Estelle Hoffman, 30, teacher, died attempting to save Tina R. Hilko, 4, from drowning, Monhegan, Maine, July 17, 1958. While visiting Monhegan Island in the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of Maine, Tina and her mother, accompanied by Miss Hoffman and another woman, descended a path to the bottom of a seaside cliff. Tina then ran onto a sloping rock ledge, where she lost her footing and slid Into the surf. Miss Hoffman, who was a poor swimmer, entered the water and supported Tina while attempting to secure a hold on the slippery rocks of the ledge. She was unable to do so as the swells forcibly washed her and Tina back and forth within five feet of the water line. From the ledge Tina’s mother, who could not swim, and the other woman, who was a good swimmer, attempted to grasp Tina and Miss Hoffman as they were washed close to them; but each time the surf carried them away. A very heavy swell then swept them against the rocks, causing Miss Hoffman to lose her hold on Tina. The two women moved to the water’s edge, where each then lost her footing and slid into the surf. After finally securing a hold on the rocks, the other woman got to her feet, ascended the path, and sent for help. By the time two men arrived in a boat. Tina had drowned, and her mother and Miss Hoffman were inert. They could not be revived.
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