The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1908-06-25
LOSES LIFE IN RIVER
Albert East of Freer Gets Beyond His
Depth While Bathing in Rum
River and Is Drowned.
Dynamite and Drags Are Used in an
Attempt to Recover the Body
But Without Avail.


On Sunday evening at 1880 O'Clock
Albert East, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Frank East of Freer, was drowned in
the Rum river while bathing with a
companion named Frank Erickson.
The young man was between l6 and II
years of age and worked for Berg
man Bros.
Albert East boarded at Arson
Towards and several times upon the
day OF his death he expressed desire
to 60 bathing. In the evening he
met Will Mirick and asked him to &C.
company him to the river but Will did
not comply with his request. He then
proceeded to the Princeton hotel and
induced Frank Erickson, who also
works for Bergman Bros, to go with
him. Frank was not, however, very
| anxious to accommodate Albert, as
he knew nothing about the river.
The two young men started for the
river and short distance below I'm
behocker's ice house asked some
small boys to direct them to a good
bathing, place. The boys pointed out
the swimming hole where the young
sters usually disport and informed
them that there was large sandbar
| there.
Following the direction indicated
by the boys the young men reached
| the swimming place, Invested them
selves of their clothing and went onto
| the sandbar, which was covered with
| about three feet of water. They knew
nothing of deep hole which existed
at the extremity of this sandbar, and
only one of them, Frank Erickson,
could swim. Erickson eventually left
the water and was under the impress
sion that he was being followed by
East, but upon gaining the bank he
looked around and discovered that
his companion, who was wading on
| the sandbar when he left the water.
had disappeared.
Erickson Immediately returned to
the sandbar, and though ne could
swim but poorly, plunged into the
water in search of East. He then saw
his companion rise in midstream and
was almost near enough to reach him,
but although he put forth every effort
to grasp him by the hair be was un-
successful. AS East did not rise to
the surface again this was probably
the third time he had come up. At the
point indicated the current was swift
and Erickson had all he could do to
reach shore.
| The young man, who was almost
distracted over the drowning of his
companion, ran for help and several
men were soon on the scene. including
Will Mirick and two of Gollmars'
circus men, who pulled off their
clothes and dived to the bottom of the
river. They were, however, unable to
secure the body. The search was con-
tinued until nightfall without success.
Before leaving the river a net was
stretched across some distance below
where the boy disappeared. The
water was about IA feet deep where the
accident occurred.
Throughout Monday a number of
men dragged the river and heavy
charges of dynamite were exploded
beneath the surface of the water in the
hope of recovering the body, but to no
avail, while the young mans father,
Frank East of Freer, stood on the
bank and watched the operations.
Notwithstanding diligent search for
the body of Albert East is still in prog
ress, the efforts of those who are
dragging the river have, up to the
time of going to press, proved unsuc-
cessful.