Brian A. Bauer helped to save Richard P. Franceschi from drowning, Bridgewater, Massachusetts, January 15, 1967. On an ice-covered lake, Franceschi, 47, salesman, broke through into water 10 feet deep 900 hundred feet from the nearest bank. He called for help as his futile efforts to climb out broke off pieces of ice and lengthened the hole to nine feet. Other men were fishing nearer the bank on thicker ice, where Brian, 17, schoolboy, was skating. Noting that no one was preparing to aid Franceschi, Brian obtained a clothesline and skated to within 15 feet of the hole in the ice. He threw one end of the clothesline to Franceschi, who tied it around his waist and held to it with both hands. While making several unsuccessful efforts to remove Franceschi, who had dislocated his shoulder, Brian slid nearer the hole. More ice broke off, and that beneath Brian moved up and down. Brian lowered himself to a spread-eagled position, retained his hold on the line being held by Franceschi, and waited for additional help although fearing that the ice would melt or give way under him. A rescue squad arrived at the bank with an aluminum boat. By chopping a path in the ice, the boat was moved toward the hole, later being pulled by a fireman wearing special protective attire, it was more than an hour after the accident before the boat reached a point near the hole. The ice then broke under Brian, who fell into the water but was not submerged. Taking with him one end of a nylon line held by men in the boat, the fireman swam to Brian and Franceschi. Both were pulled to the boat, lifted aboard, and taken to the bank. Franceschi recovered after hospitalization. 49340-5403
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