A BRAVE DEED.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2899, 31 May 1878, Page 2

A BRAVE DEED.

An account of a brave deed comes from Wales. The other day Mr Bydder, chief Custom officer at Ferryside, Car* marthenshire, seat his wife with his little girl to Laugharne, in the Customs boat, which was going over. Mrs Bydder, with the two men in chargej>f the boat, named Thomas Humphrey#*ftQvj, William Davies, on their return to Ferryside across' Carmarthen Bay at a point called Warley, met with a sudden gust of wind which capsized the boat. Humphreys, who was an excellent swimmer, first swam with an oar to support his comrade, but he, not being able to swim, soon sank. He then nranaged to get Mrs Bydder to hold on to the car whilst he swam round to the boat to see what could be done. He then got his knife and opened it with his teeth, cut away the cordage, and after considerable exertion dismasted the boat and righted her; but as she was full of water, and therefore only slightly buoyant, they could not get in her. He therefore placed the mast acrops the boat, and got the woman's arms over the mast on one side, whilst he went and hung on at the other side. Mrs Bydder then said," Everyone for himself," and begged him to leave her and save himself, which he could easily have done, being only about thirty yards from the shore. But he knew that if he left the woman would despair and be drowned; he, therefore, remained by her to cheer and assist her for an hour and a half, at the cost of his own life, screaming and shouting all the time for assistance, which arrived but too late. The brave fellow sank, from cold and exhaustion, but the woman was saved.