Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-07-21
SANK OUT OF SIGHT
Little Ernest Walker Taken Win
 a Fil and Was DroHEed

Hopeville was the scene of very sad drowning accident yesterday af- ternoon when Ernest Walker, the 13- year-old son of MT and Mrs Richard Walker of 1884 Baldwin street, lost his life in the mill pond in the rear of the Smith & Griggs Manufacturing Co. The boys were swimming and just as young Walker dove from a plank he was seized with an epileptic fit, disease to which, he is subject, and sank in sight of his companions, Walter Gabriel, Joseph Paszukines, George King, Thomas Conway and others. Gabriel and PasZukines ran to secure help while King dove after the body but couldn't find it, the cur rent having carried it down to the wire screen that keeps back the debris back from the sluiceway where the water enters the shop. The boys suspected this and immediately made a search at that point and after very little effort Conway caught the body with rake and pulled it to the bank. Dr Hungerford and Dr Dwyer were called and were on the ground in the ground in short order, but their services were of no avail, the boy be- ing dead when he was taken out of the ditch.
 Acting Medical Examiner Graves viewed the body after which it was removed to the family residence. The
 boys mother is sick and when she learned what had happened, the shock unnerved her so that it was feared she would not revive. Mrs
 Walker had dread of the water and frequently cautioned her children, Ernest especially, to keep away from it. She knew his ailment and felt that in case he should take a fit
 while swimming he surely would be drowned. Her worst forebodings came true and the scene about the house was heart rending. Besides his parents, his father being a mason, he
 leaves two brothers and one sister, Frank, Burton and Myrtle. Before moving to Baldwin street the family resided on lower Sylvan avenue. Mrs Walker is an industrious woman and despite her poor health has worked hard to keep the family together. Err nest was not wayward child, and although afflicted still he was an am bilious little fellow and was a great help to his mother, willing at all times to attend to such chores as he could do about the house and in run ming on errands.
 What can be done to save our children from the death traps in all parts of the town in the shape of deep bodies of water? We hear great deal from time to time about grade crossings and so forth, but the number of accidents at such places is small compared with lives lost in the different ponds and yet you never head even a suggestion re- garding ihe application of some sort of remedy. People will say and trrthfully. too, that youngsters are tresspassers in such places, but even so, isn't 1t fact that committees and private individuals are obliged to do something to guard against accidents, even though the victims, may. if you want to put it that way, are largely to blame themselves. What is it that prompts the city to put a railing in front of steep em- bankment? There Is no need of anybody falling down such places, but the fact that they do is all the evidence one vans to demonstrate ! the necessity of taking steps to save both young and old from themselves. 1 All large bodies of water contiguous to thickly settled districts should ' be fenced in, if not at the expense of ! the owners out of the public fund | This thing of saying people have no business there doesn't meet the ques tion at all and 1t does seem that We have had enough warning al- ready, too many, to warrant legisla- ton which would enable municipal authorities to throw better safe- guards than we have around the youth of the community.