Ira J. Stringham, 17, clerk, died attempting to save Peter Foster, 9, and Joseph A. Gerwer III, 11, from drowning, Jersey City, New Jersey, January 8, 1916. The boys broke through frail ice on the Morris Canal, 25 feet from the bank, and were unable to climb out. Hearing their cries, Ira came to the bank, removed part of his clothing, and hurried over the ice toward them. He broke through before reaching them and waded to them in water neck deep. He separated them and was engaged in an effort to lift one of them onto the ice, when the other grasped him around the neck and pushed him beneath the surface. Ira failed to rise. The boys clung to the ice until they were rescued with a rope.
15939-1197Ira J. Stringham
Jersey City, NJ