New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-13

uIul splash had come to the surface. His hair
| was plastered down his eyes The part of
| the face that showed below was very white He
sputtered feebIy. and with his right hand seized
at chip. Then he went down again, and the
brown waters covered him.
"Huly gee"' cried one of the boys why
don't he swim out?"
Whose de guy that's over?" demanded a new
| arrival
ITS Tommy Mickler.' answered one
The new boy looked frightened. He can't
SWIM he cried. and straightway began to pull
| off his coat. As he dived to the rescue the I'M
fortunate Tommy came up a few yards down
| the stream. Help he cried feebIy
Squirt Jones is after you" was the encour-
agement the frightened boys called back; but
Tommy didn't hear. and went down again.
He had only come to the surface twice. and
according to all preceden t he had another
chance for life For this third rising Squirt
waited. For some reason there third
| time.
After resting minute Squirt went at il
| again. He Owed long and he dived deep; he
| dived until he black in the face. One OF
| the quartet responsible for the tragedy had
| for policeman and the bluecOat was ringing
for an ambulance. Still the sturdy little swim
mer went into the stream with ceancut dives.
| 81 seen him that time" he shouted between
deep drawn breaths- "Once more an I'll set
| him"
I Sure enough. the next time he came to the
| surface he had the limp and lfeless Tommy
| by the hair. and he padded slowly to the float.
The ambulance doctor arrived soon and did his
| best but it was not enough Tommy had been
| down too long. and Launching Day had an
| other victim.
"We'se didn't know Tommy couldn't SWIM
was the defence the guilty quartet laid before
| the policeman Honest, now. we'se didn't
| know"
Squirt" Jones, the hero, added his testimony
| -"Of course they didn't know"
The policeman believed them and let them
go. but not even Squirt" the hero. had the
courage to so home with the body of Tommy.
One husky individual who was launched"
into the steam yacht basin near the headquar-
| ters OF the Dock Department on Pier 1 fur
nished more than the usual amount of amuse-
ment for the "launchers." He was a good
swimmer, this wharf rat. and the water was
| not too cold for his liking. When he came to
! the surface he shook his head like dog and
rolled over his back, evidently just as much
at home as though he had been on shore.
so you launched me- did your he demanded
of the crowd on shore. Il wonder how you
knew 1 wanted a swim" He turned half
moon neatly and stood his head. half sub
merged, for thirty seconds. Guess I'll play
whistle, and with powerful strokes started out
! into the stream.
Hey. you there cried policeman who ap-
peared on the bulkhead- This is no swimming
pool Come out OF the water
Say, how much Of the North River does your
beat cover, anyway" demanded the launche--''
victim. derisiveIy. I'm battleship. Salute
me- you bum "copper"
The policeman shouted some additional
ders The man in the water announced that
he was a fe,Tyboat bound for Staten Island.
I'll send the police boat after you If you
don't come ashore cried the policeman.
"Ah go onl I'm a submarine boat" and with
| that he disappeared under the water. He came
I'D alongside of barrel and rested there lazily.
Then he saw a wooden grain shovel floating
with the tide. He captured IT and reached
shore. 81 can get ten beers for this" he de-
| ciared as he ambled up the stone steps. water
streaming at every step from the holes In his
| worn shoes At the top he shook himself
| gardIess OF where the drops went. and then
went across the park TO negotiate for the beers
| The Manhattan shore Of the East River, lit
| tie below Hell Gate, is great gathering place
/ for the boys, to whom Launching Day is as
| much OF an event Halloween. Here it
was that the Ninety Gang'-sO called be
cause all OF the members live in Ninetieth
| and Ninety-frst sts.-feII 4 lad who could
| not swim and dropped him over a tweIve-foot
Il FiZn1 fhair mis- tqEa @