Lewis M. Warrender, 26, seaman, saved Alexander Hogg, Sr., 30, seaman, from drowning and from being crushed, Montreal, Quebec, September 6, 1954. A steamship on which Hogg was employed was being maneuvered into a lock of the St. Lawrence River at a slight angle, and Hogg holding to a manrope swung from the steamship to assist in mooring the vessel. The rope broke, and he struck his head on a recessed lock gate and dropped unconscious into deep water in a space four feet wide between the hull and wall. He sank and did not reappear. Without hesitation Warrender swung himself over the deck railing and descended to a narrow wooden belting along the hull six feet above the water. The ship’s engines were halted; and the vessel lurched and came to a stop, hold precariously in angled position by a cross current. Warrender dived from the belting, swam submerged for 15 feet toward where Hogg had disappeared, and finally located him in the murky water at a depth of five feet, grasping him by the hair. Warrender towed Hogg 25 feet toward the open end of the lock before he could bring Hogg to the surface. He continued towing Hogg 30 feet farther along the hull of the ship to the downstream end of the lock wall. Other crewmen who reached the wall descended a flight of steps and drew Hogg and Warrender from the water. The steamship, which swung against the wall as soon as the engines were started, completed its entrance into the lock. Hogg, who revived, suffered severe head injuries. Warrender was winded and extremely tired. Both recovered. 43278-3952
43278 – 3952
43278-3952