The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-03
A STRUGGLE FOR LIFE
Engineer Lehman Drowned in a
Squall on the Sound.
A SURVIVORS, THRILLING TALE.
A sailboat Capsixed and Its Occupants
Have Long Battle for Life, One
OF Them Perishing.

wR Lehman. who had charge OF the Union
Pacific locating party encamped near Dies
Moines. was drownei BY the capsiz ng OF = sail
boat near Pullsy's point Monday morning,
and his assistant. Edward Harrisoa. and +. @.
Lsnpe (. who were with him, had "A narrow
escape from a similar death. They were saved
by Charles Peterson and mis- son-in-iaw, VINO
live at Brace point Mr. Lehman's W fe was
with him at the camp. and his last words wers
request TO his companions to take care OF her.
The story OF the accident 10 best told in the
words OF Mr.. Lampert. WHO wa coming TO the
city 20 keep business appointment with w. t.
Chalk. district engineer of the Union Pacific
railroad, and who related il to a PosT-lNTELLI-
GEScER reporter as follows:
- live ABOUT three miles the other side of
Des Moines. and starred from there in a sail
boat with Mr. Lehman and Mr. Harrison about
9:l5 on Monday morning, intending TO come to
Seattle. The boat ran all right until we had
rounded Pulley's point, about fourteen miles
soutn OF Seattle. A squall then struck us from
behind, heavy seas filled the boat and she
turned bottom upwards The sea was so heavy
that the boat continued TO turn over and over
I'm the water, that we had to keep climbing
around as 1t turned. Harrison got all mis- clothes
of down To his shirt aud trousers, put had my
heavy overcoat buttoned so tightly around me
that could not get it off. az / needed both
hands 10 hold on.
Lehman hung on to the bottom Of the boat
for about an hoar, but the water was so cold
that he became numb and exhausted and had
to give up lie lost mis- hold several times and
was brought back by us. helped him to re-
cover his hold once, but became too exhausted
TO help him again Harrison continued to assist
him.
Il hung onto the bow, where the mast was
standing, held only by the halyards Harrison
shouted to me TO cut the halyaEds in order to let
the mast go, SO that the boat would rise
more easily. He came over the ton
of the upturned boat to hand me u
knife, SO that l could cut the halyards.
Lehman kept gradually slipping Off and Har.
rison brought him back. He had given up all
hope bofore Harrison lett him. As Harrison
started along the boat to give me the knife,
Lehman shook his hand and said:
III never get ashore Take care of my
wife,
he then began slipping Off and Harrison
could not get to him In time. Harrison followed
to him:
For Gods sake hold onP
But before Harrison could get to him after
giving NE the knife he had slipped off and W as
ten or twelve feet away from tn boat. He ives
completely exhausted and his eyes were bulg-
ing out as he went down. He did not utter q
cry.
Harrison and held on for what seem ed
another hour, the boat gradually drifting
ashore When within about 100 feet from shore
lost consciousness l had become thoroughly
exhausted by the weight Of my clothes and
could not get them OIL. for was getting so weak
that had to hold on with both handa Harri-
son is strong man physically and mad taken
on most OF his clothes He held me up by the
coat collar after l lost consciousness
By this time Harrison's cries mad attracted
the attention OF the people on shore and Charles
Peterson and his son-in-law. who went to the
rescue OF the Otter about two years ago, put out
a large rowboat. 1t swamped before it got to us
and they took II in and bailed it out again. Then
they started again and succeeded in getting out
to Us. Harrison shouted To them:
Take this man ashore and then get me-
They could not get me into the boat but
they held me by the collar, as Harrison had
been holding me, aud they towed me ashore.
Ihey LAID me on log and went
back and brought Harrison in Harrison
walked up to the house because ne was strong,
but l was unconscious and they carried me-
They 10 our clothes OFF and put US to bed, and
must have piled all the 1ed clothes in the mousse
ON US They gave us quantities of hot coffee
and put hot water bottles against US, and soon
brous ut me around In two or three hours
wa, ali right
About 4:45 last evening Harrison started to
walk back 10 camp, as he had lost all his
Clothes except his nat, vest, shirt and trousers
started for Seattle Peterson took me to the
mi K ranch in q sSif, and from there walked
TO West seattle. got there too late TO catch
the last train and stayed there till 6 O'Clock
this morning. As soon as l came over noti-
fed Mr.. Chalk, aud he immedi ately started for
the scene IN the tug Vioiet to search Tor Len
man's body.
Il don't feel any worse for my experience ex.
cept that am stiff anu have pains in the head
and chest Harrison is ali right except that one
leg is parked by climbing on the boat. can
FL al a
the square inch while was hanging on that
boat than ever did in nv life
The boat must have capsized about 10:l5, for
Harrisons watch stopped at that time ana mine
at 10:40"
Mr.. Lehman was about IS years old and was
an engineer OF considerable ability. and was
popular with his associates. BE was brought
TO Seattle from Colorado last summer. having
worked for the Union Pacific there, and took
charge OF the locating party between Seattle and
Tacoma, IN succession TO z. G. 1aber, who went
into the service OF the Great Northern. He was
married five years ago at Las Animas, Co and
his vie, OF whom his last thought was, is in
ne camp near Moines. Up TO the time Mr.
Lam pert left Tor seatt she had not heard OF
the sad news OF her husbands late.
Mr.. Chalk returned To the city a O'Clock last
evening IN the tug, with c. q Peterson O. III
Hamilton and John Hail, W 10 had accumpanied
I'm IN his search. The Violet cruised I'D ana
DOWN tue SOUND snoEe Tor hours, but the
drowned mans body was not found. The wafer
was too deep TO render dredging for the remains
feasible, but the men in the tug did everything
else in their power 10 find he body-sesrch ny
as lar down as Pa ley point, which is over two
miles below the place win re the sailboat upset
Evening approaching with no trace of the
body. Mr.. Chalk gave up the search for the oay
but did not nead for Seattle until he had sta.
toned men along the Sound shore, above and
below the place OF the drowning. TO watch for
the body should II come up with tue tide.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE