Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-05
ACT OF A BRAVE MAN
Secretary Gage Writes to a Buffalo
p Fife Saver.
GRAPHIC, STORY OF A HEROIC DEED
Presented With Gold Medal Pro-
yided oby Congress,
GIVEN " O,RDs oFHIGHPRAIsE

Secretary Gage today mailed letter to
w. w. Griesser of the Buffalo life-saving
station, telling one Of the most thrilling
stories of life saving heard in many years.
The letter which Is as follows gives the
interesting story in full, and is directed to
the hero himself:
Il forward herewith gold life-saving
medal awarded you under the provisions
of the act OF Congress Of June 20. 1874,
and May 4, 1851. in recognition of your
heroic conduct in rescuing man from
drowning on the 2lst of November. 1900.
A Gale of Great Velocity.
''The circumstances of the rescue appear
from evidence filed in this department to
have been as follows: About 2:20 o'clock
p. Of the day above named while gale
of great velocity, said to have been at
times as high as eighty miles an hour, was
sweeping across the harbor OF Buffalo.
two large scows having several men on
board broke from their moorings some
three miles southwest of the life-saving
station and drifted swiftly toward the
breakers. 800
'Surfmen discovered the disaster from
launched and manned the lifeboat. which
was taken in tow by the tug Mason.
and by your direction dropped at a point
three-quarters of mile to the windward
of the scows You then allowed her to
drive before the wind tt. a position just
outside the outer line of surf, where you
rounded to and let go an anchor. intending
by Stacking away the hawser to get suf-
fciently near the scoWs to make sure
whether the men had escaped or might still
need assistance.
In q PerilOus Place.
The terrible sweep of the wind from
which you were wholly unprotected. and
the fact that the bottom Of the lake at this
point Is mostly -hardpan. caused the anchor
to drag so much that in few moments the
lifeboat was in the midst Of the heaviest
surf which at times completely buried her.
Two great combers broke on board. while
third one caught the bow and threw it
nigh into the air, swapping asunder the
hawser and pitching the heavy boat end
over end
You and all but one Of the crew were
thrown out, and only after a hard swim
reached the land. more than a quarter of a
mile away, where you learned that a man
who had been on one of the scows was in a
very perilous position among some old piles
standing nearly a third Of a mile from
where you then were. A locomotive of the
Lehigh Valley railroad was passing at the
time, and the engineer offered to take you
and your crew to- the place indicated. where
you shortly arrived and beheld the half
drowned man clnging for his life to the
slippery piles four or five hundred feet from
the Shore the seas constantly breaking
over him. so deeply at times that he
entirely lost from sight.
Started to Swim Out.
"The use of boat was impracticable, and
the situation of the unfortunate man was
plainly such that he must perish unless aid
should reach him. There was not time for
much deliberation, and you quickly
solved to try to swim out with line, call
ing upon Surfman Greenland to accompany
you. AS you. two were about to start upon
this hazardous enterprise you were warned
by experierced men that you coulu not live
to accomplish 1t, but, nothing daunted you
simply replied. Walt until we try; he can
not come to us; We will try to go to him.
Making one end of the line fast about
your arm. you dashed into the lake, accom-
panied by Greenland, but had not proceeded
far when you were both thrown back upon
the beach. Again both set out, but when
about fifty yards on the way very heavy
sea hurled Greenland against an old pile,
doing him considerable injury. and then
swept him to the land.
Brnvely Persisted.
You were still uninjured and bravely
persisted in your purpose, being repeatedly
driven shoreward, but gradually gaining
ground until. in the course OF some fifteen
minutes. you reached pile standing sixty
or seventy yards from the beach, where
you held on for a few moments of rest
This was the only pause you made during
the entire operation of rescue. which con-
sumed three-fOurths of an hour.
After somewhat recovering your breath
you renewed the battle. and. although Sc
verely buffeted and many times beaten
back from 100 to 300 feet, you still kept a
stout heart. Sometimes when an ugly
comber would have lifted you up and car
ried you rearward on its crest, you dived
beneath it. and. taking advantage of the
un0eftOW running In tai
ed your progress. Physically weaker men
could not have endured the strain while
men less brave although of equal strength
would long before have given up.
Again Bamed,
AT length, getting sufficiently near, you
threw to the man the end Of the line, in
structiag him to make 1t fast about his
body and then to let go his hold of the
piling and drop into the water. He had
only sufficient strength however to Sc
cure the line about his wrist, and before
he could leap the waves caught and fouled
the blight of the line among the piling At
the same time you were thrown nearly a
hundred feet away, and for once fear en-
tered your mind that you might fail after
all.
THE imperiled man was begging piteous-
ly for you to save him and CRYING out that
he could hold on but few moments long
er. To the people on the shore it seemed
as though both Of you must certainly per-
ish. BaH1ed. but neither vanQuished nor
dismayed. you still persisted, regained your
lost ground. and at the end of fifteen min
utes Of very dangerous work cleared the
snarl. Then upon your signal the man let
go of the piles. while scores of persons at
the other end of the line pulled him with a
rush to the beach, where he was picked up
unconscious.
Safe on Land Again.
when you were satisfied that no further
mshap was likely to befall him you struck
out for the land, which you reached with
out aid. but so exhausted that you could
not stand, Eager hands lifted your pros
trate body from the edge of the water,
while long continued cheers attested the
estimation accorded your gallant deed by
the hundreds OF persons who witnessed it.
1T appears that while engaged in effect
Ing this extraordinary rescue involving
very great courage physical exertion and
mental anxiety. you were considerably in
iurpd nv coming In