The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-24
EDWARDS, diver,
PASSES s. AWAY
-. - "
Noted Rivcrlnaib Rcscurer OF
Many Living, and Dead, Dies
OF Consumption.
''s-f' --- 49,
HAS HAD WONDERFUL CAREER
The Story OF His Life, as TOLD
Some Months Ago to,a
Reporter.

Joe Edwards. the well known diver, and
Tor many years Il frequenter OF the river
front. died last night ut the City Hospital
OF tuberculosis, from which he has suf-
feted for several months
The funeral will take place at the chapel
OF the City Home this afternoon n, 3
o'clock
Edwards had been for years n familiar
figure along the river front having been
employed by the a. -. Landcrkin Com
pany for twenty-five years He has
neen noted for his skill "A waterman.
ana mas saved many persons from drown
ing. He was always sent for In drown
Ing accidents, and has been unusually
successful in recovering n number OF
bodies of persons who have been acct
dentally drowned.
superintendent Davis OF the City Home.
VIII be glad to have any persons who.
knew Edwards. or who have been served
by hin, in connection with his river expc-
riences, attend the funeral Mr.. A. u.
l-anderkin has notified Mr.. Davis that liz
VIII be responsible for the costs con-
nected with the funeral
Edwards. after spending his whole life
along the water front, contracted CON
sumption last fall, and was taken to the
CITY Home, whore he has received every.
attention.
Ills story OF HIS Lie.
The story OF his own strange not to say
wonderful. life AZ told By Edwards him
SELF as 1t was detailed to u Times Dis
patch reporter about Elk months ago
II was born at Farmvillc, Va. and
came TO Richmond when / was twelve
years old. Ny people all live in Prince
Edward county. but brother later
moved to Chesterfield county. ! knocked
around the docks when | was young and
naturally learned TO swim. The first per
son ever saved from drowning was
thirteen-ycar-old hoy. don't know his
name. never did take the names OF
the people saved or the bodies brought
up from the dock and river.
1T was soon after the war. when l
came here. and when Jeter Phillips was
arrested for killing his wife / was down
hero az witness Ny sister, Jennie
Edwards, was thought to have been the
woman that he killed. You know they
found the body OF woman and IL WI,
some time before they knew that Phillips
was married My sister came down and
testified in the case. They siid that she
had been killed. and when she showed up
Mrs Pitts discovered that it was her
daughter that had been murdered.
II have saved two women from drown
ing. and recovered the body OF one lady
after she had drowned. They were al
In the dock here. / remember that one
of the ladies' 1 saved was named Miss
Murphy. She came through the locks
and had gone down twice, when / got
noid OF her and pushed her to the shore"
How He Saves Them.
How do YOU keep a drowning person
from catching hold Of your
Why, you get behind them and push
them along. They won't drown while
you are pushing them, and 1t is the
only safe way. II you get in front OF
them they will tanglc you up and you
may get drowned. too.
I'm diving for bodies that have drowned
I always go down and feel around with
my hands for about n minute. Then
come up and go down IN another place.
II a woman browns she will be found
on the bottom. face upwards. 1t Is diff
ferent with a man He will sink TO the
bottom with his face downward
But why is this difference" asked
the reporter.
ITS just so; that's ALL All women
who drown lie on their backs; all men
lie on their face
Mr.. NJ. F. Craven. who has been with
Mr. I.anderkin for about seventeen years.
and who knows Edwards we'll, some years
ago lost his watch in the dock near
Seventeenth Street. The timepece was
in the water for seven days, when Ed
yards was told about it and after two
dives nc brought it to the top.
His Small Rewards.
Once he found set OF false teeth
lost by a captain of tugboat in the
river. The teeth We're worth $50. and
the captain gave me $40 for recovering
thcm,' whispered Edwards.
THE most ] ever got for saving any
body was s16.' said the old man. "A
little girl was drowned In the dock, and
l got her body after about an hours
work. Her father gave me SIS. The
men and boys that have saved from
drowning never gave me anything.
"rhe last person that ] haved from
drowning was a man named Gathright--
a great big man. He was n carpenter.
This was last winter. ] saved man
named Mitchell from drowning In the
dock summer before last, and broke the
ice once to get sailor out OF the river
just below the city"
One Charter Granted.