Stanley W. Bowes

Stanley W. Bowes, 32, contractor, helped to save George W. Smith, 33, Superintendent of Water and Sewers, from suffocation, Maryfield, Saskatchewan, January 3, 1966. When he entered a pit 23 feet deep from which water was being removed by means of a gasoline-driven pump on a platform 12 feet below the top, Smith was overcome by carbon monoxide entering the hose of a face mask he was wearing. He collapsed in water three feet deep on the bottom of the pit, which was six feet wide and seven feet long. Smith’s assistant was watching from the pit entrance, which was two feet square, and called for aid from Bowes, who was nearby. By means of a rope attached to a safety harness on Smith, they raised him from the bottom, but he became caught beneath the end of the platform. While the assistant held the rope, Bowes descended a ladder to the platform, where the pump still was operating. He stopped the motor, sat on the edge of the platform, and pulled Smith onto his lap. Bowes then lost consciousness. The assistant secured the rope and ran to a nearby garage, where he reported the situation. Earl Gray and others ran to the pit and by means of the rope withdrew Smith. Gray removed the rope from Smith and tied it to his own belt. Holding his breath, he descended the ladder to the platform. He untied the rope from his belt and secured it around the chest of Bowes. Gray then was forced to breathe and quickly climbed out of the pit. Bowes was removed by means of the rope. He and Smith were hospitalized and recovered.