Amateur Troubles

A delegation of Japanese traveled from the fishing village down to Venice the day after the rescue to show their gratitude to Freeth and the lifesaving crew. In an afternoon ceremony at the Japanese Exposition building on the Venice Pier, H. Sano, the head of the delegation, presented “the hero of the beach” with $50.00 and a gold watch.¹ They also contributed $37.50 to the crew’s “sick fund.” This was a time before the advent of workers’ compensation or personal health insurance, so employees often had to rely on public charity to help them through sickness or injuries. Abbot Kinney