Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1912 — Boys Risk Lives to Save Fishermen [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Boys Risk Lives to Save Fishermen

BROOKLYN, N. Y.—Jack London probably never heard of Eddie Deering of Brooklyn or “Darky Sam” of Coney Island, but they deserve to take rank with some of the heroes that London has made famous, for they did some extraordinary stunts in rescuing five men from the launch Sterling of Astoria, which got into serious trouble off the old iron pier just before sunset. ' Neither Eddie nor Sam could swim, but when they saw the launch drifting helplessly in the rough sea about a half mile off shore, and saw the occupants waving their arms and shouting for help, they did what heroes usualy do in such cases like that They took a long chance and came out of the adventure soaked to the skin, but with flying colors. The first thing they did was to try to get a beat, but according to the story told by Deering they visited

nearly every pavilion from Balmer’s to Steeplechase Park without" success. Those who owned boats refused to lend them. They returned to the spot where the boat was plunging in the waves, and found an old flat-bottomed rowboat, half buried in the sand. With two boards as oars they paddled out to the Sterling. Two trips were made, and all hands, except Capt. Fisher, who declined to abandon his craft, were taken to the beach. Finally the police boat came to the scene and towed the Sterling to Astoria. Captain Fisher Lad taken out a fishing party, including Charles Berkins and Julius Guse of Manhattan, Albert Peterson of Brooklyn and Louis Gron of the same place. The sixth man was George Edwards, who acted as engineer. As they were making for home the machinery broke down, the boat began to leak and the engine got frozen up so that it would not work. Deering said he was glad to have been able to help in the work of rescue, but he would not go through ths experience again for SI,OOO. “Not one o’ the blokes even said ‘thank you,’ ” was his comment OQ. the behavior of those who had been saved by himself and “Darky Sam.'*