Karen B. Wylie saved Thomas C. Charlesworth from drowning, Stamford, Connecticut, February 20, 1963. Thomas, 5, ventured onto an ice apron at the bank of the Mianus River and walked 50 feet on it to the edge. The ice gave way under him, and he fell into water 10 feet deep. Mrs.Wylie, 34, homemaker, was attracted and saw Thomas floating inert in open water near the edge of the apron. Although she was a poor swimmer, she walked on the ice to within five feet of him. There the ice gave way under her, and she was submerged briefly. She towed Thomas to the apron and tried five times to life him onto it. The ice broke off, and each time it did so Mrs. Wylie moved farther downstream. Winded and beginning to feel numb, she supported Thomas and called for help as she clung to the ice where it extended 25 feet from the bank. After Mrs. Wylie had been in the water about 20 minutes, an automobile stopped atop the bank. While the woman driver ran to telephone police, James A. Porter and Taylor Graham proceeded cautiously on the ice to within three feet of Mrs. Wylie. Porter, who was in the lead, took hold of Mrs. Wylie’s wrist. He extended his other hand to Graham and asked if he could swim. Graham replied that he could not but grasped Porter’s hand to anchor him. Although Porter told him to go back, Graham retained his hold and did not move. At that time the ice beneath them gave way. All were submerged, and Mrs. Wylie lost her hold on Thomas. He remained under water, but the others returned to the surface. While Porter was towing Mrs. Wylie to the ice apron, Graham flailed his arms and then sank. Porter made several surface dives but could not find Graham. His hands by then becoming numb, Porter swam back to Mrs. Wylie and, after making sure that she was clinging securely to the ice, climbed out of the water to get help for Graham and Thomas. As Porter crawled cautiously on the ice to the bank police arrived. By use of a rope Mrs. Wylie was pulled from the water and thence to the bank. The bodies of Thomas and Graham later were recovered.
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