The New York herald., 1922-07-05
John Stern Celebrates His
Anniversary in Shack
at BrOOme Street.
KIDS THERE TO CHEER
Have Learned Swimming and
Kindliness in Volunteer
Life Saving Station.

1.-The way I figure it," said Cap'n
John. Stern of the Broome street sta
ton of the Volunteer Life Saving AS
sociation, in the midst of celebrating
his twenty-sixth anniversary yester-
day, Saving lives is a good deal like
saving souls, not that / know a lot
about the salvation business. But, as
l say. the way I figure it it's easy
enough saving them that want to be
saved, and it's darn hard saving them
who are personally opposed to it.
II might go on to say that there's
so many drowning folks that yearn to
be saved that a mans a darn fool to
waste his time trying to drag in a guy
who don't want to be. However, in this
business we don't look into a guys
point of view. We don't ask him how
he feels about it. We try dragging him
out of the river and then letting him
think it over at leisure
Cap'n Stern sat at the door Of his
skanty on the Broome street pier.
The East River was swirling in and
out among the pilings on which his
shanty is built Above him flapped a
couple of dozen flags-all sorts of
flags from the Stars and Stripes to
Welcome Home to Our Heroes"
relic of the return of the East Sides
contributions to the A =. f.
About the Cap'n. II ding in agree
ment with every philosophy and remi-
niscence that fell lfrom his lips. sat
a half hundred idolatrous boys and girls
and dozen of the Cap'n's associates
In the service Of the Volunteer Life Saw
ing Association. Among the latter were
Owney Coylce, Toddy Stern. George
Smith. Bill King. Bill Carey. Peter
Martin, Johnny Ruh, Bill Herberts. Phil
Herberts. Johnny Keaby, Tom Rooney.
Dan Crawford and Eddie Doran.
Half way down the pier Cap'n Stern's
private band of fifteen earnest musicians
was footing under the direction of
Jimmy Kenny. and every so often a new
delegation of kids from Public Schools
Nos. 10 and 81 would arrive. giving q
series of cheers for Cap'n Johnny Stern
and his associate rivermen, all of them
tanned to the shade OF old russet leather.
Beneath the Tapping flags the Cap'n
led Mabel Hansen, Virginia and Cath
crime Bartells. while Toddy Stern. Bill
Herberts. Dan Crawford and Eddie
Doran manned the gig and pulled out
into the river fifty yards off shore.
Grabs the Bobbed Hair.
Catherine. who is IA, leaped off the
dock, and with dozen vigorous swings
was out into the gig. Then Mabel. IL.
took a dive and came up spouting water.
She turned over on her back and began
floating.
"For the sake Of this here exhibition"
went on Cap'n Stern. that ones drown
ing and this here ones goin to save her"
He clapped Virginia, 13, on the back
and she jumped overheard. She swan
to the floating Mabel's side and then
submerged to come up with Mabefs
head on her breast. She grabbed the
victim by the bobbed hair and kicked
herself over to the waiting gig. Cath
crime hanled them both aboard.
"All kids in New York ought to know
how to do that" said the Cap'n. Maybe
kid would never have to use It, but
dence in themselves"
"Twenty-six years teaching kids to
swim and dragging man. woman and
child from n watery grave" sighed the
Cap'n. Seems that the folks decided
to make a celebration about it, and
I'm not the man to say it's nothing. l
don't care If it's John d. Rockefeller
or ]. p. Morgan themselves, no man
can have the folks of his neighborhood
come around and give him three cheers
and not think anything about It,
The Cap'n's sIyness.
1--WE seen all sorts of things sitting
here on this pier. I've seen 'em slick
uns and I've seen good uns. I've not
missed anything that happened these
twonty-six years in the vicinity of this
pier-darn rotten old pier but DANCED
II l wouldn't sort of hate to see 'em
mend IL.
started in this business recuing
kid who was down under a submerged
raft. Lot of excitemens and me just
coming out OF home, IL East street. /
run over and see bubbles coming 10 the
surface. l go over and just by luck
see the kid under the raft. I fetch hin,
up and Ma and me roll him back to life
tIrOWn man now ol COurse' Win IdH-
.ly Then Join the Volunteer Life Saw
ing Association and--well here 1 am af-
ter twenty-six years of it.
"Got to be sly about some OF the
cases, too. We've hauled out kids half
drowned and know that half drowned
or not their fathers would whale the tar
out Of them for going in swimming. So
we've had to roll the water out OF them
and dry their clothes and then we say:
'Whatcha going to do for this,
kdT
"'Ain't never going In swimming
again. they reply.
"Until when?' we asked.
"Until Cap'n Stern teaches us to