Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1920-11-30
DROWNED IN
MILL LOCPOND
EDWIN WESTERLUND LOSES LIFE
WHEN THIN ICE BROKE
LAST NIGHT
GIRL COMPANION is RESCUED
Friends Work For An Hour To Find
the Body.

While skating last night on ice in
the mill pond of the Bonners Ferry
Lumber Company, Edwin Westerlund
and Tinsey Eskridge broke through
thin ice and Westerlund was drowned.
Miss Eskridge was rescued by three
men who heard the cries for help when
she and Westerlund broke through the
ice.
Westerlund's body was found in
about II feet of water a short distance
from the bank, about an hour and a
quarter from the time of the accident.
a number of young people were
skating on the ice at the mill pond last
evening but at the time of the acct
dent Westerlund and Miss Eskridge
were alone. II seems that Westermnd
broke through the ice first and Miss
Eskridge was unable to stop in time
to plunge into the pond too. Both
cried out as they went in Miss Esk-
ridge clung to Westerlund for a time
and both called out several times for
help. Westerlund helped the girl so
that she could cling onto the ice. She
asked him if he could not make il to
boom log near by and he replied
I cannot make it." She did not see
or hear him any more The boom log
was between Westerlund and Miss
Eskridge and the shore
Jack PostOn, Jack Mcnamara and
Alan Loughney were the first to hear
the cries for help. Mcnamara and
Loughney were on their way home
and were some distance away but they
estimate that they reached the scene
of the accident within five minutes
after hearing the calls for help. Pos
ton was already there and had thrown
a plank out on the ice preparatory
to trying to get Miss Eskridge out. In
the effort to help the girl out Lough-
ney was pulled into the pond When
4 Mcnamara and Loughney arrived they
could see nothing of Westerlund His
flashlight and cap were lying on the
ice nearby Miss Eskridge was taken
to the engine room of the Bonners
Ferry Lumber Company until she re-
covered partially from the shock and
later was taken to the home of Mr.
and Mrs. j. b. Brody.
In a short time large crowd gath
cred to search for the body of Wester-
lund, the men dragging the bottom Of
the pond with pikepoles.
EXAMINATION Oh WeSIeTlunu DOuA
showed that he had not been injured
when he plunged into the pont
through the ice and there were no in
dications of his having been seizet
with cramps. 1t is probable that h,
suffered an attack of heart trouble TO
) he was an expert swimmer and al
though he was hampered with heav,
clothes it is believed that he coult
have gotten out under ordinary con
- ditions
Edwin Westerlund was the younges
= son of Mr.. and Mrs. Eric Westerlund
, residents of the Island. He was bori
2 October 10, 1904. The young man ha
lived here some 12 years and was
member of the junior class of the Bon
) ners Ferry high school. He was
t young man of unassuming dispositio
: and was very popular among his ac
quaintances and classmates. He
survived by his parents, two sisters
Mrs Hilda Carlson, of this city. an
Mrs Anna Rydbom, of Usk, Wash
and a brother, John Westerlund.
The sudden and untimely death c
, young Westerlund came as a grea
shock to his family and his man
friends. The bereaved family have tn
deepest sympathy of the entire con
munity.