'Rourke was in
and FASTENED after a rope at a nearby
house and threw it out to the partly
submerged man. They formed moose
of the rope before they threw it to him.
! O'Rourke had barely strength enough
, to slip the moose under his shoulders.
1t took the combined strength of three
strong men on the other end of the
rope to haul the pinioned O'Rourke out
of the muck of the brook. He was
sight to behold when he reached the
bank where he fell faint from exhaus-
| ton after his superhuman struggles in
the water and quicksand to keep his
head above the surface of the stream.
The police ambulance was telephoned
for and the wagon with the stretcher
was sent post haste by Sergt, Thomas
MpM1IrraV in charge Of Station | at
the time.
! O'Rourke in the meantime had been
| conveyed to a barn at Chadwick So,
where his rescuers made him as COM
Portable as possible pending the arri-
val of the ambulance. Driver Michael
/ F.Kennedy arrived soon after O'Rourke
was taken from the stream. The latter
/ was in a pitiable condition. He was
chattering with the cold and his nerve
less limbs trembled as a man with the
palsy. Driver Kennedy wrapped him
in two great horse blankets and made
quickly for the station.
Here Sergt McMurray Driver Kenne-
dy and Mccarthy organized themselves
into an emergency hospital corps and
worked like Trojans over the partly un-
conscious man. They removed his wei
garments and gave him a vigorous rut
down. After furnishing him with &
hot drink they wound him up in severa
blankets and laid him out on the
stretcher.
When O'Rourke recovered sufficiently
he told his story. He had started GU
with a companion to go fishing. He
and his brother fisherman drank Co
piously of a quantity of hard cider
In some unaccountable manner
IO'Rourke lost his companion and start
ed for home. While he was not drunk
by any means O'Rourke was bit mud
died after the cider and thought he was
getting over toward his home at New
Worcester. He passed a barn that
looked a good deal like Tom Sloan's
at Webster Square and walked along.
The first thing he knew he was fioun-
dering in a stream and despite his
struggles he continued to get into deep
/ er water and his limbs became entang-
led in the muck and quicksands of the
brook.
O'Rourke was profuse with thanks
when he had thoroughly recovered from
the treatment of the Good Samaritans
at Station and departed for his home.
If O'Rourke escapes without a severe
attack of illness as result Of his stay
in the waters of Tannery Brook he can
thank the Lord, the bicyclist, milkman
and police.