Eddie McLaughlin, 41, rigger foreman, saved Benjamin F. Goodyear, 27, shipfitter’s helper, from drowning, Jacksonville, Florida, September 3, 1943. Goodyear fell from a scaffold into water 20 feet deep in Saint Johns River six feet from a concrete wall that rose five feet above the water. McLaughlin, who was heavily clothed, jumped from a barge toward Goodyear, who was submerged in murky water. Swimming under the surface and drifting in a current of two m.p.h., he got hold of Goodyear, who was unconscious. Stroking to rise, he touched the bottom of the barge, which was 76 feet long. Forced to expel his breath, he gagged; and with great difficulty he swam against the current for six feet, rose two feet from the barge, and raised Goodyear’s face above the water. A life preserver was thrown to him, and a man who was a good swimmer jumped into the water and took hold of Goodyear. A rope was thrown McLaughlin, and all were pulled onto the barge. Goodyear regained consciousness and recovered. 40056-3350
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40056-3350