Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-08-11
i GIRL LIFE SAVER.
Vassar Graduate Joins Corps at
 Long Beach, N. Y.
LEARNED TO SWIM WHEN A CHILD


 Miss Norma Hamilton of New York Kn Q Splendid svvfmmer and Han- dles a Boat with a Master Hand. Ts wealthy, Handsome and streng. Modest I'm Her New Venture.
 The summer colony at Long Beach, N F., has received thrill that should keep it titiilating for the remainder of the season, says the New York Even ing World.
 A young woman has joined the life saving corps at the beach, and 1t is said she is the first of her sex to un- dertake the heroic task of rescue work from the line of dangerous breakers that pound the sands of Long Islands southern shore.
 The young woman life saver is Miss Norma Hamilton. She is nineteen years old and graduate of Vassar. She is spending the summer at Lyn- brook. In the winter she lives with her mother in fashionable part of New York. It is said by her friends that she has made this departure in the line of feminine effort simply to prove what a woman can do in difficult e1nergenciea. As she is wealthy, the remuneration means nothing to her.
 Her qualifications for the job of life saving are beyond question. Captain Billy Leggett of the corps declares she is a wonderful swimmer and can ham ale llfeboat with master hand. She can go through line of breakers like scared shark, and she has outdistanc- ed the strongest men swimmers on the beach in half mile sprint.
 Tits really true that I am member of the life saving corps" said Miss Hamilton, who Is as brown as a berry and 1.-the and graceful of figure. II have been able to swim ever since l can remember, and don't see any thing wonderful about it. When I was a little bit of girl, we spent our sum mers in Maine, and learned to swim in the lakes. Of course fresh water swimming Is much harder than salt water, so 1t seems strange to me that more women do not swim at Long Beach.
 T swim cit Long Beach all the time and sometimes stay in the water all day.
 Strange to say, there is nothing of the Amazon type in Miss Hamilton's makeup. She has broad shoulders that spread out on the shapely Gibson lines, but withal her figure is willowy aud deIicately nodded. Her features are clear cnt and her eyes of that gray aa% Ae,& imitation and fearless courage.
 Tn daintily cut bathing suit open al the throat to show deep, nut brown tan, her hair done up in tight coil and her arms swinging free at her side Long Beach's new life saver patrols her section of the long stretch of sand with nonchalant ease that shows her independence of thought and her disre gard of what the trailer of her sex may regard as a prodtgious disregard of the feminine conventions.
 Before she was. accepted in the role of life saver Captain Billy LAggett tried her out with a series of teste which would have stumped the major lty of men who belong to the summer colony When the surf was running high she was asked to test her speed In getting to a buoy well beyond ths line of breakers.
 My eyes went popping" said Gap tain Billy, when saw the way that girl went through those waves. She went over them like cataanaxan driv en by forty horsepower engine, and she's got stroke that beats anything In the feminine swimming line have ever seen. She can handle boat like = trained life saver, and I feel conf dent that if she is ever called upon tC get real busy her work will be sort of revelation"
 Miss Hamilton is exceedingly modest bout her new endeavor; also she won Hers that any one should think il strange that she should wish to join if 50 noble an effort as that of saving lives.
 Some may think it bit out of tho ordinary" she remarked, "but as long as am fitted for the work think that clinches my argument as to why enlisted my services Though I don't call myself one of the modern ath ietic girls of the century, I neverthe less consider myself an athlete. car swim rings around a great many oi the men who do the same work am doing now, and see no reason why I should not employ my ability ir good cause.