, 1901-07-25
FRED M. WOLF DROWNED.
Last Thursday Willis in Swimming IN
the River Below the Piers 5f the Old
County Bridge he was C@.ght in the
Eddy and Drowned.

County Bridge he was CS.ght in the
Eddy and Drowned.
One of the saddest and most start
ling accidents which has happened in
this valley for years was the drown
ing of FEED NJ. Wolf, SON of F. g.
Wolf, proprietor or the Hotel Wolf,
last Thursday afternoon, between 4
and 5 O'Clock, while in swimming
with a party of friends.
Those in the party were M. b.
Moore, Fred NJ. Wolf, Harry Warner,
w. H. Howard, Burl Buchanan,
John Reiding and James Blackhall.
The boys had fastened a spring board
on the first pier from the west bank
and were diving off into the hole be-
low. The water is very swift above
the pier and comes down around it
on both sides, and, after flowing 40
or 80 feet, turns back, making a
strong under current to the pier.
The boys had swan through the cur
rent several times and were to go
through it once more, swim down to
the rifle below and come out. Mr..
Howard who went before the rest,
came very near being overcome, but
managed to get out into the swift wa
ter to one side and was carried down
to where he could land. All of the
boys swan down through the swift
water but Fred and Moore, who start
ed down through the back current.
They swan for a few minutes with
out making much Roadway and Moore
turned over on his back, as he was
getting tired, and swan that way for
a short time. Thinking he must be
nearly through the back water he
turned over again and found that
neither he nor Fred had made any
Roadway. He asked Fred how he
was making it and Fred told him that
he was about gone. Moore then call
ed to the boys to come and help them,
as he also was played out. He then
turned around and started to swim
back to the pier with the current, tel
ling Fred to follow him. Warner had
started in to help Fred and had got
ten hold of his wrist. When within
a few feet of the pier and safety,
Fred, who was struggling all the
time, made a lunge and caught War
ner around the neck, pulling them
both back into the hole and down to
the bottom Of the river. He then let
go of Warner, who was nearly dead
from exhaustion, and Warner came to
the surface, while Fred came up about
20 feet below.
Boss and Dow Epperson, who had
been in swimming further up the riv-
er, were coming down, when they
heard the boys call for help. They
threw off their coats and vests and
plunged in to the rescue. Boss
caught Warner, who was just ready
to sink, and hauled him to the bank.
Moore, who was entirely exhausted
and about to go under, was neal the
pier and Boss managed also to pull
him in. Fred, when coming to the
surface, got into the current and per-
haps not being conscious of what he
was doing, was swimming against the
current. Every man on the pier was
SO exhausted that he could scarcely
move, but Moore managed to roll a
chunk of wood, which was lying on
the pier off into the water. Boss Ep-
person caught it and started to
Fred's rescue, who had again sank.
He reached the spot as Fred came up
once more, but was too weak to catch
him and, as Fred came up with his
back to the chunk, he did not see it,
but sank. He came to the surface
several times, the. last time only his
hand showing.
By this time John Barcafer, who is
an excellent swimmer, and a number
of others had come up from town and
made every effort to find the body
before it was too late. The hole be-
low the pier is about IA feet deep and
the u~ndercurrent was SO strong that
it was nearly impossible to dive with
any accuracy, and nearly fifteen min
utes had elapsed before they located
the body, but even then, owing to the
current and muddy condition of the
water, it was impossible to get it un-
til a boat could be gotten to dive
from. Barcafer, Cox and Lewis Eag-
er kept working until exhausted and
were compelled to desist for fear they
would also drown. As soon as the
boat was gotten, which took ten or
fifteen minutes more, Barcafer again
went down, this time being success