Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-10-02
WILLIAM kApSALIS
DROWNED THURSDAY
IN KENNEBEC RIVER
Slips on Log While Fishing from
Apron of the Dam and Falls
Into the Water
DRAGS HIS COMPANION,
RENE NORM, WITH HIM
Latter Has Narrow Escape from
Death, But Finally Succeeds
in Reaching Place of Safety

The Kennebec river claimed another
victim Thursday when William Kap-
sails, member OF the Greek colony of
the city and employed as a weaver In
the cotton mills Of the Edwards Man
ufacturing Co.. was drowned at about
11.30 in the forenoon by falling into
the river from the apron of the Ken
nebec dam. Rene NORM, who was
with Kapsalis at the time and went
irto the water with him, narrowly es-
capped sharing his fate, but was able
with assistance to regain the place on
the apron from which he had fallen.
From what could be learned regard
ing the tragedy to which it is under
stood there were not many witnesses,
the two men had taken motor boat
which was kept on the river above the
dam and after making their way from
the west shore of the river to a point
near the roll-way at the east end of
| the dam, had left the boat by the
| flashboards of the dam, the water be-
| ing low, and had climbed down over
the face of the dam to the short apron
! just west Of the roll-way and were
engaged in fishing.
! Some of the logs of the apron are
| slippery and in stepping on one of
| these Kapsalis lost his foothold and
| fell into the water, grasping NORM as
he fell so that both men went into the
water together. NORM can swim but
he had a hard struggle to prevent the
drowning man from pulling him under
/ wa fro IN
! hausted condition to reach the place
! from which he had fallen and to keep
his head above water by holding on to
| the edge of the apron.
BY this time the fact that the two
| men had fallen overheard had become
known and Scott Knight, who had
charge of the mill yard of the Cushnoc
Paper Co, succeeded in lowering a
boat down over the roll-way of the
dam and Norm. getting hold ON the
boat was able to crawl back onto the
apron and from there make his way
to place of safety. Kapsalis had by
that time disappeared beneath the sur
face of the water. -
After NORM had crawled out of the
water Mr.. Knight, who had secured a
grapnel, got into the boat at the foot
of the dam and in a very short time Sc
cured the body and carried it ashore
on the east bank of the river The
body had then been in the water for
about Is minutes, and while awaiting
the arrival Of physician and the pull
motor of the Central Maine Power Co..
both of which had been summoned as
soon as the fact that there had been a
drowning became known, every effort
had been made to resuscitate the man.
On the arrival of the pulmotor it was
at once applied but the hood was not
large enough to be fitted successfully
and efforts in that line proved of no
avail. 1t is said that at no time after
the body was taken from the water
were there any signs of life.
Coroner Henry w. Plummer was also
notified of the drowning but as the
case was so plainly one of accidental
drowning he deemed no inquest neces-
sary and the remains We're removed to
his undertaking rooms to be prepared
for burial.
Mr.. Kapsalis was about 35 years of
age and came here a few months ago
from Biddeford although he had previ-
ously been a resident of this city. The
wife and one sister survive.