Crisp Lake Chronicles - The Dead Man

Crisp Lake Chronicles – July 1956

Last month there was a tragedy that almost shut down Crisp Lake for the rest of the summer.  Logic and cooler heads prevailed and the lake remains open to the swimming, diving, and boating that has gone on there for the last 40 years. 

The Crisp Lake Chronicle decided to hold a writing contest among the children in the area at the suggestion of a child psychologist from the University of Kansas City.  He convinced us here at the Chronicle and members of the Crisp Lake Association that it would be therapeutic for the children to chronicle what they observed that one particular afternoon. 

We had several entries and printed below is the one the judges thought the winner.  The winner will not receive anything because it was decided that a prize should not be given because of the misfortune of another.

(the entry was not titled)

Mom was bringing me back to my house where I live with my grandmother and grandfather.  I noticed a crowd had gathered down at the swimming area so naturally being the nine year old that I am I went down to see what was up.

At the end of the dock I saw a man laying on his stomach with his arms extended forward and his chin resting on top of his hands.  Two firemen were bending over him pressing on his back, sliding their hands along his arms towards his elbows and lift the two elbows  up slightly keeping the man’s hands under his chin.  The process was repeated for several minutes.  I don’t know how long they had been doing it.

Pretty soon one of the firemen stopped and signaled to another to bring the stretcher.  They placed the man on the stretcher and carried him to the ambulance standing by.

At the time I did not realize the man was dead.  My grand parents told me later that evening.

Of course the lake was shut down and when the kids went out to play that night after dinner we talked about what had happened and by me not being there to witness the events I had to listen more than talk.  This is what I found out.

A man and several friends arrived at the lake opposite of where they were supposed to check in with the care taker.  Barbara was on duty that day.  His friends jumped into the water and swam over to Barbara and presented her with all the needed swim passes.  The man stayed on the other side of the lake but his friends had taken his swim pass also so he was legal to swim.  Barbara went about her business.  She was not considered a life guard and there are signs all over the place saying swim at your own risk.  All the caretaker is supposed to do is check the outsiders in, raise and lower the flag everyday, and if any of us start acting up, tell us to stop.  She can be pretty firm.

After awhile some one noticed that there was a lot of splashing and hollering in the middle of the lake.  Barbara looked up and saw what looked like a guy trying not to sink under the water.  She went to the end of the dock, took the life buoy that hung there for just such emergencies, and through it in his direction.  But the man was not to bee seen.

Some of the older boys started diving down in the general area of where the man had last been seen and after five minutes, Dave, Barbara’s brother by chance, latched on to the man's foot and pulled him up and over to the dock.  Gary, who was an Eagle Scout, started artificial respiration and continued to do so until the firemen arrived.

 Well I said earlier that the man died.  Supposedly he was on leave from the army, could not swim but thought for some reason he could make it across the lake to the shallow end and join his friends. 

I have been swimming since I was 5 years old or younger so my folks tell me.  It is very hard for me to believe a man as old as the person was did not know how.  After all he must have been at least 19 years old so the kids in the neighborhood told me.