1927 when the Coastside was wild & wooly

From a newspaper article, dated 1927

Girl Wrapped in Seaweed Saved Two Miles From Peninsula Shore

Rescuers, Following Fisherman’s Alarm, Find Unconscious Maid in Kelp Tangle

“An unidentified girl was saved from drowning yesterday after she had been washed two miles out to sea off Pillar Point. She could not swim, and was lying unconscious in a bundle of kelp when rescued by a party sent out in boats, by John Patroni, proprietor of the Princeton House at Princeton.

“Two men companions of the girl also narrowly escaped drowning. Patroni said that about 11 o’clock yesterday morning a man dashed into the hotel and with great effort explained:

“‘I was fishing with a friend of mine and his girl. We were all washed into the ocean. She was washed out to sea.’

“He fainted before he could say more.

“The boatmen worked out more than two miles without success. Then Giovanni Galpino, in one of the boats, saw what he thought was a hand protruding from a mass of kelp. He rowed to it, and found the girl tightly wrapped in the sea kelp. With the assistance of Thomas Christianson, his companion, Galpino, got he unconscious girl into the boat.

“Meanwhile the Pillar Point party had found the other man lying unconscious on the beach.

“The girl explained that she could not swim but that she knew kelp could float. The bay is full of the seaweed and each time a piece came within reach she would tuck it under her. She did this as long as she retained consciousness. Members of the rescue party said they were forced to cut away nearly fifty feet of the seaweed before they could extricate her.

“The trio remained at the hotel until they were fully recovered and left without giving their names or addresses other than they were from San Jose.”

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