Melchior's death was the first of two drowning incidents reported in the Saturday, April 17, 1897's Times-Gazette:
TWO DROWNING ACCIDENTS
M. Duerst, a native of Switzerland, aged thirty-nine years, watchman at Searsville dam, was missed on Wednesday afternoon after 4 o'clock. On Thursday afternoon Mr. Lawrence of the Spring Valley Water Works was notified and went to Searsville to join in the search. John Mosher, watchman at the Crystal Springs dam, also went to Searsville and found the clothes of the missing man on one of the unfinished concrete benches or off-ets on the north side of the dam, about twenty five feet from its crest, over which the water was pouring and dashing into spray as it struck the projecting concrete blocks forming that wall of the dam.
After the clothes belonging to Duerst were found, grappling irons were used to drag the pool below. In this means the body was recovered and Coroner Crowe was then notified.
At the inquest held Thursday afternoon, Geo. D. Greeley, P. Mathison, W. J. McCormick, J. J. Kelly, J. L. Elwarde and W. H Adams listened to the testimony presented by Mr. Lawrence, A. H. Mosher and H. Koop, after which a verdict of accidental drowning was rendered.
It appears that the deceased was in the habit of going out on the concrete ledges of the dam to take shower baths by letting the descending spray dash over him. On this last occasion he evidently missed his footing on the slippery surface of the bench or offset where he was standing and fell some forty-nine feet into the pool at the foot of the dam, striking the sharp corners of the concrete blocks as he fell and sustaining seven fractures of the skull.
Deceased, was a member of the Independent Order of Foresters and leaves a wife and two young children. Of $1000 life insurance that will become available, deceased had planned that $500 should be paid to his wife in case of his own death, and $500 to his daughter.
The San Francisco Call, Volume 81, Number 138, 17 April 1897, had an article with much the same content. It was titled "FATAL BATH NEAR REDWOOD – An explanation of the Death of Watchman Melchior Duerst."
Contributor: Maggie Coleman (49851933)
TWO DROWNING ACCIDENTS
M. Duerst, a native of Switzerland, aged thirty-nine years, watchman at Searsville dam, was missed on Wednesday afternoon after 4 o'clock. On Thursday afternoon Mr. Lawrence of the Spring Valley Water Works was notified and went to Searsville to join in the search. John Mosher, watchman at the Crystal Springs dam, also went to Searsville and found the clothes of the missing man on one of the unfinished concrete benches or off-ets on the north side of the dam, about twenty five feet from its crest, over which the water was pouring and dashing into spray as it struck the projecting concrete blocks forming that wall of the dam.
After the clothes belonging to Duerst were found, grappling irons were used to drag the pool below. In this means the body was recovered and Coroner Crowe was then notified.
At the inquest held Thursday afternoon, Geo. D. Greeley, P. Mathison, W. J. McCormick, J. J. Kelly, J. L. Elwarde and W. H Adams listened to the testimony presented by Mr. Lawrence, A. H. Mosher and H. Koop, after which a verdict of accidental drowning was rendered.
It appears that the deceased was in the habit of going out on the concrete ledges of the dam to take shower baths by letting the descending spray dash over him. On this last occasion he evidently missed his footing on the slippery surface of the bench or offset where he was standing and fell some forty-nine feet into the pool at the foot of the dam, striking the sharp corners of the concrete blocks as he fell and sustaining seven fractures of the skull.
Deceased, was a member of the Independent Order of Foresters and leaves a wife and two young children. Of $1000 life insurance that will become available, deceased had planned that $500 should be paid to his wife in case of his own death, and $500 to his daughter.
The San Francisco Call, Volume 81, Number 138, 17 April 1897, had an article with much the same content. It was titled "FATAL BATH NEAR REDWOOD – An explanation of the Death of Watchman Melchior Duerst."
Contributor: Maggie Coleman (49851933)
Melchior's death was the first of two drowning incidents reported in the Saturday, April 17, 1897's Times-Gazette:
TWO DROWNING ACCIDENTS
M. Duerst, a native of Switzerland, aged thirty-nine years, watchman at Searsville dam, was missed on Wednesday afternoon after 4 o'clock. On Thursday afternoon Mr. Lawrence of the Spring Valley Water Works was notified and went to Searsville to join in the search. John Mosher, watchman at the Crystal Springs dam, also went to Searsville and found the clothes of the missing man on one of the unfinished concrete benches or off-ets on the north side of the dam, about twenty five feet from its crest, over which the water was pouring and dashing into spray as it struck the projecting concrete blocks forming that wall of the dam.
After the clothes belonging to Duerst were found, grappling irons were used to drag the pool below. In this means the body was recovered and Coroner Crowe was then notified.
At the inquest held Thursday afternoon, Geo. D. Greeley, P. Mathison, W. J. McCormick, J. J. Kelly, J. L. Elwarde and W. H Adams listened to the testimony presented by Mr. Lawrence, A. H. Mosher and H. Koop, after which a verdict of accidental drowning was rendered.
It appears that the deceased was in the habit of going out on the concrete ledges of the dam to take shower baths by letting the descending spray dash over him. On this last occasion he evidently missed his footing on the slippery surface of the bench or offset where he was standing and fell some forty-nine feet into the pool at the foot of the dam, striking the sharp corners of the concrete blocks as he fell and sustaining seven fractures of the skull.
Deceased, was a member of the Independent Order of Foresters and leaves a wife and two young children. Of $1000 life insurance that will become available, deceased had planned that $500 should be paid to his wife in case of his own death, and $500 to his daughter.
The San Francisco Call, Volume 81, Number 138, 17 April 1897, had an article with much the same content. It was titled "FATAL BATH NEAR REDWOOD – An explanation of the Death of Watchman Melchior Duerst."
Contributor: Maggie Coleman (49851933)
TWO DROWNING ACCIDENTS
M. Duerst, a native of Switzerland, aged thirty-nine years, watchman at Searsville dam, was missed on Wednesday afternoon after 4 o'clock. On Thursday afternoon Mr. Lawrence of the Spring Valley Water Works was notified and went to Searsville to join in the search. John Mosher, watchman at the Crystal Springs dam, also went to Searsville and found the clothes of the missing man on one of the unfinished concrete benches or off-ets on the north side of the dam, about twenty five feet from its crest, over which the water was pouring and dashing into spray as it struck the projecting concrete blocks forming that wall of the dam.
After the clothes belonging to Duerst were found, grappling irons were used to drag the pool below. In this means the body was recovered and Coroner Crowe was then notified.
At the inquest held Thursday afternoon, Geo. D. Greeley, P. Mathison, W. J. McCormick, J. J. Kelly, J. L. Elwarde and W. H Adams listened to the testimony presented by Mr. Lawrence, A. H. Mosher and H. Koop, after which a verdict of accidental drowning was rendered.
It appears that the deceased was in the habit of going out on the concrete ledges of the dam to take shower baths by letting the descending spray dash over him. On this last occasion he evidently missed his footing on the slippery surface of the bench or offset where he was standing and fell some forty-nine feet into the pool at the foot of the dam, striking the sharp corners of the concrete blocks as he fell and sustaining seven fractures of the skull.
Deceased, was a member of the Independent Order of Foresters and leaves a wife and two young children. Of $1000 life insurance that will become available, deceased had planned that $500 should be paid to his wife in case of his own death, and $500 to his daughter.
The San Francisco Call, Volume 81, Number 138, 17 April 1897, had an article with much the same content. It was titled "FATAL BATH NEAR REDWOOD – An explanation of the Death of Watchman Melchior Duerst."
Contributor: Maggie Coleman (49851933)
Gravesite Details
Born; Switzerland,
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