The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1906-11-09
A BOY
WHO SAVED
FIVE LIVES
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A record of five lives saved during
his first seasons swimming shows
how useful the art of swimming may
be to- a boy. Frank Duffy lives near
the foot of South 9Th street, Brooklyn.
There is an old wharf at the end OF
the street-a rotting old wharf no
longer used. On this sunny, deserted
old pier the boys of the neighborhood
congregate and skylark in the water.
At certain hours they go in swim
ming The term high tide and low
tide" are not in use on this pier. In
stead, the boys say "clean water
and dirty water" A big sewer pours
its muddy stream into the river at
this point, At low tide the boys will
not go in They wait for high tide,
and they keep track of its rise and
fall with all the precision of old fish
'ermen. Sometimes at or 10 O'Clock
at night the cry "Clean water!" in
long drawn cadence, will run along
the foot of South 9Th street, and from
all round about the boys come flock
ing. like the children after the pied
Piper of Hamelin Town" Mothers
protest in vain. Boys have even been
known to slip out of bed on a hot
summer night, jerk trousers over
nightshirt and skin away to that mag
lie cry of fClean water!" Some boys
stay in the whole six hours of "clean
water"
Nevertheless, Frank Duffy had lived
at No. 81 South 9Th street for four
years without learning to swim. He
can't tell why. He just didn't. There
are many other boys in the neighbor-
hood who have never learned A year
ago, in September, he went to Sleeps
head Bay for several successive Sun
days with number of other boys.
They hired boat and amused them
selves by diving from it in water
wings. This apparatus is something
like a life-saving belt, with big pads
on either side. The whole is blown
up like bicycle tire, and will support
"a mans body in the water. Frank
padded about in the water twice with
the wings. The third day he dove as
usual but the wings had been improp-
'erly fastened, and he found himself
in the water without them. 1t was
cup to- him to SWIM and he swan
as naturally as if he had been swim
ming all his life. He swan little
more before cold. weather came, and
last spring started swimming regu-
fairly at the foot of South 9Th street.
On September IL, while standing on
the pier, he noticed boys head go
down. The head did not come up
and there was strong presumption
that it was under a log that bumped
Iazily on the tide. Ringing off his
coat, but fully ACQUIRED otherwise,
Frank sprang in and swan to the log.
He saw the boy under the log, grab.
bed his foot and dragged him to the
surface. The boy, Herman Hurdis,
had swallowed so much water that
he was nearly unconscious and almost
drowned. Frank took him to shore
with one hand then be proceeded to
stand him on his head to let the salt
water run out. At this the Hurdis
bow came 20 life and objected Justify.
Then Frank tried to roll him to get
the water out. But the Hurdis boy
WOubQ nOI DSIIu4L Ihdl, oAoAoNSluA-
ly tried to kick his rescuer in the
stomach. So Frank abandoned the ef-
fort in disgust.
1t was his busy day, however. He
had no sooner ceased his course Of
first aid TO the injured than he saw
another boy trying to drown himself.
This was Charles Schmidt, who lived
just across the street from Frank
The Schmidt boy felt himself being
carried out by the tide and began to
scream Young Duffy plunged in
again and brought his second trophy
to the shore. AS he set him down
on the pier, he said in disgust:
"Say! l can't keep dis ting UP all
day. Can't you kids keep i'll your
depth? You'd better tie a string
round you and hitch it to de dock
when you go in swimmin'."
The crowd gathered around Frank
and began to congratulate him on his
double achievement But that young
hero responded grimly:
Oats all right, but look at me
pants! Me mother II know I've beer
in de water for fair. I'll need life
savin' committee meself when sc
home"
He started dejectedly for home, bu
at this point Mrs. Hurdis appeared
added her thanks to the cnngratula