Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-27
LIFE SAVERS RESCUE
EXHAUSTED SWIMMER
CARRIED FAR FROM SHORE BY
STRONG TIDE
Volunteer. Force with Boat Reaches
o. II. Morgan Just in Time
to Prevent His Death
by Drowning
rsnecial to The Herald. ]

VENICE, Cal, Sept. go. H. Nor
gan of Los Angeles, who has been re-
siding here at q Carroll avenue for sew
eral months, owes his life tonight 10
the Venice volunteer life saving crew.
While bathing in the surf this after
noon he was carried out far beyond the
breakers and the strong tide that was
running at the time prevented his re-
turning. Morgan had almost given up
the struggle when reached by the life
savers. Two other men narrowly es-
capped drowning.
one of the highest tides of the year
prevailed this afternoon. Morgan, ap-
parently unaware of this, entered the
surf about 2 o'clock at a point south
of the Center street pier. He ventured
too far out and the strong tide caught
him UP and carried him several hun
dred feet from the shore. Morgan is
good swimmer.
When he found he was unable to
swim back to shore without assistance,
Morgan cried for help. The whistle
alarm was blown and the life saving
crew was quickly assembled. Marcus
Lee. Adolph Toenjes, Tom Wilde and
Andy Scholz, members of the crew,
swan out to Morgan through the
breakers, while others, some of them
inexperienced oarsmen, got out the life
boat from the station on the Windward
avenue pier and headed for the drown
ing man.
Save Would-Be Rescuer
The swimmers reached Morgan some
time ahead of the life boat, but barely
in time to save him from sinking. Nor
gan was pulled into the boat and the
craft started for the beach. Before it
had gone very far another daring
swimmer, whose name was not ascer-
tained, was picked up by the boat. He
swan out to assist the life savers in
their rescue and became exhausted.
A few feet further in another swim
mer was met in a very weakened con-
dition. A life preserver was thrown TO
him and he was towed to shore. When
the life boat reached the last breaker
on the beach it overturned, but no
harm was done.
A large crowd on the beach witnessed
the rescue of Morgan and much praise
was bestowed on the members of the
work. The point where Morgan nearly
lost his life is a considerable distance
from the live saving station, which
made it the more dangerous and diff
cult for the boys to get in their work.
1t is a boast of the management at
Venice that no one has been drowned
while bathing at this beach since the
resort was established and 1t is trying
to keep up the record. The volunteer
crew is made up of several young men
in this vicinity and all are
good swimmers. Lee is champion 44O-
yard swimmer of the coast.
Motor Boat Needed
Because of the time it took the crew
to row the life boat to the scene of the
rescue, it was suggested by onlookers
that the work of the volunteer crew
ought to be lightened by providing
them with a motor boat. In this way
much better speed could be made in
rescue work.
City Attorney Hanna of Ocean Park
announced this afternoon that he
would introduce a resolution before
the chamber Of commerce at its meet
ing next Friday night calling on the
of Ocean Park and Venice to
raise funds to purchase a motor boat.
1t is proposed to get speedy boat of
the type that can be righted easily and
quickly in case it overturns in the surf,