The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1898-02-11
FOUR LIVES LOST.
A Boat Containing Five Men Goes Over
the Falls at Oregon City.


Oregon City, Feb. 1O.-At a few
minutes past O'Clock this morning,
crossing the river in boat short dis
tance above Oregon City, and while
trying to find their bearings, the
mighty current seized the craft and
hurled it to destruction.
Five men started on the maddening
ride to what seemed inevitable death,
bu: one miraculously escaped. He
was almost insensible from the shock
and could not have held out a minute
longer when he was picked up by the res
cuers, who got out in time to see the
boat go over the falls.
Three of the victims of the accident
were members of the same family. All
were employees of the Crown paper
mills, at Oregon City. They were resi-
dents of Canemah, and were ON their
way to work. The lost are:
George freeman, so years old, of
Canemah; married.
George and James Freeman, his sons,
26 and 16 years old respectively.
L. J. Shannon, SO years old, of Can
emah; married, and leaves a wife and
four children.
For years George Freeman and his
sons have worked at the paper mills on
the west side of the river. The trip to
and from their daily labor has been
made from the village of Canemah over
on the east side.
The Willamette has been rising very
rapidly since Sunday, and it is sup
posed the current carried the boat
farther than they suspected before the
discovery was made that something was
wrong.
In the dense fog it was not possible
to locate familiar signs, and in that gray
mist the men had no warning by the
ominous, sullen roar of the falls as
they drew nearer and nearer the most
dangerous point.
The boat gave wild lurch as the
main torrent struck it. In the same
instant all five of the men discovered
that they were far below the usual
point of crossing and tn at the powerful
current was carrying them down at
velocity that increased every second.
Additional hands were put to the oars
and an attempt was made to pull out
of the swirling, rushing stream.
But it was too late. 1t was but a
half moment later that the launch
plunged into the churning waves of
the upper falls. The boat was caught
and whirled around. One oar was torn
from the rower's hands, and then the
craft shot ahead, straight through the
middle current to the yawning gulf be-
low.
In wild despair each man clung to
the plunging craft in the rapids, which
swept it along at eXpress-train speed.
The occupants of the boat began to
shout an alarm. Their cries reached
the ears of some of the employees at the
power station of the Portland General
Electric works. Rushing out on the
trestle walk, which runs into the
shore, they could just discern the out
lines of the boat containing several
men.
A general alarm was then given. A
boat was put out from the electric
works, but it was some time before the
rescuers could see anything of the ILL
fated party.
Muffled cries caused them to row
toward the bank. There they saw an
upturned boat slowly drifting about.
Harry Freeman had just scram bled on
to the bank, and lay there completely
exhausted.
Later he revived and stated that he
had left a man clinging underneath
and that he had shouted once or twice
for help. In his exhausted condition,
he said, it was impossible for him to
tell whether it was one OF his brothers
or Shannon. From the survivors,
statements, it is evident that three of
the party were flung out in the dash
over the falls. The other two got
through, but the man caught under the
boat could not hold out longer, and
sank to his death in the eddying waters,
where he could easily have swan
ashore had he been released.