Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-12-03
|fREWSOME FIGURES.
TATlSTICS OF DEATH BY DROWNING
IN OTTER CREEK.

ur Antiquarian Looks Up the Matter
with startling Results-The Creek IA
Full Pledged River in This Regard
Facts and Figures in the Case.
Far from us be it to cast any reflection
pon the beautiful stream which an un-
ind providence has permitted to come
own to us with the uncouth title
f "creek Creek; but truth and
/ he records of history and of our anti
uarian, Henry l.. Sheldon, compel us to
Idmit that humble though it be in name
Is achievements in the destruction of
human life are by no means to be classed
: insignificant. Mr.. Sheldon has in
estigated this record and gives us the
. ollowing facts. 1t is said by physicians
bat no person was ever known TO be
esuscitated after having become insen-
| ible in these waters. 1t is just one
hundred years since the first person was
drowned in the village of which we find
.ny record and the number in town to
: ate as given below is 35. 1897, Samuel
Painter, Epaphras Southworth; 1901,
Thomas Hall; 1907, Joseph Bula, Mrs.
.vdia Bidwell; 1905, Horatio Marsh ;
Sl4, Samuel Holland, Gustavus Haines ;
SIG, Mrs. Lucy Carrier, Ebenezer Collar,
Mrs. Olive Davis; 1881, Francis Vallett ;
+ S34, Edward Wilcox; 1871, Edward
n ilkison 1913, Alvah English, George
. ". English; 1915, Edward II. Bowen ;
SCI, Frank Hawley; 1870, Willie Whit
. hey; 1871, Thomas Buckley; 1876 Willie
,Jlark; 1882, William Bronson; 1883,
George Donahue; 1854, Franklin Lane
+ SSS, Mary Knowles; 1892, Mrs. VIM
net, Miss Wimmet; 1898, George Ma
bore; 1865, Bert Forest.
While on the subject of drownings, it
S of interest to recall that in 1856 Mrs.
Mary Baxter was drowned in water
barrel, and Lena Russell in a cistern in
800. George Eager and Fred johnson
If the village were drowned In New
Iaven river in 1863, and Joseph a.
.'ritchard and Cornelius Wainwright in
AXE Champlain.
There have been two remarkable es-
Fapes from drowning. Patrick Carney
ell into the raceway under Union black
md was carried under the ice to the head
Pf the flume below. A boy, while slid
4 ng near the Phelps place, went down
he bank and under the ice. Charles
.3ruya saw him and ran about forty rods
below, where there was hole in the ice,
when the boy came in sight and was
rescued alive. More than half of the
deaths noted above were of young per.
ons bathing or playing near the water
The drowning of Samuel Painter and
his friend from Rutland, near the n.
Parker place, was severe shock to the
Judge, who with his wife was visiting
Fol. Chapman at the Seeley place, Samuel
Holland was newly enlisted soldier and
fuicided by jumping from second
Etory window into the creek and went
bver the falls. Edward, son of Anon
Wilcox, with two others were in boat
below the dam at Tupper's mill, trying
o see how near they could approach the
Falling water in safety. Alvah English
hnd his son, at the first angle in the
'creek above, we're on a raft in higf
water trying to save floating fence rails
Their raft was unsafe and both were
Drowned.
Four persons only appear to have los
their lives from fire in this village. A
young son of David Page, who formerly
ran the cotton factory, in 1920, and re
GENTLY Mrs. Oliver KenwOrthy, Dennis
King and E. Vallette.