The Oskaloosa herald., 1910-06-23
YOUNG MAN DROWNED
Fred Harrington Meets Death in the
Des Moines While Bathing.

Des Moines While Bathing.
Fred Harrington, aged twenty-five
years, was drowned in Des Moines
river about five O'clock Saturday even
ing. The body was recovered by
workers at daylight this Monday
morning, about a mile and quarter
down the river from the place of
drowning. Harrington went into the
water with number of children who
desired to go in swimming. He was
considered good swimmer and the
unexpected accident can be explained
only by conjecture. The man was
either seized with cramps, rendering
him helpless, or was taken with fiji
of epilepsy, to which he is said TO
have been subject. Harrington was
about twenty-five to thirty feet from
the river bank, exploring the bottom
to make sure 1t was safe for the boys
to wade into. 1t is said that he was
in water no more than waist deep.
The attention of the boys was drawn
by sudden loud scream from Her.
rington, who threw up his hands and
fell back into the water and disap,
peared from view. The children did
not know what to make of the per
Torrance and thought the man might
have been making fun. They looked
and watched up and down for his re-
appearance, believing that he might
be trying to brighten them by diving.
AS Harrington did not come up again
the children became frightened and
hurried back to their camps and gave
the alarm. The children indicated
the place where he had gone down. as
they remembered 1t. Search failed to
reveal any sign of the man and gen.
secured but several hours elapsed be-
fore anything like systemized search
was organized.
Failing to accomplish anything with
the means at hand, the workers tele-
phoned to officer George Andrews,
who has a set of hooks and tackle
The news of the drowning came to
the city about ten o'clock Saturday
evening and it was three o'clock Sun
day morning before the dragging i'm.
plements were called for. Officers
Andrews and Ed Henley went to the
place, which is located about a mile
above the Gately or lower bridge"
The men worked all day without re-
suit. The place where the fellow
went into the water is shallow, deep
ening gradually for a distance of fif-
ty to seventy-five feet, when step.
off is reached and the water becomes
quite deep and strong current pre-
walls. 1t is probable that the body
down the stream. 1t was found fully
a half mile below the bridge. -
When no results followed the use
of the hooks and drag-lines, Officer
Andrews, who is deputy state game
warden, gave consent for the use of
dynamite in the hope of recovering
the body. The river was raising rap
idly and the opinion prevailed that
If the body was not found quickly the
chance of any recovery was remote.
Immense quantities of the explosive
were set off, following the trend of the
current below the place where the
bather disappeared The shooting
was continued as long as daylight
lasted and preparations were made
to continue the work this morning,
when the body was found on the sur.
face of the water.
The hot weather of the past several
days has driven people from their
homes to the woods and the banks
of the Des Moines afforded many ideal
camping spots. The banks of the
stream are lined with campers. A
number of boys, headed by Joshua
Fry, wanted to go in bathing. Her
rington was among the party and he
said that 1t was no place to go in
swimming at the point suggested on
account of the number of women in
the camps along the bank. Herring
ton therefore set out to find place
where the bathers would be screened
from view of the campers by bend
in the river and the foliage along the
bank. s..'r
Young Harrington is well known
about town. He was a stepson OF
Tom Ashby, a mine worker, and re-
sided at the Ashby home about two
miles south of town and west of old
Morrisville. He has been engaged in
several kinds of work, but was known
as good hand at tile LAYING and his
services as such were in demand. He
was relative of Mrs. Ella Crispin,
ZIG avenue west.
When the announcement was made
that the body had been found, the
coroner was notified, but his services
were not required. Undertaken
Cheesman was called almost imme-
diately and went to the place and
took charge of the body.