New-York tribune., 1922-01-30
Hunters Cheat
Deatl, ON FlOes
Ia 6-Hol'r Fight
Pcarsall and Jerome Land OH
Great South Bay Island
After Laslling Scooiers
Together iii Snow Storm
Brother Goes 10 Rescue
One Trapped in Ice ls Saved
by Comrade: Distress Sig
nal Seen by Lookouts

BAY SHORE, L. J., Jan. 2p. Edmund
A Fearssll and Jerome r. Jerome, Of
East Islir, who vero caught in their
scooters on Grea. South Bay by yester
days storm. reached their homes this
afternoon. They passed the night IN q
summer cottage on Cat Tree Island and
fa> up distress signal on the flaSpole
a. the Wawa Yanda Golf Club, which
Elmer Pearsall, brother of Edmund,
sighted.
The storm burst SO suddenly upon
them while they were shooting at the
ducks which were about in thousands
that the shore was hidden by the first
snow blast. Soon afterward ice foes
became SO thick about them that they
realized that much of the ice which
had extended a mile or more into the
Bay, must <ave broken up and be driv-
ing seaward.
One Trapped by Flocs
They tried to push back to the main
land, but the northeast gale and the
ice foes were too much for them.
When they had fought the gale for an
hour and a half, trying to make
Nicoll's Point. which extends Ear into
the Bay, Pearsall, whose scooter was
we'll in the lead. looked back and saw
that Jerome was hemmcd in on an ice
foe with widening tissures on all sides
of him.
Pearsall gave up the attempt to
reach Nicoll's Point and showed his
scooter back before the wind toward
Jerome. Me managed TO reach the foe
next TO his and at a moment when the
lad / %,,,.
alongside Of Jerorre's.
The two small craft were lashcd to-
gether. and with the sail Oh Jerome's
losted. the men tried to pick course
across the grinding ice TO Oak Island
Beach The turmoil in the bay was
such that the stoutest boat would have
been ground to splintcrs between the
foes once it slid into a bit of open
water and constant vigilance was re-
quired as the patches of open water
increased on every side.
1t was about noon when they began
the struggle and it was not until 6
p. IN. that the grating Of sand in the
snow beneath the shod points of their
poles apprised them of the fact that
they had reached land. AS they tum-
bled out on the beach of Whirlpool
Point q reccding wave carried off the
foe they had been on.
Pearsall Saves Comrade
Jerome had fallen almost uncon-
stious, but Pearsal seized the gunwale e
of his scooter and dug his heels into
the sand. The lashings that bound the
two boats together parted and Jerome s
boat went surging out through the wash
10 be ground beneath the foe at the
next wave Pearsali managed to drag
his craft up on the beach.
The two men made their way along
the shore until they reached a cottage
owned by Henry H. Rubino, New
York attorney. They gained entrance
and built a fire, but found nothing to
eat in the cottage. Each Of them had a
sandwich remaining from his lunch.
They divided one of them. each eating
half, and saved the other for break
fast.
After breakfast they trudged to the
Wawa Wanda Club, where Anscl Sax
ton, the caretakc-, gave them square
meal. They ran the club flag up en-
sign down. Captain Joseph futile, of
the Oak 1sland Coast Guard station,
whose men had been out all night, with
those Of the Fire island station, hunt
lNg for the two men. saw the signal of
distress.
Brother Goes to Rescue
SO did Elmer Pearsall, member Of
Tuttle's crew. Elmer set out afoot
across Great South Jay for the golf
club, reaching it after toilsome and
dangerous journey. He returned tho
same way after greeting his brother
and Jerome, and reported that there
was almost as much open water as ice
in the bay.
John Hollins and Gerald V. Hollins,
bankers, OF New York, who had led in
the all-night search for the missing
men, volunteered to get a stout motor
boat and essay the trip to Cat Tree
Island. They had to stop frequently to
push ice floes out OF their path or to
chop a channel through solid ice, but
returned at last with Pcsrsal! and