The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-08-18
CHESTER LANES CLOSE CALL
Lieutenant of Life Saving Grew Runs
Quarter of a Mile and Then swiins
out and Saves Man WHO Had Been
Sliced With Cramps.

Lieutenant John Mahaney, 81 years
of age and a member of the Kenosha
Life Saving crew for more than twenty
FIVE years stirred crowd to highest
enthusiasm on Sunday afternoon when
he rescued Chester Lane, 33 years old
residing at 531 Lake avenue from
drowning in the lake under circum-
stances which would have been con-
sidered most heroic for even younger
man. Lane owes his life to the work
Of Mahaney for he was pulled out of
the lake unconscious and it was some
time before he regained consciousness
and was able to leave the life saving
station and go to his home. Lane is
an expert swimmer and had gone into
the lake just north of the north pier.
He had been swimming about in thir-
teen feet of water for a few minutes
when he was seized with cramps and
went to the bottom. His arms were
stretching out as a signal of distress
Ewhen he went down. Mahaney was at
the look out of the crew fully a quar-
ter Of mile from the point where
Lane had gone down. Mahaney made a
run to save the man without giving
an alarm to the station fearing that
he would drown before any one could
| AZ Lo ut Ia fn
| the center of the North pier just off the
point where Lane had gone down pull
| ing off his coat and vest as he ran along
the pier. Lane had disappeared en-
tirely and there was nothing to show
Mahaney where he had gone down.
Mahaney ran SO fast that he was all
but exhausted when he plunged from
the pier into the water and began to
swim out to the point where he had
seen the arms of the man waving mad
| ly for help. Lane had sunk to the bot
| tom Of the lake and diving under the
water Mahaney managed to get hold
Of the drowning man. He was uncon-
scious and unable to aid in his own
rescue. Lane is not a small man and
| it was with the greatest effort that
Mahaney managed to get him to the
surface of the water and then with
firm stroke he. started with his burden
to swim to the pier. By this time the
crowd along the pier had rushed to the
aid of Mahaney and as he came in with
| the unconscious man there was cheer
after cheer and members of the crowd
on the pier leaped into the water and
aided in bringing the gallant life saver
and the man he had rescued from death
to the pier. Lane was still unconscious
and he was carried to the life saving
| station where stinlulants were applied
and he was revived He stated that he
had suffered from cramps and that as
he went down he had attempted to
signal the men on the pier.
Mahaney was carried from the pier
where the rescue was made to his room
at the station ON the shoulders of en-
thusiastic people who had witnessed
his gallant and successful fight to save
Lane IS life. He simply went to his
room and changed his clothes and went
to his duty at the look out. Captain
Fountain paid an unstinted tribute to
his under officer today. That way one
of the slickest jobs ever saw" said
the Captain "and Mahaney is entitled
to the very highest praise. When you
consider that he ran nearly quarter of
mile before he leaped into the water
the bravery Of Mahaney becomes great
er. His act would have taxed the ability
Of the youngest man in the service and
the way he held up under the trial
shows the stuff there is in him.