Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-07-30
: JIM WILLIAMS
DOES GREAT WORK
Travels 100 Miles and Dives
5000 Times for Body OF
Drowned Boy.
A VISIT TO JORDAN RIVER.
Remains of McKittrick Child Expect
cd TO Come to the Surface To-
morrow or Thursday.

There is one man on the Salt Lake
police force who is entitled not only
to great deal of credit but to n hero
medal. This man is Jim" Williams.
With motives absolutely unselhsh.
this officer has worked from daylight
to dark, and often long after the rays
of Old Sol have disappeared behind
Great Salt Lake. since last Tuesday,
searching in the Jordan river for the
body of little William McKittrick.
Scores of expert swimmers, and divers.
have been In the river looking for tho
little chap, but all were forced to give
UP the struggle because II was too
much for them. All, with the excep-
ton of willioms and Griffiths, and the
half-crazed parents. But through IL
all Jim williams has worked unceas-
ingly and without a thought of reward
beyond the satisfaction OF finding the
body and returning It to the grief
stricken parents.
SYSTEMATIC WORK.
Four officers with Williams, were
detailed to find the body. They work.
ed Systematically for u couple OF days
and all the officers except Williams
and Griffiths were forced TO abandon
the task. While Griffiths kept watch
Williams worked on and on, never CIV
ing UP hope, and he will continue to
work until no chance is left of recov-
ering the body.
Between 5 a s o'clock yesterday af-
ternoon. Capt. Burbidge and News"
representative followed the course of
the river from the point where the
brave little boy lost his life to the
Ninth North bridge. At the former
point father, with blood-shot eyes,
|. eagerly watched the water. while from
the latter point officer Williams work
ed upstream, diving, diving, diving.
BOY WAS GAME"
The father said. My boy lost his life
becalsse he was game. lie saw bis
brother fall into the water and. quickly
turning to another boy and throwing
him his hat. said he would save his
brother With that he plunged Into the
sstrearn and lost his lifc'
The poor mother was, In the mean
time running up and down the bank
eagerly looking for some trace of the
body of her baby. Every piece OF
drift wood or other substance that was
visible in the water caused her to
cry out: rs that the body?" Oi.oer
Williams was always ready to investi-
gate. even at the risk OF his life
Yesterday afternoon Williams
thought he had located the body Aft
err crossing the dangerous stream he
found that II was only an unfortunate
dog that had got into the swift stream
and persisted.
WHAT HE HAS DONE.
officer williams stated to Capt. Bur
bidge and the News" that he had
Travelled at least 100 miles and had
dived more than 5000 times in search
of the body. Williams knows the river
from one end to the other and has re-
covered many bodies from its depths.
lie expects the corpse to come to the
seurface tomorrow or Thursday and
will keep sharp lookout for 1t. With
Grifiiths and two boats the river will
be searched from the mouth TO where
the child was drowned, but unless II is
necessary. and according to orders
from the captain. Williams will keep
out of the water. His hands and feet
are cut and bruised from contact with
wire, glass and rocks, and his skin is
blistered from the rays of the hot sun.
Williams said however. that he would
keep on working as long as there is
any hope of finding the body. He has
lost pounds since he began diving
for the remains and is willing to re-
main on the river until all hope is
abandoned.