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Obituary 1905 WI Kenosha Wendt


Description
Kenosha Evening News, 7/8-10/1905


Source Text
Kenosha Evening News
Saturday, July 8, 1905

Two Brothers Drowned
Leo and Frank Wendt Go Down to a Watery Grave.
As we go to press the report comes to this office that a row boat with three men in it capsized at the mouth of the harbor at 3:30 o'clock. Two of the men were drowned, Leo and Frank Wendt, brothers, who worked in the Simmons Manufacturing Co.'s foundry.
The life saving crew is dragging for the bodies, but up to 4 o'clock they have not been found.

Kenosha Evening News
Monday, July 10, 1905

A Double Funeral
Remains of Leo and Frank Wendt, Drowned on Saturday, Laid to Rest This Morning.
First Story of Accident
Two Men With a Companion, Frank Lachmanski, Had Gone to Breakwater Fishing and the Boat Capsized While Returning.
There was a double funeral at the Polish Catholic church this morning when services were held over the remains of Leo and Frank Wendt, the two men who were drowned in the harbor late Saturday afternoon. It was the third double funeral of a similar nature to be held in Kenosha in less than a month and a large crowd of people attended the services. The remains of the unfortunate young men were laid to rest in the Wendt family plat in St. George's cemetery.
Coroner Robinson made a complete investigation of the drowning of the two men on Sunday and as it was so evident that it had been a case of accidental death the coroner decided that an inquest was unnecessary.
Frank Lachmanski, who was with the two men in the ill-fated boat, told the first authentic story of the accident to the coroner on Sunday afternoon. Lachmanski stated that Leo and Frank Wendt and himself had started for a fishing trip just after noon on Saturday. There was such a crowd of people on the north and south piers that they decided to go to the breakwater just out of the harbor.
They reached the breakwater just before 2 o'clock and had caught a number of fish when Frank Wendt noticed a squall coming, and suggested that they return to the piers. The old boat in which the men were riding was of the flat bottom sort, and worthless in heavy seas. The three climbed into the boat and pushed off from the breakwater. They had gone less than ten feet when a great wave filled the boat with water. Leo Wendt and Lachmanski attempted to bale out the water while frank Wendt kept to the oars. In another minute another wave came and the boat capsized. Leo Wendt had on a heavy coat, and he sank like a rock to the bottom of the lake. Frank and Lachmanski caught hold of the overturned boat and clung to it while they shouted for help.
The lookout man of the life saving crew, William Schmorrow, saw the accident and signaling the other members of the crew he hurried to the scene of the drowning, but the waves were so high that it was impossible for him to reach the two men, and Frank Wendt went down in sight of the life saver.
Wendt was an excellent swimmer and his friends are unable to account for his drowning. Less than a year ago almost at the very point where he lost his life he had jumped into the water and rescued a drowning man.
After Frank went down Lachmanski managed to cling to the whirling boat until some fishermen on the south pier managed to reach him with a fishing pole. The man just had strength enough to hold on to the pole and Matt Bielinwicz and Ignatz Adlicki who were fishing on the pier caught hold of the sides of the pier and formed a human life line by which the man was rescued. Lachmanski was completely exhausted when taken from the water and it required some time to revive him.
The bodies of the two men who had been drowned were recovered by the members of the life saving crew just after 4 o'clock and removed to the station. Later they were taken to the Hansen morgue and Sunday afternoon taken to the Wendt home on Garfield street.
Leo Wendt was 22 years of age. He was married just a year ago and is survived by a widow and one child, a boy five weeks old. Frank Wendt was 19 years of age and unmarried. Both men were employed at the Simmons Manufacturing company's plant.