Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-27
CAPT. FR|ED'S MATE
DESCRIBES RESCUE
Manning Gives First-Hand
Story When America
Reaches Home.
BY the Associated Press.

= p
NEW YORK, January 26.-The liner
America came steaming home today
with the 80 Italian sailors it had saved
from the oceans fury, and full details
OF the actual rescue were told for the
first time by Harry Manning, the
diminutive chief officer who was in COM
mand of the lifeboat.
Half-coated in ice and her high
fianks smeared from the gale-whipped
seas that had battered her during the
rescue, the America dropped anchor at
Quarantine just at noon and hundred
reporters and cameramen swarmed
aboard.
Manning Tells Story.
After Capt. George Fried had been
welcomed by his wife and Manning by
his mother they met the newspaper men
in a saloon on the boat deck and Capt.
Fried smilingly pointed Manning out as
the real hero of the occasion.
Manning is less than average height
and weighs 130 pounds. Seeing him
there in the luxurious saloon it was
hard to think of him as the man who
had flung himself into the face of death
to save the crew of the Italian tramp
steamer Florida.
This little sailor In blue and brass had
pitted his knowledge and courage
against all the force of the sea and
storm. and he had won. With modest
hesitation he told how it was done.
How did you select the eight men
who went with you in the lifeboat?" he
was asked. did you call for volun-
teers?"
Every one volunteered" he said. 'T
could have filled 40 boats. chose eight
whom ] had worked with and knew.
Feared Deck Lumber.
''The trip to the Florida from the
America wasn't so bad, except that we
didn't dare to go very close because of
the deckload of lumber that might
have come tumbling down on us. But
We got line over and the men from
the Florida began pulling themselves
through the water to us.
Most of them had taken off what
clothes the storm had left them so
they could swim better. Some of them
were badly injured and you could hear
them groaning as they crawled along
through the waves. We yanked them
IN and they lay there on the bottom
OF the boat, exhausted, dazed. silent.
Capt. Favoloro of the Florida came
last. He seemed reluctant to leave his
ship, but at last he too stepped into
the sea and came over. And then the
real battle began. The storm was in
, creasing and as the waves got higher
my hopes went lower. I never thought
we'd make it,
1t was only a 30-foot boat and it had
Al men in It, Manning said that the
six oarsmen were unable to make any
| progress, and six of the rescued Italians
had to be asked to help. They respond
ed eagerly, though they were spent with
days of struggle. and in little more
| than an hour the quarter mile between
| the two steamers was crossed
| If we had been minutes later" said
| Manning, Il don't believe we would
have made It,"
| Two Fail Back to Boat.
This point In the rescue, Manning
I said, marked the only instance when
| any one showed any signs of being un-
| nerved. A couple of the rescued men
leaped from the lifeboat to cargo nets
| let down the Americas side, instead of
waiting to be assisted But they were
| too weak and fell back, one on top of
Manning, injuring his back.
They were finally all hoisted aboard
and then Manning himself started up
a ladder. But he could not summon
energy to pull himself up. He would
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