The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-07-21
LIFE GUARD AT
PARK BROWNS
IN POOL TRAP
Swimming Star Imprisoned
Under Water by Suction
From Pipe.
Continued from Page II
Continued from Page II

finally they gave up. His was the
tenth drowning in Marion county
waters this season.
A superb diver and swimmer, one
Of the midwest's foremost distance
swimmers, Shaffer had been diving
with other life guards at the pool
before he plunged thirty-f1ve feet
under water to the pipes opening
Found in Trap
Because earlier in the day he had
discussed possible danger to SWIM
mer from the outlet suction, and
from discovery of the rubber ball
in his hand, authorities deduced to-
day that he had intended to seek
the opening and with the ball de-
termine the force of the stream
into filter beds $50 feet through the
pipe.
Arnold Wade and william Tom
linson, life guards, and Norman
Hanna, a swimmer, with whom
Shaffer had been diving, swan to
his rescue when he failed to emerge
from the dive after a reasonable
time, and found him imprisoned.
They rose to the surface and
stripped guard ropes from around
the pool, and fastened them to the
body of their companion, who was
losing consciousness. The ropes
broke.
Police Work on Body
The rescuers worked continuously
trying to free Shaffer, but were I'M
able to do SO until the large rope
was obtained from a concessionaire
and fifteen men hauled away.
A police squad under Lieutenant
Leonard ForSythe, a flremen's team
under Lieutenant Carl Sims of the
Broad Ripple station and the life
guards began working on the body.
Later Francis Hodges, Marion
county Red Gross life saving direc-
tor, assumed charge Of the resusci-
tation efforts, and the respiration
experts worked smoothly in shifts,
trying to restore life.
The youth was the son of Edward
G. ~Shaffer, TOT East Fifty-seventh
street, president of the Metalcraft
Manufacturing Company. His
mother, Mrs. Treva Hussong, and
brother Ted, live in Dayton, O., and
younger sister lives with the
father here in Indianapolis.
Graduate Of Shortridge
Shaffer was a graduate of Short
ridge high school and had attended
Indiana and Butler universities a
year and half. He was a member
of Sigma Chi fraternity at Butler,
varsity cheer leader there, and a
member of the swimming team. He
had captained the Hoosier Athletic
Club swimming team for some time.
Skaters swimming honorS in
cluded four consecutive victories in
the three-mile White river swim;
victory in 1929 in the flve-mile
Wabash river swim; an Indiana
Kentucky A. A. diving champion
ship; second place in the ten-mile
Ohio river swim at Evansville in
1928, and many other achievements.
The pipe that held Shaffer priS-
oner is thirty-flve feet from the
diving board, in thirteen feet of
water, beyond the distance an or
binary swimmer will traverse under
water. according to Oscar Bauer,
owner Of the pool.
Told of Danger
Bauer said Shaffer told him Mon
day he did not believe even the
best swimmer could dive within
danger, and Bauer thought Shaffer
was testing his theory when he was
caught.
When the body was taken from
the pool, city hospital inferno
pronounced him dead. Internal in-
juries may have resulted from his
having doubled up backwards in the
pipe, which lacerated his legs and
back.