New-York tribune., 1918-01-04
Dash Over Ice
Saves Starviino
Grew in Sound
5 Heroes Bring Schooner's 3
Dying Captain Ashore in
Perilous Trip

and, yesterday, and watched four black
specks grow larger and larger across
the cleaning stretch Of broken ice that
reached far out into Long Island Sound
Presently the specks grew into men.
three of them tugging at rope, the
fourth lying upon rickety sled to
which that ropo was bound. Stun
bling, slipping, sometimes falling, the !
three drew their burden as carefully |
as possible across the groaning foe
toward shore.
thin cheer rose from the watchers
as tho weary little band approached
them. and they ran forward to greet |
DR.. Hennelly, of Fordham Hospital;
Patrick Callahan, ambulance driver,
and Patrolman Frederick w. Wilkins,
three gallant gentlemen returning from
as brave q venture as Arctic explorers
ever dared.
Dying Captain Saved
On the sled lay the unconscious
form of Captain John Gunnerson Of the
three-masted schooner +. w. Davis, out
of st. Johns, New Brunswick, and now
frozen tight and sheathed to the masts
with ice in the Sound off Hart's Island
The three men. who grnned weakly
as they were pounded on the back
and had their hands shaken dozen
times, had dared to make the perilous
trip over two miles Of foe ice. filled
with air holes, to rescue the starving
crew OF the schooner and bring their
! dying captain to land.
The schooner came driving up the
Sound last Thursday night, followed by
a heavy storm. Blind in the darkness
and fearing to run aground, her crew
cast anchor off Hart's Island. The
: next morning they found that she was
locked tight in the ice which had
formed about her. Three days they
waited for the ice pack to break, but
the foe only driftcd in moro heavily
about her, and beyond streached fur
ther and further out into the Sound.
On Monday morning the last, of the
food was gone and Captain Gunnerson
lay iii in his BUNK. The mate then
ordered that signals OF distress be rur
| up. The Stars and Stripes, union down,
futtered all that day from her mast
head, and the next and the next. Locked
IN the Hoe. a mile from Harts Island,
the nearest land, the schooner lay help
less and no one needed her cry for
help.
Each day the ice pressed in more
closely. Each day the pinch of hunger
grew. Each day Captain Gunnerson
became weaker All his men could see
yNn Il "A
on all sides.
Signal Finally Sighted
Yesterday member of the naval pa
troll which watches over Pelham Bav
saw through a telescope the inverted
ensign dangling from the mast of the
lce-covered craft. Below it fiuttered a
single red streamer.
"A few minutes later the police and
Fordham Hospital knew that vessel
was in trouble off Hart's Island with
a sick man on board.
Down at the foot Of Fordham Street.
Clty Island, Or: Hennelly. Wilkins, Cal
lahan and dozen others looked out
over the heaving ice toward the far
away vessel: A dozen voices said that
IT was useless to attempt a rescue,
that the ice was full of air holes and
the rescuers would drown Wilkins.
Callahan and Dr.. Hennelly knotted a
rope about their waists. pushed aside
| their dissuaders and started out across
the wide field Of broken ice.
They reached Hart's Island chilled
to the bone. bruised by dozen falls.
but determined to 60 on. Men on the
island told them that they were crazy.
There were lanes of water between the
schooner and the island, it was said.
The men could never reach the vessel
Callahan, Wright and DR.. Hennelly, re-
vived by warmth and food, pushed on
out over the hummocks and cracks of
the ice pack, still tied together by the
rope.
A half hour later they hailed the
schooner pale face peered from the
cabin and six scarecrows rushed on
deck at its shout The vessel was
time boarding her.
Found Captain Senseless
In his bunk they found the captain
senseless. His crew, assured that it was
possible to make the seemingly impos-
sible passage to Hart's Island, scattered
for shore. After them followed the
a sled they had knocked together from
timber found on the schooner
1t was bitter fight getting back.
More than once the sound of a mighty
cracking ran through the ice, and they
believed that they had struck an air
hole. With the dead weight of the cap
tain behind them it was doubly difficult
to drag their way across the uneven
ice.
But they reached shore. and when
they got there Callahan. Wright and
DR.. Hennelly looked at each othel> and
gripped hands silently Two of the
doctors fingers we're frost bitten. The
others were bruised and cut
Captain Gunnerson was hurried to
Fordham Hospital He is dying there
from .diphtheria. pneumonia and ex-
posure. The rest of the crew reached
Harris Island safely.
II.loxd GEORGE Warns