The New York herald., 1922-01-06
THREE BOYS ADRIFT
ON ICE CAKE SAVED
Steamboat Hits Floe, Sending
Trio Into Hudson Near
Dobbs Ferry.
TWO COMPANIONS ESCAPE
Run a Mile to Hastings; Row
to Victims in Darkness;
Haul Them In.

Five boys between the ages of Is
and II years went on the ice Of the
Hudson River at Dobbs Ferry late
yesterday and decided to see how far
they could go before they found open
water. They got out about 500 yards
and stood for a moment at the brink
Of the ice field. looking into the clear,
rushing water Of the channel. They
were still standing there when the ice
began to crack and bend. They started
on run for the shore.
Eddie Uchtman and Hugh Carroll
were fieeter than the others, and they
were the only ones that got far enough
away from the channel to be on the
solid field when the ice did break.
Frank Delmerrie, Joseph Toglio and
Matthew Partel were caught on a
cake about twenty-five feet square
that split off from the main field and
began swirling into the current.
Tide Catches Ice Cake.
The cake, caught in the high tide that
was running out, went swiftly away
from the main field. every instant
widening the gap between the three
toys and safety. Delmerrie jumped for
the main field, but missed and scram-
bled back onto the cake. By the time
Toglio and Partel had dragged him
back It was too late to Jump.
~ top If
moro than Is feet between the main ice
field and the big cake on which they
we're marooned and which was now
floating swiftly down the river. awash
because OF the weight of the three
boys. The trio yelled and Carroll and
Uchtman yelled, but no one heard them
and the big cake started down the river
with the tide toward the sea.
| The three drifting boys heard young
Carroll yell something about boat.
and then they saw Carroll and Ucht-
man turn and Pun for the shore. The
latter went into the Dobbs Ferry police
| station and told of their friends plight
| to Capt. Patrick Costello, who imme-
diately telephoned to Capt. Cronell OF
the police of Hastings. a mile down the
| river. Capt. Cronell sent word to Ed
| ward Cook, caretaker of the Power
| Ridge Yacht Club.
! Cook had the boat almost ready TO
launch when Uchtman and Carroll came
down the railroad track. They had run
the mile from Dobbs Ferry.
Rescuers start in Boat.
Carroll and Uchtman scrambled in.o
the rowboat and set out. 1t was a
dangerous trip. for the river was full Of
jagged ice foes and the tide and cur
rent were running so fast that the foes
had begun to pile up into small bergs.
hundreds of them big enough to crush
! the rowpoat in which the two boys pac-
died carefully through the Ice. They
| yelled as they went Into the river.
hoping to attract the attention of their
friends and every one on shore yelled.
| too.
After the two boys had been In the
boat for about fifteen minutes and were
| light picked for an instant the big cake
on which were Delmerrle. Togiio and
Partel, huddled in the center. too tired
and too wet to move. But the beam
held the cake for only an instant. and
then behind Il loomcd the bullting shadow
of the steamship from Newburgh coming
down the river on It's nightly trip. The
cake was directly In the path of the boat.
| and nobody on the latter apparently had
acen the three boys. for the vessel went
steadily forward down the channel.
The persons on shore saw dimly the
shadow Of the boat as IL crashed into
the cake OF ice. smashing II. and then
one OF the searchllghts picked up the
scene. Delmerrie. Toglio and Partel
were struggling In the water. swimming
and cIutching small cakes Of ice tina,
would not support their weight They
could not possibly have lasted more than
few minutes In the cold water and
against the heavy tide and current. but
Uchtman and Carroll saw them.
These two boys padded their boat
around the steamboat and through the
dangerous ice field until they reached
the three boys struggling In the water
and fighting off the cakes of ice that
bumped against them. Ono boy pushed
cakes OF ice away from the sides of
the boat with an oar. while the other
rescuer leaned over the gunwaies and
dragged Delmerrie, Toglio and Partel
into the boat. Then they threw their
coats over the three lads, who were
soaking wet and bruised from the batter
ing Of the ice cakes. and padded to
shore