The Tupelo journal., 1907-07-12
A HUMBLE HERO.
Story Of the Man Who Did a Brave
Deed and Then Forgot 1t.

HE is the bravest man I ever
knew" said Mr.. F. Hopkinson Smith
of Capt. Thomas A. Scott. whose death
occurred a few weeks ago, and whom
OF his stories and novels. But no act
attributed by the pen of fiction to this
submarine engineer and diver can
equal the real facts of his courage and
self-sacrifice. The. New York Tribune
quotes from Mr.. Smith the tale of one
of Capt. SCOTS deeds which lifts the
man into the ranks Of true heroes.
The captain was in the employ of the
Off-Shore Wrecking company, when
n morning in January al accident
happened to a Hoboken ferry boat.
@The ice in the river was unusually
heavy, and the boat slowly crunched
her way through the floating foes
til the pack choked her paddles in
nid-river. The weather was bitterly
cold and a keen wind was blowing. 1t
was an early morning trip, and the
decks were crowded with laboring
men, the d%riveways were full of teams,
m women and children stood inside
the cabins, a solid mass up to the
swinging doors.
While the boat struggled to gain
Roadway, an ocean tug crashed into
her side, cutting a great V-shaped
cash below her water-line. Shrieks
went up from a hundred threats. Men,
Women and children were crazed with
fear. The disabled boat careened and
fell over on it's beam. The water
poured in like a torrent. Sinking
seemed only a question of seconds.
Capt. Scott, on the wrecking tug Re-
lance, saw the situation. Bringing
his boat alongside, he sprang to the
deck of the ferry. Quickly he forced
the crowd to the %starboard side, and
thus righted the boat, which regained
a nearly e. keel. With a threat to
throw any man overheard who stirred,
he dragged mattresses, blankets,
clothes, anything, and crammed them
into the hole. 1t was useless; even the
oil rags had been used, and still the
water poured in.
Capt. Scott stood for a moment as
if undecided, then deliberately forced
his own body into the gap with his
arm outside, level with the floating
ice.
An hour later the disabled ferry
boat, with every soul safe, was towed
into the Hoboken slip. When they lift
ed the captain, he was unconscious
and barely alive. The water had
frozen his blood, and the ice had torn
much of the flesh from his arm from
shoulder to wrist. When he opened
his eyes, he said feebly to the doctor:
WAS any of them babies hurt?"
Weeks passed before he regained
his strength. Then he went back to
his work on the Reliance. In the
meantime the wrecking company had
presented a bill to the ferry company
for salvages, which had been refused.
Captain, said the president of the
wrecking company to Scott the first
time the latter appeared at the office,
we're going to have some trouble
getting our pay for that ferry job.
Here's an affidavit for you to swear
to-
The captain took the paper, read 1t,
laid it down, and walked toward the
door.
did you sign it?"
"No, and l amt going to-"
"Why?"
"'Cause | amt so mean as you be.
Look at this arm! Do you think I'd
have got into that hole if it hadn't
been for them women and babies?
And you want 'em to pay for it,"
Then he walked straight to the
cashier, demanded his pay, resigned
his position and walked out.
Some time after some one asked the
captain to tell the story of how he
stopped the leak.
ooh, there amt nothing to TELL" re-
piled the captain. "She got foul of a
tug and listed some, and l sorter plug
ged her up. Been so long l most for
got about it." ,