The Detroit times., 1910-01-12
KING EDWARD
HONORs BOY HERO
Gives Medal in Recognition Of Lads
Going Down Into Pit To
Rescue Man.

LONDON, Jan. 12.-In the throne
room at Buckingham palace recently
the king held an investiture and con-
ferred the honors and decorations
which were bestowed In his majesty's
birthday honors list. There was a long
procession OF notable people. Then
last OF oil came little lad with hrm
step. frank brown eyes. and flushed
cheeks.
This boy was Thomas William
Lewis. the hero of the Newport dock
disaster. A court Official read out to
the king an account OF the boys BRAY
cry In volunteering to 60 down into
q pit which teemed with threats OF
death. When this recital was finished
the king said In deep. kindly tones.
We'll done!" and handed to the lad a
case containing me Albert medal "for
saving life" The boy dropped to one
knee on the cushioned stool at the
foot OF the throne and kissed the out
stretched hand of the king.
The king then gave the boy his
hand to shake. and said, We'll done;
good luck"
The boy would have left the throne
room as others had. but the king mo-
toned to two gentlemen ushers, and
they conducted the boy to the stew
ards room. where he was royalty en-
tertained with chicken. roast beef and
pudding.
On July last Tom Lewis, then q
lad OF Is. was standing with q group
OF other lads watching the efforts OF
engineers and navies to rescue the
men imprisoned by the collapse Of n
great timbered trench In the Newport
docks. Far down below the surface.
amid horrible tangle OF timber, mud.
sand and machinery, were men, dying
and dead.
One Of the men could be heard
groaning at some unknown depth In
the heart Of this black pit. He might
be anything from 20 to 20 feet be-
low.
He was certainly helpless. pinned
down. doomed If left there to a ter
rible death from the slow rising tide
which had broken through the sea
wall into the trench. There was the
additional possibility that a further
collapse OF the sand and timbers
would crush the life out of the pSfn.
or OF any one who went down to his
rescue.
There were men In plenty who
would have gone down to help the
sufferer. but they could not The
openings between the tangled timbers
were SO small that only slim lad
neaiff clip betw~ea them sa-'-s s<srsrss
The rescuers called for q lad to go
down. and Tom Lewis volunteered. He
was small for his age. his work as q
boiler-maker's lad, tossing hot riyets
to the riveters. had made him hard
and strong. and he was brave. And
he went down.
Tom Lewis told the story OF his
wonderful deed In short, simple words
81 was down there" he said, "for two
hours and q quarter. The man was
about 80 feet down. climbed down
by the timberB. had no rope around
me. The man was pinned>by his hand
and his feet. He said, I've been here
three days but It wasn't more than
three hours. Then he said. Get ham,
mer and chisel and cut my hand out.
They sent them down to me with a
saw anu bOule CduulcS. Il StuCh Tue
candles against the timbers and light
ed them. They kept going out. but
lit them again with box Of matches.
TT was hard work cutting the tim
bers with the chisel. I was lying
across the body of dead man all the
time, and l could hear the blood
dropping from him. After a long time
got my mans hand free. Then
hung down and worked at his foot.
At last the men above said l musc
come up because the sand was shift
ing again. So came mp. An hour
later the man worked his way out
with the saw which gave him. He
was the last to come out alive"
Several rewards have been given to
Tom Lewis for his bravery. He has
been presented with watch by the
Carnegie trustees. and Messrs. Easton.
Glib & Son. contractors for the New
port dock and for the Rosyth naval
base, have promised to make an en-
gineer Of him.
He Is now living at Rosyth and
learning his trade in the machine
shops. Mr.. Glib provides him with
clothing and lodging and shillings
a week pocket money, out OF which
he banks shillings.
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