Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-01-06
MANY TIMES HERO.
Gunner Johsnsson of Revenue Cutter
Service One Of Bravest

Service One OF braVeSt.
There are heroes and heroes-Sone
by luck. some by accident. some by
force of circumstances. some even
against their wills. But most men,
even brave men, are lucky if in the
course of lifetime they can figure in
a single deed of true heroism Con-
slider, then. the case of Karl Johan-
sson, gunner in the revenue cutter
service, hero by choice. by inclination.
time and again a hero. One might
call him a hero by profession.
Time and again this soft-yoiced.
slow-spoken giant of Swede calmly
and without the quickening of a heart
beat has carried to heroic conclusions
exploits which for sheer courage have
made the hardy service men in
Washington and elsewhere tingle to
their toes with red blooded admira-
ton. Johanssons service record in
the files of the revenue cutter office
in the Treasury building is thick with
official letters of commentator for
his deeds. These letters promoted
| him from ordinary seaman to gunner.
the highest warrant rank in the SER
them may raise him to be a COM
missioned officer.
The only times Johansson has ever
been seen to exhibit the slightest
symptoms of fear have been those
| occasions when he was pressed to tell
about some of his experiences This
sailors most frequent ports Of call
are Boston and New York, where the
SslNi
often try to extract from him first
hand accounts Of his exploits. Sueh
attempts usually end by the report
ers appealing To the captain of the
revenue cutter, To whose quarters
Johansson is summoned, elutchng his
cap with the desperate grip Of
drowning man. At the good natured
command of his superior, Johansson
with his face redder than sun and
sea ever made ii. will manage to
stammer and choke out bare out
line of some exciting tale of the sea.
but impersonally, and frequently with
no reference to his own part in ii az
all.
For one of his recent exploits, the
rescue of the crew OF the New Bruins
wick schooner F'ownes during the
that devastated shipping on the New
England coast in December. 1910, the
| Canadian parliament voted two
handsome gold watches. one to
Johansson and the other to Capt. p.
H. Uberroth, in command of the
revenue cutter Gresham at the time
of the rescue. But the law reads
that no American officer shall be per-
mitted to accept gratuities from in
dividuals or foreign princes or po-
tentates-the staid parliament at OF
tawa coming under the latter head
without the express consent of Con-
gress. A bill to permit Capt. Uber-
roth and Gunner Johanssen to accept
these watches was introduced last
session. but Congress was so busy
with it's legislative program that i
forgot the bill. The watches still re-
pose in n safe in the State Depart
ment.
Johansson has not confined his acts
of heroism to the high seas. Afioat or
ashore, when the instant comes de-
manding the display of a high degree
of courage Johansson for some rea-
son or other seems to be the one on
the spot or most available man of the
moment
For instance, there was that day in
the spring of 1905 when Johansson,
having secured shore leave, was in
the railroad station at New London,
Conn, leaving for short holiday
The station platform was crowded
with people departing or waiting to
welcome incoming travellers. Sud
denly there We're piercing screams
and woman faintng on the platform
monster locomotive which had
been standing in the station, with a
warning tap of it's bell, began to back
slowly. The crowd on the track
parted and made passage for it-all
but one young woman, who, in spite
of the frantic shouts of warning,
stood unconscious of the terrible
death now looming high over her
head until too late-the tender struck
her and knocked her prone across the
rails, and the memorable wheels
swiftly at the inches between the wo-
man and death.
The crowd shuddered and turned i
away from the sickening finale
Johansson had not been on the front |
rank of the crowd but at the shouts
and screams he turned and mentally |
photographed the situation with |
glance. In two steps he had cleared |
the crowd, and then, with powerful |
spring, he launched his huge body at
the locomotive tender as a foot bail
player might make tackle. Some |
how he caught handhold, somehow +
he braced his dragging. swaying body,
and the next instant. with one power /
full sweep of his mighty right arm. he I
had swung the unconscious woman (
out from under the tender and upon
the platform beside the track. She
was unhurt.