Plumber rescues $15,000 ring with help from St. Anthony

Published: 2006-04-05

EMMITSBURG, Md. (CNS) -- As a plumber at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg for 24 years, Ron Bledsoe has recovered all kinds of items accidentally dropped down sinks or washed away in the sewer system. On Feb. 20, Bledsoe faced his most challenging rescue mission ever: finding a $15,000 engagement ring that disappeared down a toilet at Cogan Student Union Building. Debbie Squiccimarri, a high school teacher from Ramsey, N.J., was visiting Mount St. Mary's with her daughter, sister and niece when she went to the ladies room. After she blew her nose and tossed the tissue into the toilet, the diamond engagement ring slipped off her finger and vanished when the automatic-flushing system kicked in before she could grab it. "I immediately freaked out," said Squiccimarri. Bledsoe turned off the water and removed the toilet from the wall but failed to find the ring. A few weeks later, he took all the pipes apart, but still couldn't track it down. Acting on a hunch, Bledsoe began checking a particular bend in the underground plumbing system twice a week. On March 20, while removing some rags at the spot, the determined plumber saw the glistening ring resting under an inch of murky water.

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