New Britain herald., 1930-12-22
Thin Ice Takes Toll in Plainville Saturday - Roy Weldon Saved Sec Ond WOuld-be Rescuer- Bremen Recover Bodies Funerals Tomorrow.
Especial to the Herald)


 afternoon at 2:30 o'clock when the thin ice suddenly gave way and plunged Charles Kopycinski, 10, and stephen Czernurewski, 12, into the Icy waters where they were drowned before aid could reach them. The boys were about 80 feet from the shore when the accident occurred and had been enjoying themselves by skating and sliding. Roy Weldon, 21, Of Dewey avenue, a scoutmaster in a Plainville Boy Scout troop, whose home faces the pond, made gallant and heroic attempt to save the drowning boys but was too late.
 Weldon was in an upstairs room of his home and had just finished shaving when he heard shouts for help. He paid little attention for the moment and then went to the win dow. Glancing out to the pond, he saw the boys suddenly disappear beneath the ice. Although clad only in his underwear and trousers and in his stocking feet, he dashed down stairs and secured rope. He made his way as quickly as possible to the pond although delayed by the swamp in the vicinity.
 Tying the rope about his body he threw the other end to a fisherman on the shore and raced out onto the ice. When he came to the hole where the boys had fallen through, he got down on his hands and knees and saw one of the lads going down for the third time. He made grab for the boy but just missed him and fell into the water. He made an inef- fective search for signs of the boys and realizing that help was needed at once started for the shore.
 Two Founder About
 As he did so, Flint Warren of Queen street, Southington, who had been attracted to the scene as he drove by in his truck, started out on the ice to aid Weldon. The ice gave away under him and he too was plunged into the waters. Weldon came to his rescue and dragged him to shore.
 Dripping with water and chilled 10 the bone, Weldon ran back to his home and sent call to the Plain vile fire department. After trying to get ladder out to the hole, the f1remen obtained a boat which was manned by Fred Callen and Fred Miller. Graphing irons were used and about two hours later, Callen yelled that the iron was caught onto some obstacle. Men on the shore grabbed the end of the rope and aft CT pulling it in discovered that the iron was caught to the leg of one of the lads. A few seconds later the men in the boat discovered the body of the other child almost at the same spot. Evidently both bodies had floated almost together. One of the boys had on d pair of ice skates while the shoes were missing from the feet of the other.
 Dr. George F. Cook, who had been summoned to the scene d few min- utes afted the boys went under the ice, examined the bodies but saw that there was no hope of reviving them. pr. Lawrence H. Frost medi- cal examiner, was called and gave permission for the removal Of the bodies.
 Many heartrending scenes were enacted on the shore of the pond while hremen Were casting about for the bodies. Mrs. Martin Conlon. mother Of Edward Conlon who was drowned in Lake Pocotopaug in East Hampton last August after rescuing two companions, cried and kept moaning that's the way my boy went, that's the way my boy went" Sometime after the mother Of the hopycinski boy arrived and rent the air with cries of anguish, meanwhile berating another of her sons for allowing Charles to go so far out on the thin ice. Only a year ago, Mrs. kopycinski lost one Of her boys when he was killed by an automobile.
 Weldon, whose brave attempts to save the boys met with failure saved two youths from drowning in the pond last summer and two years ago saved three others from drowning. He is well known in scout circles, being the posscssOr of 51 merit badges. MT. Weldon, father of the scoutmaster, stated that the rope and grappling irons used in the rescue work had been in his possess sion for nearly 20 years. Roy, after taking hot drinks and a hot bath, was none the worse for his experi- ence and was able to shop in New Britain in the evening.
 Men With Boat of No Aid
 Two fishermen were rowing on the pond when the boys fell through and it is reported that they lost their heads in the excitement. Instead of trying to reach the spot where the boys went down, they hurried to shore and set up yell for some rope.
 Weldon stated that he believed that he would have saved at least one of the boys if he had been able to run directly to the pond instead of using the path to avoid the swamp.
 One of the oldest residents of the town stated that as far as he could remember Saturdays deaths were the nrSL by drowning Tn hamlln pond although there had been rescues there. The depth of the pond is said to be unknown in some sections. It is on private property and there is multitude of warning signs posted about. The firemen who answered the call for help were Chief Edward P. Prior, William Downham, Richard Bugbee, Carl Champion, Fred Callen, Frank Le Nasseur, Robert Sneide- man, Mike Sullivan and Howard Usher. Constable Orsie and other officers were also at the scene to keep the crowd orderly.