University of Puget Sound Students Rescued from The Narrows
A sudden squall capsized a row-boat carrying six students, leading to a harrowing rescue in the dangerous channel waters.
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.
Attempting to cross The Narrows from Lemon’s Beach to Fox Island in a row-boat yesterday, a party of six students from the University of Puget Sound was caught in a sudden squall. Their boat was swamped by a wave, tossing all six into the icy water. Two other boatloads of students nearby witnessed the event and rowed to the scene, pulling the students from the water. A launch later towed the boats to shore, where the students were cared for at the summer cottages of Dr. E. M. Brown. Miss Clara Evans, who had begun to sink, was saved by Waldo Burford, who held her above water until help arrived. Nineteen students in total had been chaperoned by Prof. Walter E. Davis and Mrs. Mabel Simpson for the weekend trip.
“Before the six frightened occupants had time even to call for help, they were precipitated into the icy waters.”
The Narrows remains one of the most treacherous and beautiful stretches of water in Washington, infamous for its unpredictable currents and weather. Just as these students found themselves in sudden peril, modern recreational boaters still must contend with the same volatile conditions that have defined the waterway for generations.
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