The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1909-07-27
Battle for Life Amidst
Su,irling Eddies of
Yellowstone
ONE BODY FOUND
Alderman John Staffek and Party
Thrown into River by Capsized Boat
n and Four Are DrOMned.-HerOic
Rescue of Two Young GirIs.-Little
Hope for Recovering Bodies.
~ Asst into the eddying waters
of the Yellowstone while

of the Yellowstone while
riding in small boat near
the Newman piccnic grounds Sun
day afternoon, John G. Staffek,
alderman from the Third ward,
his adpoted daughter, Clara Stat
fek, Theresa West and Minnie
Wagner, lost their lives by drown
ing. Through the heroic efforts
of Joe Butler, an employe of the
sugar company, and also an occu-
pant of the boat at the time of the
catastrophe, and Edward New
man, at whose place the accident
occurred, Lizzie Blend and her
sister, Bertha Blend and Irena
Lafeldt, the 6-year-old daughter
of Mr.. and Mrs. Ludwig Lafeldt,
were saved from the same fate
that overlook their companions in
the fatal ride. AS yet but one
body, that of Theresa West, has
been recovered.
The incidents attendant upon the
accident are best told in the words
of Mr.. Butler, who was in the boat
at the time it was overturned and
was was an eye witness to the dis
tressing affair. Mr. Butler said:
"Mr. Staffek had previously to the
accident taken several parties out on
the river. He did not venture into
the current but was rowing near the
shore and for a distance of about 100
yards from the picnic party. AS soon
as the boat was out from the shore
a short distance the people would
have their pictures taken.
"It must have been on the third or
fourth one of these trips that the ac-
cident occurred. Mr.. Staffek, his
daughter, the little Lafeldt girl and
Misses West and Wagner were in the
boat and Mr.. Staffek was preparing to
put out into the stream when he
asked the Blend girls and myself to
get in. We did, and Mr.. Staffek rowed
about 100 yards down stream. The
boat was too heavily laden, and the
water was within three or four inches
of the gunwale. The photographer
took a picture Of the crowd and Mr..
Staffek started to return to the picinc
grounds where photograph of all the
picnickers was to be taken, when his
little girl asked for drink of water.
eyes, I'll get you drink said
Mr.. Staffek, and he pulled little out
into the main stream OF the river.
Even then we were not far from the
shore and the main channel must have
been 200 feet further out, but I could
feel the cooler current as I let my
hand into the water.
zone of the members of the party
filled pail full of the water and we
started for the shore, or rather start
ed to get nearer to the shore, but the
current seemed tc<be too strong and
the boat was swept little down
stream before we could reach still va
ter. Mr.. Staffek tried second and
third time to make headway against
he current, but was unsuccessful. See
ing a, wire in the stream he told one
of the ladies in the boat to catch hold
of it, but the order was evidently mis-
understood, for a lady in the stern
grasped the wire when Mr.. Staffek
had intended that a lady in the prov
show take it. This spun the boat
around and got little water in, but
no one was frightened.
"Mr. Staffek then tried to stop the
lboat from turning clean around by
fhrusting his oar to the bottom, and
at this point the current took the boat
on the side, capsizing it. I am posi-
tive that no one jumped, In fact there
was no time to jump, for we were all
thrown violently out. I was thrown
at least six feet, and when l came up
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