Lost Papers in the Yakima River
A pile of naturalization documents found on the riverbank suggests a tragic end for an immigrant traveler.
On Sunday, while Harry Putney and George Stout were bathing in the Yakima River, a quarter-mile above the Naches railroad bridge, they discovered a water-soaked roll of blankets. The roll contained a passport issued to Mathias Johnson Tjonieme, a Finlander; naturalization papers for a Nicholas Hill; and the declaration of intention for one Alex Frank, a 22-year-old renouncing allegiance to the Russian Czar. It is feared that the owner of these documents has drowned in the river.
“It is the supposition that the owner of the property has been drowned.”
The Yakima River has long been a place of both recreation and peril. This historical incident serves as a stark reminder of the risks immigrants faced while navigating a new, often dangerous, frontier environment.
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