A Brother Watched Three Boys Sink in the Snake
A Saturday-night swim turned fatal for two 19-year-olds and a 15-year-old; a brother on shore saw them go under only ten feet from safety.
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.
COLFAX, Wash., July 23.—Word reached this city today of the drowning of three boys, Jesse Printler, Bert and Norman Vlin, while bathing in Snake River Saturday night, three miles below Penawawa. The first two were 19 and the latter 15 years of age. Norman suddenly called for help, and the other two swam to his assistance. Lynn Willis, a brother of the two drowned boys, who remained on shore, saw all three grappling and struggling in the water. He ran for help, but in the meantime the three boys sank to the bottom only ten feet from the shore.
“He ran for help, but in the meantime the three boys sank to the bottom only ten feet from the shore.”
River drownings remain a summer ritual in Washington, especially where cold, fast water and unguarded banks meet young swimmers. The story’s power is in the witness: a brother who ran for help and could not get there in time.
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