Thomas E. Humphreys helped to save Jay J. Curley from drowning, Wakefield, Massachusetts, February 1, 1956. While skating on Quannapowitt Lake, Jay broke through the ice 315 feet from the nearest bank into water 15 feet deep in a hole 10 feet in diameter. Each time he attempted to climb out, the ice broke off, and the hole was enlarged to 20 feet. Jay then clung to the edge of the ice and called for help. His cries attracted Humphreys, 21, road maintenance worker, and several other young men, all of whom were playing hockey 900 feet away. The young men skated to near the hole. Humphreys and another of the young men crawled in a prone position to within a foot of the edge. They extended their hockey sticks to Jay, who then was treading water 18 inches from the edge, and he grasped one stick in each hand. Two of the other young men joined in the attempt, and as they prepared to pull Jay from the water, a section of ice 12 feet wide crumbled beneath them, immersing them in the enlarged hole. A shoulder condition rendered one of Humphreys’s arms temporarily useless, but he and the other rescuers left the hole safely. Humphreys and two of the others then extended a 12-foot board obtained from the bank to Jay, who grasped it and was pulled onto the ice. Firemen arrived as the young men reached the bank safely. Jay, who was treated for shock and immersion, recovered. Humphreys had regained full use of the affected shoulder by the time he reached the bank, and he suffered no lasting ill effects. 43779-4076
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43779-4076