When I saw this picture of my mother standing by the Illinois River with the Steamboat Columbia in the background, it triggered a memory of her telling me about the steamboat sinking and many people being drowned. Neither she nor any of her family were aboard that boat, thank the good Lord. I decided to google the Columbia - and there it was. Isn't this age of technology awesome? I saved the story then printed it out and scanned it. The tragedy happened on July 6, 1918 and there were 400 to 500 people on the boat.
It is interesting to read the article (click to enlarge) and realize the difference in responding to emergencies today compared to then. It speaks of a special train bringing all available doctors to the scene and a train taking the injured to hospitals.
wow, isn't that something. Leif had an uncle that died while resucing many teens from an over turned boat. They said he saved many before going under from exhaustion. What a hero, huh.
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