Robert S. Pierson, 35, clerk, helped to save J. Hugh Magill, 22, checker, from drowning, Rehoboth, Delaware, August 2, 1913. Magill, who was a very poor swimmer, was swept into deep water by a current while bathing in the Atlantic Ocean. He struggled to keep at the surface 90 feet from shore, where the water was 10 feet deep. Pierson, the only person near, swam 50 feet to Magill, grasped him, and attempted to swim toward shore, but the current carried them farther out. Pierson called for help. He supported Magill about 10 minutes, and then became exhausted. He believed that he was about to drown, released his hold on Magill, and ceased his efforts to swim. At that moment help reached Magill, and within a few seconds a man reached Pierson and took him to shore. Magill and Pierson were unconscious when they reached shore, but they were revived. Pierson was disabled 14 days as a result of nervous and physical strain. 11377-1006
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