unknown sailor died 1924
Working on my website, I ran across this if anyone is interested. The place is Manitowoc, Wisconsin
UNKNOWN SAILOR
FLOATER IN RIVER HAD A BROKEN LEG
Man Taken From River Today Not Identified
Mystery surrounds the identity and death of a man whose body was taken from
the river early today and is being held at the Urbanek & Wattawa Morgue while
police make an investigation in an effort to learn who the unfortunate may be
and where relatives can be located. It is believed that the man was a sailor
and may have fallen overboard from some boat in port here the past two weeks
as indications are that the body has been in the water at least ten days.
The body, which contrary to most cases of the kind, was floating face up and
was seen by F.T. Zentner of the National Bank this morning and report made to
the police by W. Schaff, lighthouse tender who assisted in recovering the body.
The man wore a pair of Khaki trousers and tennis shoes but was otherwise not
dressed, the body being without shirt or coat.
Had Broken Leg
Examination revealed that the man had a fracture of the left leg, between the
knee and thigh, but whether the injury occurred before or after drowning cannot
be determined. The initials “A.D.” are tattooed on the right forearm but aside
from this there is nothing that will aid in identification of the body.
The unfortunate victim of accident or foul play is a man of about 28, dark
complexion, hair dark tinged with gray, heavily built and with large features.
Several employes of the carferry lines in port during the day thought that the
man might be Jerre O’Shay, of Buffalo, N.Y., a carferry hand, but others said
that there as no resemblance to O’Shay.
Another clew to identification in report that a Kewaunee man had been missing for
three weeks was ended when Kewaunee officials reported that the body of the missing
man had been found.
Hold Body For Day
The body will be held in an effort to identify the man and if this is impossible,
burial will be at expense of the county.
The theory that the finding of the body might solve the mystery of cries for help
heard at foot of Seventh street Monday night is untenable because of the condition
of the body and indications that it had been in the water a longer time.
Manitowoc Herald News, October 1, 1924 P. 1
*********
Body Not Identified
The body taken from the water here last week was not identified and was buried
at county expenses. The body was not found in the river but in the lake just
outside the north pier near the entrance. It had been in the water probably for
weeks and may have floated a long distance with lake currents. It was determined
that the man had not been a carferry hand and no other craft in the harbor had
reported anyone missing. The clothing, only a pair of trousers and tennis shoes,
would indicated that he had been at work and he probably fell overboard from some
steamer some distance from Manitowoc.
Manitowoc Pilot, Thurs., Oct. 9, 1924
