Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1916-08-02
DETAILS OF CROW
RIVER DROWNING
Strange Fate Of Three People
at Kingston Picnic, July q,

The Litchfield Independent gives
the following particulars regarding
the drowning at Kingston, Sunday,
July %:
Kingston was the scene of a sad
fatality last Sunday, in which three
people lost their lives by drowning.
The victims are Charles Murphy and
his only child, Kathryn, about seven
years old, of Kingston, and Frank
Nagel, of Litchfield, buttermaker at
the Kingston creamery.
The details of the unfortunate hap
pening are simple. A neighborhood
picnic was being held on the banks
of the Crow river, down stream about
mile from Kingston village. At this
place was frail improvised suspen-
sion bridge for foot traffic. Two
cables made from telephone wires
twisted together supported some
planks suspended beneath to walk on.
About two o'clock in the afternoon
an attempt was made to take picture
OF the bridge with some people on it.
More got on the structure than it
could hold, and it tipped with about
ten people on it, dropping them into
the water, which was about four feet
deep at this place. All managed in
one way or another, alone or with as
sistance to gain the bank, except
Kathryn, the little daughter OF Mr.
and Mrs. Charles Murphy, who in the
confusion was carried down stream
to where the water was deeper. See
ing her peril Frank Nagel jumped in
to rescue her. He was not much of
swimmer, we understand, and while
he reached the girl he was unable to
bring her to shore. The girls father
then attempted to rescue the pair, and
the result was that all three sank to-
gether and were drowned.
Efforts to recover the bodies were
at once begun. Boats were procured
and the river dragged, and divers
searched the bottom for the victims.
Not until nearly noon the next day
was the first body found-that Of the
little girl. She had gone down stream
about rs rods from where the catas-
trophe occurred.
In the afternoon Monday, the body
of Mr.. Murphy was found about 80
rods down the stream. It was found
| by getting a number of men in the
river, tied to rope held by others on
both sides Of the stream. They walk.
ed on down the river, covering the
bottom closely, and found him in this
way.
The search for Nagel was kept up
until about five o'clock yesterday
morning, when his body was brought
to the shore.
Emil Aveldson rugged up 200 can
die power electric light, run by stor.
age batteries, and went out Monday
evening to attempt to find the body
by this means. The river is so muddy
just now, however, that the plan did
not work at a greater depth than five
or six feet.
Hundreds of people from this city
and from the surrounding country in
every direction visited the scene OF
the mishap Sunday afternoon and
Monday, and many aided in the long
search for the bodies.
Fisherman John, of Saltwater, not
ed for finding bodies of drowned PEG
pie, was sent for. He and his sor
arrived on the noon train Monday al
Dassel, and went out to the scene. He
got a boat and worked up and dow1
the river, mostly down the stream
quite a. distance. At dusk he quit, anC
told the other searchers that there
was no use hunting near the scene o.
the accident, as he was sure he was
further down. At o'clock yesterday
morning he raised the body, having
found it snagged in some drift fully
half a mile below the place where the
tragedy took place. This man goe:
all over the state and finds bodies O.
drowned persons in lakes and rivers
Just what his plan is nobody knows
,, but he is usually successful.
,, Editors Note: Crow river at King
ston is much more of stream thar
when it leaves Green Lake. In Man
nanah the north fork flows into it from
Lake Koronis and it is further aug
mented by smaller water courses
which in wet season yield volume tt
it's waters.