This Day in History: 1927-12-30

Only the quick actions of two men, who were passing by in their car, saved the life of young John Shuart of Mahwah. The nine year old son of Mr. and Mrs. John Shuart was on the ice of De Wyckoff Lake, skating on Franklin Turnpike, when he fell through he ice at a weak point. Two Rockland Electric Company employees, Edward Meade and John Campbell, glanced at the lake as they were passing and saw Shuart struggling in the broken ice. Two young companions some distance away seemed to be arguing about what to do. The men brought with them a long rope from their car. They found him very quiet with his head thrown back to keep it out of the water, grasping the edge of the ice with his hands. They threw the rope to him. He was able to grasp it and they pulled him to safety. They then took him home to his parents. Had they come any later, it might have been too late to prevent him from slipping under the ice and drowning. (Bristow)