The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1913-06-20

One OF the SaddeSt cases OF
death by drowning occurred ir
Flathead river west of Roman or
Tuesday morning, June II. The
affair is still more appalling by
the fact that three people lost
their lives, Mrs. Frank Scearce
and baby about Ia months old,
and Henry a brother of Mrs.
Scarce.
The accident which resulted ir
their drowning came through
their attempting to cross the
river to go to Dixon to attend
the celebration and barbecue
held there on that date. The
water in the river had been un.
usually high for some time past
and this fact kept them close al
home for so long that they were
lonesome and this celebration
seemed an opportunity to secure
a relaxation from the monotony
of staying at home so closely, SC
early that morning they pre-.
pared to cross the river and ac-
company Mrs. Jas. Pritchard to
Dixon. Their means of crossing
the river was a boat about Is
fent in length and with Frank
at the oars, Mrs. Scarce and the
baby in the rear end and the
young boy in the space between
them, they entered the river.
Frank says he remarked to his
wife for her to keep a lookout
for any floating logs so that he
might avoid them in crossing,
and that while about in the mid
die of the stream, without any,
body seeing it, the boat struck a
small log not over ten feet long,
but before he could clear the
boat of the log the current had
carried them so far down the
stream as to prevent the boat
being beached at the point he in
tended, which was in still water
on the opposite bank, but that
he was forced to effect a landing
a considerable distance below.
In an effort to do so the boat was
forced between two trees or
stumps and almost Immediately
the boat was overturned and all
thrown in the raging current Of
the stream. Frank says that as
the boat began to tip, Mrs.
Scarce half arose from her seat
and he started to assist her and
their fingers merely tipped each
other, and that was the last he
saw of wife or baby. He says
that it seemed an endless time
before he arose to the surface
after being thrown into the water
but upon coming to the surface
was close enough to a limb of a
tree so grabbed hold and man.
aged to climb into this tree,
which was still something like
20 feet from the bank. He
thinks he saw his wife's brother
struggling in the water while he
was in the tree, and thought he
had hold Of a branch, but it was
not for long as he never saw him
again. Frank jumped into the
water again toward the river
bank and upon coming to the
surface the second time man.
aged to catch another limb and
got ashore. He is unable to swim
and the great wonder is he was
not drowned also. He started
at once to search for the missing
ones. He patrolled the bank for
sometime and being all alone,
with a grief unbearable, and not
being able to find a trace of
either Of them, he started in
search of help. Wading the
overflow to his waist, he reached
the opposite bank and hurried to
E. w. Reinhart's and there tele-
phoned his brother Stanley at
Roman, who Immediately started
in his auto for the scene Of the
accident with DR.. Putney. F. ].
White, A. M. Thornburgh and a
representative of the Pioneer
followed as soon as possible after
wards and both autos arrived at
the same time. Frank was found
at the Indian ferry about seven
or eight miles below where the