John V. Murphy saved William R. Clash from drowning, Boston, Massachusetts, May 8, 1923. William, 13, schoolboy, got on a mattress in a cove of South Bay and drifted from the bank. The mattress sank beneath the surface as it drifted to the edge of a mass of floating debris, and William held to debris at a point 75 feet from the bank, where the water was 11 feet deep. Murphy, 33, signalman, who was dressed, plunged into the water and swam 90 feet along the edge of the debris to William. He grasped him, and William flung both arms around his neck, and they went under the surface. Murphy broke William’s hold and rose, and although he suffered severely from cramp and the cold water, he supported William on debris for 45 minutes until a boat was brought to them. Murphy could not stand when he reached the bank. 23279-1973
23279 – 1973
23279-1973