Tragedy at the Snoqualmie Log Jam
A respected local worker is lost in the river during a high-water operation, leaving his community in mourning.
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.
Harry Carroll, a respected resident of Snoqualmie, was drowned in the Snoqualmie River while working a log jam a short distance above that place yesterday. The river is unusually high, and a great effort is being made to keep it clear of drifts. Mr. Carroll was working to clear away some logs when he slipped from his treacherous footing and went into the madly rushing stream. He was a strong swimmer and struck bravely out for the shore, but the current was too swift. A number of his friends stood on the shore, but were powerless to aid him. He leaves a family consisting of a wife and two small children.
“He was a strong swimmer, and struck bravely out for the shore, but the current was too swift, and baffled his desperate efforts.”
Log driving and river maintenance were incredibly dangerous but essential industries for early Washington towns. The raw, human tragedy here—the loss of a father and the grief of his family—remains a timeless civic reality of hazardous work.
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