The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-04-26
THREE v|RG|N|ANS
GET HERO AWARDS
DANNILLE, GLADE SPRINGS AND
HILLsvILLE ARE THE HOMES
OF MEDAL WINNERS.
ONE LOST HIS LIFE
ONE SAVES FRIEND FROM swoL-
len RIVER AND ANOTHER
PILLS FELLOW WORKMAN
FROM DEF WELL"

PITTsBURG. April 25.--Three Fir-
ginians are included in the list OF
awards made public by the Carnegie
Hero Fund commission today. They
are Peter W. II. FfnneY of Hills
VILE; William NJ. orr, Of Glade
Springs. and Charles G. Davis, of
Danvilie.
The report of the commission gives
the following accounts Of the heroic
deeds which earned the awards;
William Nj. Orr.
william NJ Orr. r. f. D. No. !.
Glade Springs. Va; bronze medal and
$1,000 as needed.
Orr. aged thirty-three; sawmill OPP
orator, saved w. Mcdonald Morriss.
aged ten, from drowning, Glade
Springs, Va, March Is, 1912. Orr.
who was very heavily dressed, jumped
into the middle fork Of the Holston
river. which was at food stage with
current of six miles an hour, and
swan to Morriss. who was uncen~
scious. and drifted downstream,
seventy~fv feet from the bank. Two
men returned TO the bank in fright,
after vainly trying to breast the cur
rent on horses Orr grabbed NORRIS
and swan with him to a point ten
feet from the bank, when he attempt
ed TO touch bottom and was swept off
his feet He was becoming tired and
called for help. Immediately he was
swept against a nearly submerged
bush, grabbed limb, and pulled him
self toward the bank. They were
helped out, and Morriss was revived
Peter F1nney.
Peter w. n. Finney, deceased. r.
F. d. No 8. Hillsville, Va silver
medal to sister and pension of SIS
q month.
Finney, aged twenty-one, farmer.
died attempting to save John Thomas,
aged forty-four farmer and we'll dig
ger, from suffocation. Snake Creek,
Va, May 26, 1911. Thomas was over
come by gas in a well forty feet deep.
in which he had set off q blast of
dynamite some hours before, and, al
though several men refused to de-
scend to his aid. Finney descended
into the well with a rope around his
body and tied 1t around Thomas. and
told the men to pull him up quickly
Before Thomas was gotten to the sur
face, Finney was overcome. Finnsys
dead body was removed from the well
by means OF hooks forty-five min
utes later.
Charles G.. Davis.
Charles @. Davis, 705 Patton street
/ Danville, Va; silver medal and $4,000
as needed for educational purposes.
| Davis, aged eighteen. laborer, saved
( w. Franklin German, aged twenty
/ SIX, well digger, from suffocation.
! Charlotte, N. c., September 10, 1911.
/ German had called to be hoisted out
of well, and, when the bucket in
which he stood was ten feet from the
bottom and twenty-five feet from the
! top, he was overcome by gas. He
zen and having twisted his legs
around the rope, hung head down
ward. Three men at the surface said
] they feared to enter the well. and
they were afraid to hoist Gorman
further lest he would fall to the
bottom, Davis descended on the rome
10 German and assured himself that
H"rman was in a safe position to be
hoisted 10 the surface. He then climb
ed hand over hand until his arms
were near the surface, when he he.
came weak and called for helm A
man caught his arm and assisted him
from the well German was hoisted
and was revived. although he did moi
fuliy recover for two or three
weeks.