Emergency at the River: How Two Children Saved the Pump
As ice jams threatened to destroy the family ranch on the Columbia, two young boys took initiative to dismantle the machinery before the floodwaters could claim it.
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.
George Arrowsmith has been having considerable difficulty at his ranch on the Columbia river by reason of the prolonged cold and snow, and the floods which piled the ice up about his pumping plant and carried away his house. He was held up by reason of the ice in the Columbia for five days. In the meantime, his boat was crushed by the ice and his pumphouse was carried away. The boys, however, young as they are, met the situation as best they could, and recognizing the approaching danger, removed the pump and motor from the pumphouse. Mr. Arrowsmith, therefore, while he lost considerable property, gained the knowledge that the kids can be depended upon in an emergency.
“Mr. Arrowsmith, therefore, while he lost considerable property, gained the knowledge that the kids can be depended upon in an emergency.”
The Columbia River has historically been a volatile neighbor; before the massive dam system tamed the spring floods, life on the riverbank was a precarious existence often dictated by the movement of ice and water.
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