Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 89, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 July 1902 — Fun and Danger in Swimming. [ARTICLE]

Fun and Danger in Swimming.

There has been fine swimming in the river here, and it has been greatly enjoyed by many. As the current is very swift here, and the water deep, the sport has not been devoid of considerable danger; and two prominent citizens have had to be helped from the water. The first case was that of T. J. McCoy, Thursday afternoon. He and several companions had been sporting in the water between the two bridges for some time, and he then started to swim down to a point below the creamery bndge. When he got there he was pretty well tuckered out, and in the strong current hia craft refused to obey the rudder, in nautical phrase and he seemed to be experiencing great difficulty in making the shore. Dr. I. M. Washburn one of his companions, pushed a floating wagon rack to him and with that he succeeded in making a landing. The other instance occured Friday afternoon, at the same place, and the party was B. S. Fendig, the poultry dealer. Benny was pretty well fagged out, but was helped to land by Dr. Berkley. An incident that occured previous to Mr. McCoy’s rescue, was worth recording. As Tom, Delos Thompson, J. E. Wilson, Dr. I. M. Washburn and Mose Leopold were in the water, in the rear of Mr- Thompson’s residence, B. F. Fendig and H. F. Parker essayed to cross the river in a row boat right at that point. What they got at the hands and feet of these swimmers can be easily guessed aud it was a splashing good and plenty. Che boatmen would not have been wetter if ducked in the river. They landed finally, however, and after standing about for some time, with injured but innocent looks in their eyes, they watched their chance and slipped up in Mr. Thompson’s house, and into the room where the swimmers had taken off their clothes and put on bathing suits. And what they did to those clothes was also a plenty. There was not the arm of a shirt, the leg of a pants, nor the fork of a drawers that was not tied into from one to three or four hard knots; drawn as tight as a strong man at each end of -the garment could draw. It took at least two good hours of hard work before any of them could get enough of their clothes untied to ‘appear on the streets. Doc Washburn was the only one named that escaped, he having changed his attire at home. Still another of Rensselaer’s prominent men and strong swimmers, has had a close cal) from drowning. It was attorney Mose Leopold. He and Albert Marshall were in the river north of Dr. Berkley’s residence, Batujday afternoon and started to swim to a point some distance down the stream, Albert made the landing all right, but Mose was carried past the point, and turned to try to swim back against the strong current. This soon exhausted his strength. E. L. Hollingsworth and Ray Thompson were near, in a boat, and they hurried up, and got Mose into it, but not until he had gone under twice and was pretty nearly exhausted. He was soon all right again, but that did not end the adventure however, for a little later the boat was capsized, and all three of its occupants were thrown into the river. The boat turned clear over and held enough air in it to float well and the three men clung to it and got out all right.