Monte Bassett attempted to save Charles Norwood, Jr., and Blakes L. Powell from drowning, Cody, Wyoming, March 12, 1996. Norwood, 65, and Powell, 62, were ice fishing at Buffalo Bill Reservoir when they broke through the ice at a point about 150 feet from the bank, where water was about 25 feet deep. Fishing nearby, Bassett, 77, retired rancher, heard the men’s cries for help and hurried to where they were struggling in the 38-degree water. Bassett extended one end of a six-foot iron bar to the men and, kneeling, was engaged in pulling one of them back onto the ice when he too entered the open water. Meanwhile, an 18-year-old woman who was sightseeing at the reservoir went onto the ice with a horse halter to which a rope was attached. She threw one end of that line to the men, and Bassett grasped it. After several attempts and with difficulty, the woman pulled Bassett onto solid ice. Norwood and Powell submerged and drowned, their bodies recovered later that day.
70660 – 8110
70660-8110