Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-09-19
RIGHT WAY TO RESCUE.
Row 60 Prevent Drowning Persons
From Taking Swimmer Down.

How TO Prevent Drowning Persons
From Taking Swimmer Down.
1t happened at one of the Long Is
| land sound resorts one afternoon a
week or so ago. The day was bot, and
scores of bathers were enjoying the
| still, cool water. Suddenly there was
cry from the crowd of spectators on
the wharf and a craning OF necks
Some distance out in the sound q
! swimmer who had been doing stunts"
| for half an hour had suddenly begun
| splashing about furiously.
"Helpi H-e-l-pr' he cried in a fright
ened shrek when he came to the sur
face after sinking once.
"a shark must be after him." said
| frightened woman.
"No sharks in the sound" corrected
man OF the crowd. Hes got
cramp and is frightened TO death"
''Why does not some one save him?"
asked the woman as there came another
agonizing cry from the struggling man.
Even as she spoke q strong limbed
! youth threw Off his coat and tore away
the fastenings Mt his shoes. One more
| glance to assure him that none of the
men In bathing suits was going to the
rescue, and he plunged into the water.
sect a boatw cried some one, but
| as usual In such cases at that partcu-
lar moment there was no boat around.
The rescuer was swimming out and
the drowning man still splashed The
| crowd cheered and cheered again. 1t
was plain that he would arrive i'm time.
THAT young chap is hero" said an
| elderly woman.
''He ought to have a medal for itr'
cried another.
"Where Is hep demanded a girl who
Just worshiped heroes on or off the
stage.
Then change came over the crowd.
The rescuer was loafng. With another
! stroke he could have grasped the
drowning man, but he held back. Was
| he going TO let him drown after all?
The man with the cramp struggled and
fought his way toward the rescuer and
seized his outstretched arm.
The rescuer struck out with his
clinched fist and hit the man in the
face. 1t was an awful blow, and the
| drowning man sank like a shot.
"Bruter' cried the crowd. MUIR
dererI He's trying to kill the poor
fellow! He ought to be hangedl Just
wait until he gets back TO shorer'
These and other ordinations came
from the frenzied crowd.
Then came another change. The head
OF the drowning man reappeared. He
had ceased to struggle. The rescuer
was all action. Two strokes brought
him within reach of the sinking head.
He grasped the hair, rolled over on his
back and started for the shore.
The crowd which n moment before
had been reviling him began to cheer
again. They made for the point of land
to which he was heading that they
might receive him with open arms.
Some of them worried because the
head of the unconscious man occasion
ally went under the surface. They
were told that 1t did not matter.
THAT was the cleanest, most skillful
rescue I've ever seem" said n man
who seemed to know what he was talk
ing about 'The big fellow that was
drowning was so frightened over his
cramp that he would have taken the
youngster under with him had he not
held off. He did just the right thing
when he hit him. and now he's bring
ing him ashore i'm the best possible
way. He'll have to be resuscitated any
way, and little more water I'm his
lungs at this stage OF the game will
not hurt him."-New York Tribune