The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-12-04
MAN DROWNED
IN THE CANAL
James a. Harrington, Pump Ensi
ner on, the Dam Works Falls Into
the Water OFF the Government
Lock Wall.
THREE FEET OF WATER
Home Wa. In. MoberIy Mo-, Where
the Body Was Taken to His Wild
owed Mother by His
Only Brother.

James A. Harrington, of Moberly,
Mo-, was drowned in three feet Of
water in the canal just above the up
per gates Of the lock, Saturday even
ing, while going across on top of the
lock gates as short cut to his work
on the dam. The coroner's verdict
was accidental death in this manner
Harrington has been employed
here for several years. The evidence
at the inquest conducted by Coroner
Korschgen this morning brought out
the actions of the unfortunate man up
to the time he started to work, al
though nobody saw him fall into the
water.
The evidence of various witnesses
made connected story as follows:
Harrington was not accustomed to
drinking to excess for the last several
years, but the afternoon of the day
of his death he drank enough to cause
him to stagger; he drank half glass
of beer III saloon and hurried to
his work, being little late; one of
his friends who does the same kind of
work as another pump engineer en-
countered him and strongly advised
| him not to drink, as their work is
| dangerous at best for a sober man
Harrington went across on top the
government lock gates.
Nobody Saw Him Fall.
Opinions of inquest witnesses diff
fer little as to the exact details OF
his fall, all of it being reasoned out
after. His friend, S. H. Simms, OF
Hamilton, thinks he slipped on lit
tie glare of ice on the lock wall; r
liz. Merchant, carpenter foreman
who was in charge of the search for
the body, thinks the man stumbled on
the wall; officer Weber, of the city
police with his post nearby, thinks
Harrington left the plank commonly
used there and went on the lock wal
and stumbled off into the water.
! There was a high wind blowing al
the time which blew the mans hal
across the canal, and either the force
of the wind, or efforts to catch the
! blowing hat, may have had something
to do with the actual falling into the
canal.
Harrington, his brother testified
was subject to cramps from childhood
and this probably was the reason he
drowned when by simply standing
Z erect he would have been safe; there
were plenty of rods by which he coule
have pulled himself out normally
There was not the least sign of wount
on his head to cause Inconsistencies
Body Taken to Moberiy ,oday.
Harrington has mother, one broth
er and one sister in Moberly. He wa!
a member of the Knights of Colum
bus in his home city and carried 81,
1000 life insurance in that order
His brother, George A. Harrington
was notified by Sheriff Crimmins Sun
day morning and came here at once
accompanied by his brother-in-law
Warren Condiff, and by Frank Over
: berg, of the Moberly council of tn
Knights of Columbus. They left a
Z 1880 o'clock this afternoon fo
Moberly where the body will be buried
All the witnesses testified tina
Harrington was fine man with man
friends and no enemies.
1t was not until Sunday mornin
that the fact of the drowning wa
known Then men saw Harrington
dinner bucket, nat and gloves in tn
canal. At once search for the bod
was started and it was easily foun
soon after
The coroner's jury was composed c
, F. w. Stanton. James vermazen an
John B. Jacobs.