The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-02-11
MAKE PATH
ON ICE; LAD
LOSES LIFE
Seven Year Old Daven-
port Boy Victim; Save
Playmate.

Frank bQWdTu otuhelullS5SA
,ood 7 years, son of Mr.. and Mrs.
Tsrmann SchWerdtfger, TIC Eas-
aiyth street, Davenport, was lost
nnder the ice in the Mississ ppi riv-
ar at 4:50 o'clock yesterday after
noon. but his playmate, George Cor
,eIl aged 10, 702 Charlotte avenue,
narrowly escaped the same fate
when they fell through thin ice.
No one saw the Schwerdtfeger
how go under and his body has not
been recovered.
Three men from the Western
Flour Milling company, at the foot
Of East River street, r.sked Their
lives in the cold water in Saving the
Gorrell boy. g. c. Page, chief e.
gineer at the plant, who went out
after the lad, was exhausted and
would have lost his own life but for
other employees OF the company.
Mr.. Page and 4. W. Haynes, 1860
Forty-frst street, Rock Island,
kept their stiffened hands securely
in the clothing of the Gorrell boy
and the lad was pulled out with
them The lad was hurried 20
Mercy hospital and it was reported
this morning that he will recov-
er.
Mr.. Page, 2723 East Eighteenth
street, Davenport, was the first to
notice the tragedy. He had group
Of men working outside the plant
and walked nearer the river than
any OF the rest. He saw Gorrell
Just breaking through the ice 100
feet from shore. He threw a 20
\ foot plank into the water and tried
Aio make his way out in the stream.
4 Where the lad had broken through
the ice closed over him. Ten feet
Downstream his hands came up
through floating cakes of ice, al
though his head was submerged.
Swept TO Open Channel
He went down again and fioated
under the ice a distance of 40 feet
TO an open channel next to the re-
tanning wall. This channel is 40
feet wide and when the boy came
up he grasped the edge of the ice.
Those on the shore called to him to
hang on and Mr.. Page, seeing that
he could not get to the lad fast
enough on the plank, attempted to
swim out He reached the lad and
gasped him by the hair and start
ed for the wall. He began to tire
and his strength was going fast
when Haynes leaped into the water.
Haynes reached his nearly exhaust
Cd chief, who was still tightly
grasping the boy by the hair
Haynes helped them along and Fred
Stoneburner, another plant EN-
! ploye, 1921 East Tenth street, Day.
enport, jumped into the water and
4 showed out a plank. The men
reached the wall safely and with
help came back to safety. The po-
Ice were called and the boy, un-
conscious then, was taken to the
hospital. Search was made for the
other lad, as persons downstream
had seen two boys go out on the
ice where It was solid at the shore.
Not sign of the younger of the two
4 lads was found, and it is believed
nat he floated a long distance
Downstream
The men who had been in the
4 water were given first aid and dry
clothing was obtained as soon as
possible. Mr.. Page was taken to
MS home, but was able to return to
work today as were also Haynes
and Stoneburner.
II The two boys had gone out on the
ice yesterday with airguns, after
ney had been downstream shoot
ng sparrows.
They walked on the ice some dis
aace before they struck a weak
pace where the current had cut
arough and not far distant from
ne channel where ice was. floating
4 closely packed cakes.
II is believed that the Schwerdt-
.eeer lad went down only a few feet
lVm where Mr.. Page saw the Cor
I'll boy go through the ice. The
Scnwerdtfeger boy probably had
aS broken through and it is be-
aesed that the Gorrell bay was go
ssg 10 his aid when he, too, went
Trough.
mad not Mr.. Page seen him go
.Osn he would also have been lost
even then the fact that he
carried underneath the ice to
open channel is considered a
sacie. The boys parents live at
:" Charlotte avenue.