Mary Beatrice Sirmons attempted to save William T. Smith from drowning, Blakely, Georgia, April 1, 1931. While Smith, 19, was riding in a rowboat on a pond, the boat was swamped and he was thrown into the water 60 feet from the bank. He swam 15 feet toward the bank, went under the surface, came up, and called for help. Mary, 15, schoolgirl, who was fully clothed, waded from the bank and swam 15 feet to him. He grabbed her clothing close to the neck in front and then tried to climb on her. After being slightly submerged twice, Mary jerked away from Smith and swam toward the bank. She called for help, and her sister waded and swam to her and pulled and pushed her toward wadable water. She then swam a stroke or two to wadable water, reaching it in a winded and weakened condition. Smith became unconscious and sank but was rescued by Mary’s sister. He was revived.
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