Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1892-10-06
A Thrilling Adventure of a
Young Tourist i'm the Vel
lowstone Park.
Experience that Turned a Cali
fOrnian's Hair White i'm a
Single Night.
A Ride in a WhirlpOOl--A Real
istic Story from Life--A
Submarine Passage.

49, - NhgNNNN "a NdblHilS NllH
through Yellowstone Park.
The journey to the park was made
by way of the Rio Grande, and it was
during this portion of the trip that
an adventure occurred. One of the
ladies, while looking over a precipice,
dropped her gold watch from a pocket
on her breast, in which she carried it
loosely. The watch dropped into a
clear, deep pool on the edge of the
river, where it could be plainly dis
cerned from above as it lay on the
bottom. One Of the party, an active
man named G. II. crosby, immedI-
ately determined to go down and get
the watch.
The undertaking was not an easy
one, however, for the bluff extended
in an almost unbrOken line along the
portion of the river and il was some
distance before a point was reached
where a descent was at all practical.
There the precipice was lower and
more shelving. The reins were then
removed from the harness of the
horses and by tying them together
and piecing them out with rope, they
were made long enough to aid the
Others In the party in lowering Crosby
to the sandy bank of the river.
There was still much trouble, how
ever, in reaching the pool in which
the watch had fallen. Numerous
steep rocks had to be scaled, and in
some places it was necessary to wade
deep pools of water, where there was
no sandy shore between the steep bluff
and the edge Of the river. Atlast the
gallant rescuer Of the timepiece from
its watery grave reached the spot and
easily secured it by diving down.
The ticker proved to be In much
deeper water than vas supposed, and
the fall through the yielding fluid TO
the sand prevented it from being in
the least damaged. THE watch was
still running when it was lifted drip
ping from the pool.
Mr.. Crosby then had before him the
difficult task of returning to the point
where he had been lowered in order
that he might, with the assistance of
the rein, again reach the path on the
top of the bluff. He feared, however,
to carry the watch back, as ii might
fall out of his pocket in the rough
scrambling that he was compelled to
do over the bowlders. 8ccordinnly a
cord was lowered from above, where
the ladies of the party had remained,
and after tying the end of it to the
timepiece the latter was safely pulled
up to its owner.
1t now remained for MI. Crosby TO
return to the place whence he came
in order TO make a complete success
of the rescue of the watch. lie was
not so Fortunate, kUwefer, In his re-
turning to the shelving rock ass he
had been on n trip AWAY from lit
In lowering himself from one bowlder
10 another, his feet slipped at the
same time that ONE sharp edges of
rock compelled him to loosen mis- bold
with his hasds, and ne fell with a
splash into the river. But Mr.. Crosby
is an expert swimmer, and as he was
not hurt in the fall the mishap would
not have been a serious one If il had
not been for the fact that a swift cur
rent carried him Immediately 10 a
point where there was a whirlpool.
Crosby vas well known to be a re-
markable swimmer and his mishap
did not cause the least alarm among
his companions who beheld it from
the bluff above. In a moment, how
ever, they were Mortified to see him
disappear from sight in a pool that
appeared from above to be almost
still. So clear was the water. how
ever, that they could see the swimmer
seemingly rendered powerless in his
efforts and drawn as If by some force
into the center of the bottom Of the
pool and then out OF sight. 1t was
evident that there was some opening
into which the unfortunate man had
been sucked seemingly to his death.
With as much expedition as posi-.
bic the two remaining men in the
party clamoered to the point on the
river opposite to where Crosby disap-
peaaed. During the hasty scramble
one of them fell, spraining his right
ankle and bruising his right arm con-
siderably. They made their way
along the rivers edge as rapidly as
possible, but they saw nor heard moth
ing of Crosby till they had reached a
point about 100 feet below where he
disappeared. A low moaning at
tracted their attention. 1t came
from a point in the river that was
hidden from them by a bowlder.
Withdificulty the searchers reached
the bowlder after wading several deep
pools of water, and lowering each
other at various points with the rein
that they had fortunately brought
with them. Before they reached the
bowldcr the moaning that they had
heard ceased, and upon looking over
the steep point of a rock they beheld
Crosby almost unconscious, but still
clinging TO the bowlder. They reach
ed him just in time. In another sec
ond his hold would have loosened and
he would have been dashed to death
against a rock by the swift current.
Crosby was now SPECIFICS and al
most helpless, and it was the work of
hours before the party finally reached
the camp above with their unfortu-
nate companion. That night when
he fully recovered Consciousness he
gave an involuntary shudder, the hor-
ror of his situation and narrow es-
cape having produced a terrifying i'm
preston on his mind. When ne told
his story it vas little wondered at by
the hearers that he was so badly
even at the thought of his
narrow escape. Certainly few saen
nave come so near horrible death
without meeting it.
1t seems that after entering the
POOL he was sucked intoa winding
1aSsage through the rocks So sud-
ienly was Crosby rushed into this ter
ible eituation that the fright almost
brew him into insensibility, but his
xcelient swimming instincts led him
o exert himself Just sufficiently to
void striking against the rocks as