Hero of the Week 10

Welcome back viewers!

This week's hero is...

Kate Shelley

Katherine "Kate" Shelley was born on December 12, 1863 in the country of Ireland to Michael and Margaret Shelley. Her family immigrated to the United States in 1865 and eventually settled in Freeport, Illinois where four kids were born (Kate being the oldest). There Kate's father Michael, found work on a railroad for the Chicago and North Western Railroad. Much of his work was done near the railroad bridge that spanned the nearby Honey Creek. While Michael worked at the railroad, Margaret Shelley ran the family's farm. For a while the family lived a happy and productive life. 

That all changed in 1878 when tragedy stuck. Michael Shelley died after a long battle with tuberculosis. As a result of this the family lost much of their income, Kate had leave school to help her mother raise her younger siblings and work on their farm. Less than six months after, the family suffered another tragedy. One of Kate's younger brothers (James) drowned in the Des Moines River, he was only 11 years old. These two tragedies had a major influence on Kate and forced her to become an adult when she was only 15.

Kate's maturity and care for others would be put to the test on the night of July 6, 1881. That night, a violent thunderstorm blew in. The heavy rainfall from the storm caused a flash flood in the nearby Honey Creek. During the storm Kate Shelley and her family huddled together in their house until 11 PM, when they heard a loud crash. Kate grabbed a lantern and left her house to investigate. To her horror, she saw that the Honey Creek Bridge had collapsed due to the flash flood throwing four men (who had been crossing the bridge on a pusher locomotive) into the raging waters. 

Kate knew that without help, the men would die. She also knew that another locomotive (the Midnight Express) was due to cross the Honey Creek Bridge later that night. If they were not were warned that the bridge was out, the express would surely plunge into the creek resulting in great loss of life. Kate realized that the only way to stop the express was to reach the station in the nearby town of Moingona (present day Boone County, IA). To do this, she would have cross a high bridge that spanned the Des Moines River in the middle of the raging storm. 

The bridge had a number of flooring gaps in it (ironically done to discourage people from walking across it). This coupled with the near blackout conditions, pouring rain, and strong gusts of wind made the crossing highly dangerous. As a result of these hazards, Kate had to cross the bridge on her hands and knees. With only her small lantern to light her way, she began a long and grueling crawl across the high bridge. When she was halfway across, the lantern went out due to the downpour. This left her in near total darkness. For the rest of her crawl, Kate had to slowly feel her way across with bursts of lighting being her only source of light. 

Through sheer will and determination, Kate Shelley made it across the bridge and quickly ran to the train station in Moingona. Once she was there she told the station attendant about the Honey Creek Bridges collapse and the men in the water. After that she collapsed in exhaustion. The attendant quickly sent a telegram to the oncoming midnight express to halt its course. After that a rescue was mounted to save the four men trapped in the creek. Sadly two of them had been washed away before they could be rescued. But the Midnight Express (which was carrying 200 people at the time) received the warning and stopped before it even came close to Honey Creek.

Thanks to Kate Shelley's warning, a tragic accident that could've resulted in many deaths was avoided. She instantly became a legend overnight and was thanked by the passengers on the train. In 1901, a new bridge was constructed over the Des Moines River. It was named, "Kate Shelley High Bridge" in her honor. After her heroic act, Kate returned to her quite life back at the farm with helping her mother raise her siblings. By the early 20th century (just after the new bridge was built) her health began to decline. She died on January 21, 1912 at the age of 48.

Kate Shelley's story is truly amazing. She was a young girl who had so much responsibility put on her shoulders at such a young age. For someone so young, she demonstrated and incredible amount of courage and determination to help those around her and to take the initiative to prevent what could've been a terrible tragedy. Her story is clearly one that is worth being told for many years to come.

Further Information:

https://www.kateshelley.com/about-kate.html

http://iagenweb.org/boone/history/kateshelley.htm

http://www.rejectedprincesses.com/princesses/kate-shelley

Hero of the Week 9

Welcome back viewers!

This week's hero is...

John Lawson

John Lawson was born on June 16, 1837 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Not much is known about his early life. He enlisted in the United States Navy during the American Civil War in December 1863. He was assigned to the ship, USS Hartford where he served as a Landsman. Despite facing racism from his own comrades he continued to perform his duties on the ship to the best of his ability. His job was to get ammunition to the Hartford's guns.

The USS Hartford was the flagship of Flag Officer (eventually Admiral) David Farragut who commanded the West Gulf Blockading Squadron during the Civil War. By late 1864, the Union Navy's Anaconda Plan had mostly worked in sealing off the Confederacy's ports. One of the few remaining ports was Mobile Bay (which was also the last open port in the Gulf of Mexico). Mobile Bay's capture would be a major step forward in defeating the Confederacy. However capturing it would not be an easy task. The bay was defended by a powerful ironclad (CSS Tennessee) and fort (Fort Morgan). The bay was also heavily mined with torpedoes. Despite having 18 ships at his command (including four ironclads), Farragut knew that capturing Mobile Bay would cost many lives. Never the less, it needed to be done.

On August 5, 1864, Farragut's fleet began its attack on Mobile Bay with USS Hartford leading the charge. The first objective the ships faced was passing Fort Morgan. They would then have to navigate the torpedo field without striking one, then they would have to face-off against the CSS Tennessee. For the next three hours the Federal ships struggled to pass Fort Morgan and make their way through the torpedo field. The ships were large and the dangerous torpedo field forced them to cut their speed. This made them easy targets for the gunners of Fort Morgan who continuously raked the ships with deadly accuracy. The ships that made it through the torpedo field (at least one, USS Tecumseh struck a torpedo and went down with nearly all hands) had to face the nearly impregnable ironclad CSS Tennessee. The Tennessee put up a deadly fight against the wooden Federal ships. Her armor caused the cannon balls of her adversaries to literally bounce off. And any ship that rammed the Tennessee ended up doing more damage to itself. It was only when the ironclad's smokestack and rudder were shot away (and a number of her guns knocked out) that her crew finally struck her colors and surrendered. The garrison of Fort Morgan surrendered not long after. Despite the carnage, the battle had lasted just over three hours.

Early in the engagement John Lawson, was severely wounded by shell fragments and splinters. Despite his severe wounds, he remained at his post and continued to deliver ammunition to the rest of Hartford's guns (he even fired some them by himself). He did this even after all the other men at some of the guns had been killed or incapacitated by severe wounds. Despite being urged to seek medical treatment, Lawson remained in the fight for the entire battle until the Tennessee had surrendered. He was recommended for the Medal of Honor by Admiral Farragut himself. Congress officially awarded the medal to Lawson on December 31, 1864. He was one of only 18 African-American soldiers and sailors to receive the award for valor in the Civil War (also one of the very first). After the war, Lawson received an honorable discharge and returned to Philadelphia where he lived a quiet life as a huckster until his death on May 3, 1919. He was 81 years old.

John Lawson's heroism at Mobile Bay was extraordinary. He is a great example of the dedication and courage of those who serve in our military and put their lives on the line for our country. He is a man who should definitely held in high regard.


https://www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=John%20Lawson%20(Medal%20of%20Honor)

http://www.dvrbs.com/CW/CamdenCountyHeroes-JohnLawson.htm

Hero of the Week 8

Welcome back viewers!

This week's hero is....

Joseph Zito

Giuseppe Alessandro "Joseph" Zito was born on September 1, 1883 in Serra Campania, Italy. He immigrated to the United States in the early 20th Century and found work as an elevator operator who worked in the Asch Building (now called the Brown Building) in Manhattan, New York City. The Asch Building was a ten story building that was location of a number of garment making factories. It was constructed in 1901 and was known throughout the state of New York for having "fireproof" rooms. Most of the workers in the building were female immigrants. Zito's job was to operate one of the building's two elevators to transport workers to and from their working floors at the beginning and end of work hours.

The most notable garment making business in the Asch Building was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory (located on the top three floors). Although the factory's business income was great, its safety conditions were deplorable. The doors to the staircases were locked during the day (to prevent theft), the fire escape ladder was old and rusty, the staircase itself was only 13 inches wide, and all doors opened in instead of out. In other words, it was a disaster waiting to happen.

March 25, 1911 was a day that started out like any other. The workers of the Triangle factory (Zito among them) reported to their work stations without any incidents. That is, until 4:30 PM when a fire ignited on the 8th floor. In just a few minutes it had spread to the 9th floor and eventually the 10th floor (most of the workers there would escape to the roof). The workers attempted to escape but found themselves trapped behind the locked doors. Some tried to escape down the fire escape, but it collapsed under their weight. It became clear that the only way to escape would be to use the building's two elevators.

Although elevators were not supposed to be used when there was a fire, the trapped workers had little choice. Joseph Zito heard their cries for help and brought his elevator up to the burning 8th and 9th floors. Along with Gaspar Mortillalo (the second elevator operator), Zito repeatedly risked his life to save as many people as possible. The 6-by-9-foot elevators were only built to carry 10 people at a time, however Zito recalled that on one trip he counted at least 40 people who crammed into the elevator. Unfortunately the workers were so panicked that many jumped into the shaft and land on the elevator as it was descending (Zito would be forever haunted by this). This caused the cables Zito's elevator to snap after his fourth trip down (Gaspar's elevator lost power due to the fire). Once this happened, escape became impossible and more than 100 people were left behind on the burning 8th and 9th floors. With no options left, most of them jumped to their deaths. All in all, the fire claimed the lives of 146 people (23 men and 123 women). The youngest victim was only 14 years old.

During his trips to the lobby, Zito saved 150 people from dying. For a short time he was heralded in press as a hero. Sadly, Joseph Zito died in poverty on October 25, 1932. Like many other heroes, he never sought recognition for what he did. It was not until many years later, that he finally received major recognition for his heroism that day. Joseph Zito was a brave man who did the best he could to save as many people as he could. He is definitely someone who should be held in high regard by people around the world.

https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/triangle-fire-the-building-survives/?mcubz=0

https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/21/triangle-fire-a-half-hour-of-horror/?mcubz=0

http://www.wnyc.org/story/119910-family-keeps-memory-triangle-fire-elevator-operator-alive/

http://consumergrouch.com/?p=5890

Hero of the Week 7

Welcome back viewers!

This week's hero is...

Hiram Bingham IV

Hiram Bingham IV was born on July 17, 1903 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In the year 1940, he was an American diplomat who served as a Vice Consul in Marseilles, France during World War II. His job there, was to issue traveling visas to those who wished to travel to the United States. On May 10, 1940, the forces of Nazi Germany invaded and conquered France. When a German controlled government (Vichy France) was set up in France, it began to actively target the country's Jewish population (beginning with foreign Jews). For the next year, thousands of Jews were rounded up and placed in internment camps throughout France and many would later be deported to concentration camps. This caused many Jewish people to seek visas from the US consulate located in Marseilles.

Despite the pleas of the refugees, most American diplomats were unwilling to issue visas. This was largely due to an anti-immigration policy from the US government which was hoping to maintain good relations with the new Vichy government. Hiram Bingham was one of the few who felt sympathetic to the plight of the Jews. In direct defiance to America's immigration policy, he issued visas to the refugees. For the next ten months, Bingham (with help from the journalist Varian Fry) issued 2,500 visas to refugees, enabling them to emigrate to the United States. Some of those he helped to emigrate included famous people like the novelist Lion Feuchtwanger, the artist Marc Chagall, and the activist Hannah Arendt.

However, when the American government learned of Bingham's actions, he was pulled from his position as Vice Consul and transferred to Portugal and later Argentina for the remainder of World War II. He eventually resigned from the US Foreign Service in 1945, after being passed over for promotion (likely due to his defiance of American foreign policy). For the rest of his life, Bingham lived off an inherited sum and hardly spoke of his wartime activities (even to his own family). He died January 12, 1988 at the age of 84. It was not until after Bingham's death that his widow (Rose Morrison Bingham) and of his sons (William Bingham) discovered a number of old documents that revealed details about the people Hiram Bingham had helped rescue. These documents were later donated to the United States Holocaust museum which contacted many of former refugees (or their decedents). After this, Hiram Bingham finally received recognition for his actions in Marseilles.

Hiram Bingham was an exemplary human being who defied his own government to do the right thing. He was directly responsible for saving more than 2,000 people from being murdered in the Holocaust. He did so much and received so little in return. His heroism should serve to educate and inspire those who wish to learn from the tragedy that was the Holocaust and prevent similar horrors from ever happening again.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hero-quietly-did-the-right-thing/

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/saving-the-jews-of-nazi-france-52554953/

http://archives.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/2006_05/where.html

https://www.facinghistory.org/rescuers/hiram-bingham-iv