Stevens
Point, Wisconsin
Grant's Park Drowning Rescue
July
27, 1906
Boat Tips Over. Catastrophe is Narrowly
Averted at Episcopal Picnic.
Another drowning disaster on the river was
narrowly averted at the Episcopal picnic at
Grant’s park Friday afternoon by the cool headed
presence of mind of one of the young men.
Frank Degen and
the Misses Flossie Hall
and Hazel
Herriman, all young people from 15 to
17 years of age, were out on the river in a
boat. They were not far from shore but still in
deep water so that they could not touch bottom.
As usual in such cases the young ladies were
seized with a seemingly uncontrollable desire to
change seats and as a result the boat was
completely overturned and all three were
precipitated into the water.
Degen, who is
an excellent swimmer, succeeded in getting both
the young ladies back to the boat, where they
clung until he towed them ashore into shallow
water. It was a very clever rescue and solved
what appeared at one time to be a serous
situation. Miss
Herriman suffered a severe nervous
shock on account of the accident, but
Miss Hall, who
can swim a little, was not much affected. The
accident cast a gloom over some of the more
nervous members of the party and there was
little enjoyment in the picnic for them
throughout the remainder of the afternoon. The
accident occurred above the water works.
When the boat tipped over one of the young
ladies grasped hold of
Degen and in order to free himself
for effective work he had to ungallantly [?]
thrust her off. Had he not done so probably all
three would have been drowned.
The incident occurred out of sight of the picnic
party but the calls of those in the water were
heard on the grounds and a crowd soon gathered
on the shore.
Monte Collins,
who was out on the stream with another boat,
went to the assistance of the party and helped
get them ashore.
The Stevens Point Journal, Stevens Point,
WI 28 Jul 1906
Transcribed by
Kay. Thank you,
Kay!
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