The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1923-11-08
WINNIPEG MAN DIES
in UNUSUAL MANNER
CADALLIC SEDAN TURNS TUR-
TIE INTO AVON CREEK, AND
HE is DROWNED
HIS COMPANION ESCAPES
ACCIDENT OCCURRED WHEN CAR
CRASHES THROUGH BRIDGE
RAIL TUESDAY MORNING

Two hours in an uncanny death
chamber with the body of dead man
beside him, and only sufficient air
to keep him conscious while he work
ed frantically to save his own life.
This was the terrifying experience
early Tuesday of Harry Wilson, 81 of
Winnipeg, who with Wilton HI. Dart,
SO, Winnipeg band leader, was inn
prisoned beneath Darts overturned
Cadillac machine after it crashed
through bridge near Avon, IL miles
west of st. Cloud, and partly sank in
three feet of water.
Working like beaver and with
only two inches of air space between
the water level and the floor boards
of the overturned machine over his
head, Wilson after two terrifying
hours dug his way out from beneath
the heavy automobile, submerged in
shallow stream connecting two
sections of Avon lake. Later, when
farmers were summoned by the man
who escaped death, the car was lift
ed and the limp body of Dart re-
moved
Dart and Wilson, enroute to the
twin cities from Winnipeg approached
Avon from the west at 2 A. M. Tues
day morning, Dart, who was at the
wheel, apparently was doing, and
when the front wheels struck loose
gravel near the bridge was unable to
turn the big machine back into the
center. of the road.
The car crashed through the wood
en- rail, took a single turn in mid-air,
and landed in the shallow water with
the four wheels sticking ssup straight.
When Wilson dimly realized what
had happened almost in flash of
time, he could feel Dart struggling
beside him. Panic seized the two
men, but they fought in vain to es-
cape from the strange chamber in
which they were imprisoned
Darts. efforts to move about be-
came gradually feebler and soon re-
sistance ceased. Wilson lost track
of time, and was unable to tell how
long his campanion lived before be-
ing suffocated for lack of air, or
drowned in the chill. waters. of the
stream.
Wilson scooped up gravel at the
bottom of the stream while keeping
his nose just above the water line.
Working in this precarious position
he finally dug his way out after two
hours of terrible exposure in the icy
water.
He revived gradually when once
free of the wreckage and rushed
down the road to the farm of N. F.
Thielman. Persons living at the
farm accompanied Wilson back to.the
scene of the accident and the over
turned machine was tilted ovr. Th9
body of Dart was removed, and taken
to the undertaking parlors at Avon.
He apparently had been dead more
than an hour.
Mrs. Dart was notified of the death
of her husband Tuesday morning, and
relatives are en- route from Winnipeg
to claim the body.
Wilson declined to throw any light
on his reported connection with
Winnipeg firm. Although he told a.
graphic story of Imprisonment be-
meath the automobile, he declined to
divulge his residence. He said that
notoriety concerning his heroic fight
for life would be distasteful to Mnas
Dart was member of a Winnipeg
Masonic lodge and a prominent citi-
zen of Winnipeg. He is the fourth
Winnipeg resident to die in an auto
mobile accident in the st. Cloud dis
trict this year.-St. Cloud Journal
Press. Z
Death in the icy waterso + a stream
near Avon early Tuesday baked a
plan of William n. Dart, Winnipeg
band master, to ''start life over again
after serving prison term
IN Winnipeg for the embezzlement of
fundssof the Manitoba power comrnis-s
sion, for whom he formerly worked
as an accountant. sss
This poignant phase of Darts
tragic death beneath an overturned
Cadillac car was revealed simultane-1
ously Wednesday with fact that Fred-A
erick Clifford of Minneapolis and not
aHarry Wilson" is the man who
staged a heroic and successful escape
from beneath the machine after
fighting off death by suffocation and
for two hours. Clifford, who
pave the name of "Wilson" in a
fru;tless effort to conceal his identity
because of "distaste" for publicity,
formerly lived at 1877 Second avenue
south. Minneapolis, and was en- route
from Winnipeg to Minneapolis with
Dart when the machine inswhich the
,wo were riding crashed through
bridge rail near Avon, turned over IN
midair, and landed wheels in the aalr
IN three feet of water, ,imprisonlng
both men in submarine tomb In
which Dart was drowned
The body was shipped back to rela-,I
ives at Winnipeg Wednesday,. Giiford |
alias Wilson, remained at Avon,
waiting there while garagemen re-
paired the wrecked automobile. the
license for which has been recorded