Vittorio De Parasis, 19, laborer, attempted to save Lorraine M. WaIters, 16, from drowning, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, June 14, 1948. Miss Walters fell into the log chute of a dam in the West Branch of Susquehanna River and after being swept over a shelf of planks at its base dropped three feet into a turbulent whirlpool 60 feet in diameter. She swam from the whirlpool but in attempting to join others who stood on a dry end of the shelf which projected beyond the side of the chute, again was caught in the whirlpool in water 20 feet deep. De Parasis dived from the shelf into the pool as Miss Walters was carried to within five feet of him. He did not reach her; and both were drawn under the water falling from the shelf and submerged. She appeared at the surface and was being carried around toward the shelf again by the time he rose at the downstream edge of the pool. He swam out of the pool and stood up in shallow water 15 feet from it. Miss Walters was submerged again under the falling water. She reappeared and drifted opposite De Parasis. He waded and swam to her and put one arm around her waist. She struggled briefly and lost consciousness. For 10 minutes he tried vainly to tow her out of the whirlpool area but could not, as they were carried completely around the pool twice and were submerged three times under the falling water. While still submerged the last time De Parasis, who had become semiconscious, lost his hold on Miss Walters and reached the surface at the downstream edge of the pool alone. As he drifted along the edge he was caught by a man whose arm was held by another man clinging to the blade of a bulldozer, which had been driven through shallow water to within five feet of the pool. De Parasis, who then was unconscious, was brought to the bulldozer and taken ashore. Miss Walters was drowned. De Parasis was revived but was disabled for four days.
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