William H. Twitchell attempted to save Nancy Stahl from drowning, Cochituate, Massachusetts, February 25, 1942. Nancy, 12, broke through ice on a cove of Lake Cochituate into water 10 feet deep 60 feet from the bank. She was 20 feet from safe ice. William,17, ran on the ice a quarter of a mile to the hole. Nancy meanwhile had sunk, after efforts made by others to rescue her had failed. William removed his boots and a jacket, walked to the hole, which then was 10 feet in diameter, and jumped into the water. Noting Nancy under the surface, he dived and then swam 10 feet to a point under unbroken ice two feet beyond the edge. He got hold of Nancy seven feet below the ice and angled upward to the surface to avoid striking the ice. He towed Nancy across the hole to the edge of the ice and tried to lift her onto it but could not. He was numb from cold. A boy extended one end of a hockey-stick to him, and he got out and pulled Nancy onto the ice. He and the boy dragged her to the bank, but she could not be revived. William was nauseated and nervous. 39429-3268
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