Tragic Drowning at Snoqualmie Falls
A young civil engineering student loses his life in the currents below the falls while on a fishing trip.
Word was brought to this city yesterday of the drowning of William F. Bartlett, a young man well and favorably known here, in the Snoqualmie river below the falls on Tuesday afternoon. The body was recovered late last night. Young Bartlett had been camping on the river with his mother and stepfather, Mr. and Mrs. S. J. Hancock, who live at 1300 Seventh street, for several weeks. He was 21 years old and an active, manly fellow. On Tuesday afternoon he went fishing below the falls with Worthy Morris. They went down the river in a row boat. As they struck a swift current, the anchor fouled in a drift and the boat was tipped up and filled with water. They were obliged to jump into the water. Morris reached a gravel bar, but Bartlett was sucked down by the conflicting currents, and, although a strong swimmer, could do nothing to save himself. Morris ran to the edge of the eddy and held out a pole, but Bartlett was just a foot too short, and he went down after uttering a piteous cry for help.
“Bartlett reached for it, but it was a foot too short, and before Morris could get nearer he went down, after uttering a piteous cry for help.”
Snoqualmie Falls remains a site of immense natural power, though safety infrastructure has changed significantly since 1893. The tragic loss of a young man at the falls serves as a reminder that despite the area's popularity as a destination, the river's undertow is as treacherous today as it was then.
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