Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1923-09-12
ROW BOAT HIT
IN F0C;4S SAVED.
Small Boat Hit by Ferry Boat
During Dense Fog Early
this Morning
TWO WERE INJURED
But All Local Men Escaped
from Drowning When
Rescued by Tug Boat
TWO WERE INJURED

-Four men from this city going to
work in TottenVille in q row boat
during the dense fog early this
morning narrowly escaped drowning
when their craft was struck by the
ferry boat Perth Amboy of the Stat
en- Island Rapid Transit railroad
and all were thrown into the water.
Two of the men John LaBrec sixty
five years old, and his son, Norman
La Brec, twenty-nine years old, of
S96 Mechanic street, were hurt in
the accident. Both are ship caulk-
ers. The father received a severe
scalp wound and the son has a bad
bruised right leg. The other two
men are Helmer Therkelsen, fifty
four years old, of Pearl place, and
Charles Ganzy, thirty four years
old, of State street. The latter two
are ship carpenters. They escaped
injury.
The men are all employed at the
Mass & Kane shipyard at the foot of
Amboy road, Tottenville and had set
out in the rowboat as is their Gus
tom each morning on going to work
from the foot of Washington street.
When almost in midstream they
were struck by the ferryboat Perth
Amboy, which was making the $3.50
o'clock trip out from this city for
Tottenville.
According to Norman La Brec, the
four men were making good head
way over the sound in spite of the
dense fog and they could hear the
whistle of the ferryboat sounding.
The ferryboat was going at a good
rate of speed and struck their craft
almost in the center, throwing them
all in the water. They went under
the ferryboat and when they came
up the ferryboat had stopped. Life
preservers were thrown by the crew
of the ferryboat and he and his
father both of whom are good swim
|mers, succeeded in getting hold of
one of them.
Therkelsen, who is also a good
swimmer, got hold of Ganzy, who
can only swim little. In this man
ner all were rescued. All four sue
Iceeded in getting to the row boat
which was not overturned in inc
collision. They were all holding on
until the arrival Of the tug Robert
Robinson, of the Androvette Towing
Company, which was attracted by
the alarm for assistance by the
blowing of the whistle of the ferry
boat by Captain John Martin of tins
city in the pilot house at the 'line,
Ali four men were able to so 60 their
homes where they secured dry
clothing.
Captain Edward Van Buren, OF
South Amboy, was in charge Of the
tug Robinson and brought the men
to shore. Captain Van Buren, ac-
cording to Norman LaBrec warned
them when they left this side OF me
sound to be careful of the ferryh oaf
which was making the trips back
and forth in the fog.
Deckhands Chris Jensen, of Tot
tenviIle, Stephen Andros, of South
Anboy and Collector Neal Leary,
of this city, on the ferryboat Perth
Amboy, threw over the life ring and
the life preservers to the four men
struggling in the water and were
getting ready to launch the life boat
from the deck of the ferryboat when
the Robinson came out from shore
and rescued the men. A number OF
passengers were on the ferryboat
at the time going to Staten Island.
Many of them were men employed
in plants over the sound while others
were on their way to business in
New York.