New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-03
6DrOwn i'm Day:
Boy Dies Trying
To Save Cripple
Men Stand Idly BY While
Lad. Is. Sinks i'm Hudson
With Chum Hampered by
Infantile Paralysis Brace
Four Perish at Rockawav
Life Guards Rescue 3. Drag.
ging Unconscious Girl to
Shore Despite Undertow

Six persons were drowned yesterday
IN and about New York City. Thou
sands witnessed three spectacular
rescues by lifeguards at Rockaway
Beach.
Two ffteen-year-old boys lost their
lives twenty feet from shore in the
Hudson River at Seventy-seventh
Street while a score of men looked on
Four drownings took place at Rock
away.
William De Graft, of 431 West For
tieth Street, and George Knapp, of 453
West Fortieth Street, high school stu
dents, clad in bathing trunks, bestrode
q plank that foated near the Seventy
seventh Street dock, upon which anglers
and others were assembled De Graft
slipped from the plank and sank. When
he rose, shouting for help. Knapp swan
to aid him. De Graft sank again before
Knapp could seize him. The latter
dived twice. calling on those ashore
for assistance. While Knapp was sub
merged De Graft sank for the third
time. He did not reappear. Knapp
continued diving until exhausted.
Then he waived his hands and disap-
peared He was not seen again.
One Boy a Cripple
De Graft was crippled by infantile
paralysis. He wore a steel brace on
his right leg, and while able to swim,
could not remain ahoat long because
of the heavy clamp extending from
ankle to knee. The boys were strongly
attached to each other, and Knapp
NJ II
handicap of his infrmity. Boy friends
said last night they had been insepa-
rable during their school days.
Patrolman Thomas Hudson. of the
West Forty seventh Street police sta
ton, notified the Marine Division and
search for the bodies was begun. Mrs
Knapp, mother of one lad, identified
the clothing of both, which had been
found by Patrolman Hudson on the
dock
John Zeffer, twenty-five years old, of
20 Justice Street, Elmhurst, an en-
ployee of "The New York World" was
drowned while bathing in Hook Creek,
near Rockaway, in the afternoon.
Eugene Donohue, of 546 West Fifty.
first Street, was drowned at Sixty-third
Street and Jamaica Bay. He was un-
able TO swim and stepped into a hole
from which his body did not rise. 1t
had not been recovered late last night
Burnett Goldberg, Of 1913 Beach 18th
Street, Rockaway, sank IN deep water
while bathing from boat. He is be-
ieved to have been suffering from
cramp. His body has not been found.
Tide Brings Body Ashore
The body of an unidentified man was
washed ashore near the foot of Fifty
third Street, Rockaway, last night. Che
dead man apparently was thirty years
old. He was of dark hair ard COM
plexion and about Ave feet eight inches
In height.
Edward Ayers, life guard at Rocka-
way Beach, dived three times and
saved the life of Sylvia Messenger,
nineteen years old who lives at 1921
De Kalb Avenue, Brooklyn She was
caught in a heavy undertow and when
taken from the water was insensible.
Emergency measures revived her.
Fanny Aliens. forty-one years old, of
9109 Boulevard, Rockaway, was rescued
in hard fight against tide and un-
dertow by Solomon Machover, of 1856
Beach Street, and Nathan Yok olum, of
1872 Beach Street who swan to her
aid. The later was overcome by his
own efforts and was brought ashore
insensible by Life Guard John Herman.
He was revived by DR.. Canton, OF St.
Joseph's Hospital.
More than 100000 persons visited
RockaWaV Beach DURING the dav