The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-07-28
GIRL BALKS RESCUE
. FROM UPSET CANOE
Young Herbert Sachs Makes
Two Desperate Attempts to
Save Companion.

Miss Alice Seagrave, 20. OF sos West
10th street carried q ball of olive drab
yarn and a half completed sweater
yesterday afternoon when she stepped
into a canoe at the float OF the Audubon
Yacht Club. on the Hudson River front
| at i60th street, and her fingers moved
swiftly as the light craft moved out
from shore in view OF hundreds OF per-
sons promenading in Riverside Drive.
The paddles we're being piled by Her
bert Sachs, II, with something OF a
reputation as a swimmer and all around
athlete, and a son of a member of the
braid manufacturing flrm OF Sachs &
Newmark. living at 772 st. Nicholas
avenue, and Edward Brown. a student
of City College, OF SCI West Hath street.
Miss Seagrave had known young Sachs
! only four days, he said, and was a
stenographer employed by the New York
! and Porto R!can Steamship Company.
| Neither she nor Brown could swim.
The canoe was skipping along swiftly
| off 18TH street, well toward the middle
of the river. when suddenly the swell
| from a steamboat lifted the forward end
of the canoe. Apparently Miss Seagrave
was not familiar with canoes. for many
| in the throng on the shore said they
thought they saw her stand up at the
/ same moment the canoe capsized.
Miss Seagrave screamed. but in a
moment young Sachs was seen diving
| for her. A shout went up from the
| crowd on shore when he rose TO the sur
| face clinging to the girl. Brown had
| drifted several yards down stream, but
despite his inability to swim managed to
hold tightly to the upset canoe and to
right 1t.
Sacns made his way with the girl to
! the side OF the canoe and succeeded in
boosting Brown back into 1t. Then he
| lifted Miss Seagrave in and clambered
| aboard. He was scarcely out OF the
/ water before Miss Seagrave was seen
| from shore again to stand up. She was
shouting loudly when the canoe again
was upset and the three again were
| plunged into the water
| Again Sachs started after Miss Sea =
grave and again he recovered her and
! held her head well above the surface OF
| the water For the time those watch
| ing from the shore were unable to see
what happened. but Sachs later told
the police the girl had become hysterical
| and he had to strike her on the fore
head, knocking her unconscious before
| he was able to swim with her.
|
seriousness In the canoe. he said, she
again became hysterical and caused the
second upset OF the light craft When
| he caught her in the water the second
time, Sachs told the police, Mss Sea
graves caught him by the throat and
again hampered his efforts to save her.
| Again he struck the girl on the fore
head and she sank and was drowned
before he was able to seize her.
| Brown still chung to the overturned
canoe while several times Sachs dived
futlely for the girl. During all of the
time from the first upset OF the canoe
both Brown and Sachs were calling
! crantically for help, but, strangely for
! a Saturday afternoon, there were nc
| other canoes or motor boats near by.
| Standing on the riverfront, however
was Albert Checkanaw, II, OF 80 River
side Drive. He had been bathing and
without waiting even to remove th'
sweater he had put on after leaving the
water. dived back into the river and
swan toward the overturned canoe. Miss
Seagrave had been drowned before he
reached the canoe, but between then
Checkanow and Sachs managed to make
their way 10 shore with Brown.
| Checkanow stayed on shore Ions
enough to tell others therS how to apply
first aid to Brown. who was only partl!
conscious. and then he went back intC
the water and spent another half houl
diving for Miss Seagraves body. Later
the police of Harbor Squad A took VI
the search with graphing irons. bu
were unable to locate the body.