Tragedy on Lake Washington
A young boy drowns while ferrying household goods across the lake.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
James Starks, the 10-year-old son of William Starks, a rancher living on the eastern shore of Lake Washington, near Meydenbauer bay, was drowned in the lake yesterday afternoon at 2 o'clock. The Starks family were moving their effects by boat to Kirkland and while the boy was rowing with a boat load of household goods from the ranch the boat upset and the urchin was thrown into the water. The boat was then about 400 yards from the Kirkland wharf and the accident was seen by a number of persons who speedily put out in the steamer Ellin to rescue the lad. The boy made a brave effort to save himself but his boots and clothing pulled him down and he sank just as the steamer arrived. Captain Munson, of the Ellin, dived overboard at the spot where the boy sank but he came up empty-handed. The boy had gone to the bottom. After half an hour's work the body was recovered and Dr. Buchanan did all in his power to resuscitate the lad but it was unavailing; he was dead. Coroner Horton investigated the drowning and decided not to hold an inquest.
“The boy made a brave effort to save himself but his boots and clothing pulled him down and he sank just as the steamer arrived.”
Accidents while transporting goods across the lake were once a grim reality of life for early settlers on the Eastside, long before bridges linked the region. Today, Lake Washington is a primary commuter corridor, though the perils of the water remain a constant concern for recreational boaters.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.