The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-07-26

LEAPS OUT OF
BOAT TODEATH
IN ROCK RIVER
Death Clutch early
Claims Hero Attempt
ing Rescue.

ing Rescue.
Russell Sternsdorff, 1s years Of
age. $50 East Fifteenth street, Dav-
export, was accidentally drowned
in Rock river near the Watch Tow
er at about o'clock Sunday after
noon. when he leaped from a row.
boat which had begun to fill with
water. hoping to save himself by
catching at motor boat ahead.
The heroic efforts OF a compan-
ion. George Weaver, 500 East Thir-
teenth street, Davenport, to save
the lad proved fruitless, when Wea-
yer. though scarcely able to swim,
plunged after him, and was caught
in a death clutch by the drowning
boy.
The body was recovered at 7
o'clock last night after searchers
had spent the entire afternoon in
dragging the river.
The boat in the rear of which
Sternsdorff and Weaver were seat
ed, was being towed by a launch.
According to the testimony of
Weaver at the inquest conducted
by Coroner John F. Maberry this
morning, Sternsdorff started to-
ward the middle of the boat to seat
himself. This lowered the front
end. which began to fill with water.
Weaver commanded the boy to
stay in the boat, believing it would
not sink, but Sternsdorff leaped to
the water, in the hope of gaining
hold Of the launch. He missed, and
Weaver plunged into the water
after him, the rowboat meanwhile
upsetting.
Weaver testifies that he told
Sternsdorff to catch hold Of the
towrope, but that the boy was over
come with terror and made no
move to help himself.
Disregards Life Preservers.
Lynn Hinchliffe, 500 East Thir-
teenth street, Davenport, who pilot
ed the motor boat, said that he shut
off the power Immediately. He cast
life preserver to the struggling
boys, but Sternsdorff did not obey
the command to take it..
Instead he caught his companion
about the. neck, hindering all his
efforts and dragging him twice to
the bottom. After rising for the
second time, Weaver, feeling him.
self exhausted, caught at the motor
boat and was pulled in by its pilot.
Sternsdorff sank for the third and
last time.
Hinchliffe testified that he shout.
ed to two men in a canoe some
distance away, but that they did
not respond Immediately, thinking
his cries for help were in joke.
Reaching the spot just as Sterns-
dorff was sinking for the last time,
one of these two, whose names
were not learned, endeavored to
catch him by the hair, but missed.
He then jumped from his canoe,
upsetting it, and dived several
times, but could not locate the
body.
Recover Body.
The boys then called to one of
the men at the Watch Tower
chutes, who notified the police.
Searchers were on the spot imme-
diately. l.. R. Mace. one of the
campers in that locality, who was
the first on the spot after the gen.
eral alarm had been sounded, after
persistent efforts throughout the
afternoon, recovered the body with
a drag hook at about twenty feet
from where it had gone down.
The water was estimated to be
from II to Is feet deep at the spot
of the accident, which occurred
about rs feet from the south shore.
The victim was poor swimmer.
and to his inability to keep cool in
the face of threatening danger is
attributed the fatality. The cor
oner's jury returned a verdict OF
accidental drowning.
Russell Sternsdorff was born in
Chicago, May 2S. 1904. He came to
Davenport with his parents IA
years ago. He was a student at
the Davenport high school and a
member of the r. 0. T. c.
The parents. Mr.. and Mrs. George
Sternsdorff, survive. and one Sis
ter, Mrs. c. ]. Clasen OF Davenport.
Funeral services will be conducted
at 2:30 o'clock Wednesday after
noon at the home, with interment
in Oakdale cemetery.