Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-31
H. C. .PADGETT BROWNS
IN LOWER JAMES RIVER
Member OF Virginia Boat Club Is
Stricken While in Swim
ming.
BODY RECOVERED BY DIVERS
Was Connected With r., f. & p.
Railroad-Iiad Gone Down River
IN Boat Club Canoe With Charles
B. Scay.

Stricken suddenly while swimming in
eight feet OF water. with what was
diagnosed by physicians as an affec-
,ion OF the heart. Harry G. Padgctt,
twenty three years old, OF s1o Thirty
fourth Street was drowned yesterday
morning In the James River about
four miles from Richmond a short dis
tance this side of Warwick Park. The
body was recovered within thirty min
utes after the young man sank. but
heroic efforts at rcsuscitation failed TO
bring back life
Accompanied o. Charles r. Scay.
who lives At us Griffin Avenue, near
stop ~ on the Ginter Park street car
line. PadGett left shortly after o'clock
yesterday morning from the landing
at the Virginia Boat club for "A canoe
trip down tho river. Both young men
were members OF the club.
The cnnoeists bcached their craft on
the shore az a point about four miles
down the river. and. donninE bathing
suits. went into the water for a cool
ing swim. PadRctt was the poorer
swimmer Of tho two. and kept closer
to the shore At about 1890 o'clock
Seay. who had swan to tho middi.
OF the river and had turned around for
tho swim back, saw Padgett a shor,
distance from the shore struggling in
the water and apparently In great dis
tress. Before he had Swum ten feet
towards him, Padgctt sank for the
last time.
CRIES ATTRACT PARTY
on YACHT JACK ADA
Scay soon reached the spot where
his friend sank and began diving HIS
cries for help attracted the notice Of
the yacht Jack Ada, in which were
former Policeman Frank II. Welsh
oscar McCauley and r. +. Elder. the
owner Welsh. who is now employed
By the city as "A professional diver at
,ached 10 the city tug Thomas Cum
ninEham. Sr.. removed his shoes and
outer clothing and went overheard
Twice he dove without success. The
third time, his cropping hands found the
body, and he brought IL TO the sur
face.
BY that time County officer a. p.
Tyler had arrived on the scene. The
party began Immediately strenuous re-
vival treatment. rolling the body on
the ground and alternately raising and
depressing the chest TO induce respira-
tion. There appeared TO be no water
at all in the lungs. Coroner ]. II.
Ragiand was soon on the scene and
made an examination. He pronounced
Padgett dead. and the body was taken
on board the yacht and brought TO
Richmond II was Or. RaElands be-
lief that heart failure was the i'm
mediate cause OF death
WAS EMPLOYED ny r.. F. 4& p.
RAILROAD OFFICES
Padgett was employed In the freight
offices OF the Richmond, Fredericks-
burg and Potomac Railroad Company
at Hancock and Broad Streets. Seay.
who Is twenty three years old was
employed in the same office. Both had
been warm friends and had left the
city early in the morning to spend the
day on the river
Officers OF the Virginia Boat Club
learned Of the accident early in the
afternoon, and went down to the Old
Dominion Wharf to verify the report
that one of the members had been
drowned. Neither Padgett nor Seay
were members OF any Of the crews 1t
was stated by officers Of the club that
this was the first drowning among it's
membership in its history of forty
years.
Diver Welsh. who recovered the body.
is we'll known as a former member OF
tfss Second Precinct police force. In
his river work he has personally re-
covered the bodies Of seven men and
one woman. Padgett was the eighth
victim whose body the diver brought
uD from the river bed