Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-09
A Lesson in Life Saving

A 7-year-old boy saved his elder brothers
life when out skating in Baltimore the
other day, and the way 1t was done fur
nishes a very practical lesson in life-saving.
This is the skating season, says the Spring
field Republican, and occasionally accidents
occur at places where the ice is thin. One
boy breaks through and is instantly strug-
Cling for his life. The other boys may wish
to help him, but may not know how to act
effectively.
But in this Baltimore case the trick was
done with only a 7-year-old lad, whose
nerve happened to be equal to the occasion.
The younger tells the story in a r~ssilstic
way that could not be improved upon:
when we got to the creek Charlie Kemp
asked Harry to skate over to the other side
and see how the ice was. He didn't want
to at first, but he asked him again, and he
went. after he'd thrown a brick on the leo
to see II 1t was safe. He got out in the
middle and broke through. l saw him
break in. and l yelled, and Harry yelled
for Charlie to come and help him. He
didn't mean me, he meant Charlie Kemp.
Charlie Kemp wouldn't go. and nobody else
wouldn't go. and went. And when l got
out where Harry was. he was trying to haul
hisself out on the ice, and couldn't, cause
the ice would break, and l laid down on the
ice and held my hand out to Harry. He
said, NO, that amt the right way. I'll
pull you in. Turn around and stick your
feet out, so / can reach EN- An l turned
round and lay on the ice and stuck my feet
out. He caught hold, and l slid backward
and l hauled him up on the ice. An then
we went to the shore and the men took US
to their house and gave us some dry clothes
and took us home. 1t was awful cold, and
when we got home 1 was 'fraid my mother
would lick me fer runnin' 1--WE and gettln'
my clothes wet"
1t was clever work by both boys. The
enc in the water showed presence Of mind
in telling the younger to turn around the
other way and thus oxtend his feet instead
Of his hands toward the hole in the ice.
And the little fellow was not only courage
Gus to go to the rescue; he also showed
presence of mind in doing what the elder
, brother told him to do. It should be OBJ
served that the younger's final position
consisted In lying fiat on his face and stom-
/ ach. AS soon as the boy in the water had
, hold Of his feet he began to crawl slowly
r away. A stone frozen in the ice. luckily
3 placed. helped him to get a grip.
> The performance was SO successful tha
g it's special merit deserves to be podntet
< out. 1t is evident that the position hnall!
i taken by the younger boy was superior L
b the FIRST one, since II placed the larger par
3 Of the weight Of the body as far as possible
e from the edge Of the hole and thus mini
e mixed the danger Of the rescuer breaking
In also. Furthermore, by lying on his fac
e in that position a rescuer can do somethin
to haul out the one in the water. A ston
imbedded in the ice and furnishing a gri
" would not always be handy, under such cir
i cumstances, but most boys carry Jack
d knives-or they ought to-and by stlckin
d, his jackknife into the ice ahead OF him
Of by could get up some loeoInotion and,
N the same time, have something TO hold
while the boy In the water is crawling Gu