The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1916-07-27
VICTIM
OF SKUNK RIVER
FRANK C. LEWIS DROWNED NEAR
EtN RAILWAY BRIDGE.
The MANS BODY IS RECOVERED
Vain EndeaVor to Keep Boat From
Floating Down Stream Cost Him
His Life. Darkness Makes ..
Recovery Difficult.

Frank c. Lewis, twenty-six years
of age, was drowned in Skunk river,
just below the M. & st. l.. railway
bridge about eight o'clock Monday ey-
tening, July "a. Lewis, with Charles
Berkeley and Charles Olson, was fishing
near the bridge early in the evening,
using boat belonging to Jud Minor.
The boat was left near the river bank,
and becoming loosened from it's moor
! ings started drifting down the river.
The Minor boys saw this and were
complaining to Lewis and Berkeley,
when Lewis, exclaiming that they need
not worry about their boat, plunged in
latter 1t. Lewis could not swim, but
succeeded in reaching the boat. Here
the death struggle took, place, the
drowning man finally being overcome
with exhaustion and sinking third
time before help could reach him.
Boats from nearby camps were secur-
ed and the search for the drowning
man began. Barbed wire entangle-
ments. stretched across the river
near the scene of the drowning made
the search difficult and prevented div
| ing for the body. The body was recov-
cred about eleven-thirty by w. H.
Strouse. near the north bank beneath
the railway bridge. 4
Lewis, Berkeley and Olson left town
last evening, going to spend the
night along the river. The forepart of
the evening was spent fishing, the
three rowing about beneath the M. G.
st. L. bridge. With the completion of
the fishing trip, the boat owned by
Jud Minor was drawn upon the north
bank and left insecurity fastened.
Gradually the water washed the boat
back into the river and 1t began drift
| ing down stream. When the Minor
boys saw this they complained to Lew
is and Berkeley. Lewis apparently think
ing he could wade out to the boat,
plunged into the river, and stepping
| off into deep place went down. A
/ frantic struggle ensued, after which
1 the drowning man succeeded in reach
ing the boat But strength enough to
save himself was lacking. His hold
on the side of the boat slipped and he
went down a second and third time.
Those on the river bank at once set
about to rescue Lewis. Boats were Sc
cured, the city and county officials mott
fed, and the search began. VI.
Darkness Makes Search Difficult.
Darkness soon came and made the
rescue work slow. In addition to this,
the river near where drowning occur.
red was filled with barbed wire, and
piling. To dive dowr around this bar
rier would have meant other deaths.
Bondferes built along the banks,
lanterns and auto lights furnished
light for the searchers. More illumi-
nation from motor cars could have
been secured, had the spot been &C.
cessible to drivers. but only those fa-
miliar with the ground we're able to
reach an advantageous point.
The large net, purchased by the
county to aid in the search for bodies
of drowned persons, was stretched
across the river, about a half mile
down stream.
Several boat loads of searchers with
graphing hooks, poles and ropes drag
ged the river bottom. Almost every
foot of the bottom near the scene of
the accident was covered carefully be-
fore the body was found.
: Lewis is well known about the city,
having worked as a meat cutter for
Mike Fehd, and as a switchman on
the M. & st. l.. railway. This summer
he has been in the employee of Jud
Minor, working as a farm hand on the
Minor property bordering the river.
He WAS not married.
! County Coroner :. M. Cheesman
and the officials experienced some diff
fculty in reaching the river All the
life saving apparatus and pulmotor
were loaded into Ed Andersons livery
car Near the pumping station, the
car broke down, and they were forced
to transfer the apparatus to another
auto in order to reach the scene, over
/ a half mile distant.
Body is Recovered.
Body of the drowned man was To-
Gated and rescued about 11:45 O'Clock
in water about eight feet deep along
the north bank of the stream and al
most beneath the bridge. The body
had foated into an eddy of the cur
rent and had been carried across the
stream to the opposite bank from
where it went down.
AS Lewis was struggling in the wat
err trying to cling to the boat the eight
O'Clock evening passenger train, south
bound o nthe NJ & st. l.. passed over
THE bridge. Lewis was seen clinging to
the boat at this time and some of the
passengers who noted the man and
the boat in the water thought the fell
low appeared to be in distress at the
time.
I The last struggles were near the
isouth bank and the body was located
about ten or fifteen feet out from the
north bank, just where the searehers
mere not expecting to find it.
The accident occurred only a short
distance from the place where E. G..
Maurer, the student from University
Park lost his life only few weeks
Iago. Lewis is the fourth victim of
lSkunk river for this locality within
less than three months.
i Frank Lewis lived in Oskaloosa with
Ibis mother, Mrs. William Lewis. No.
1898 South M street and has been a