Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Burhans, Win 1900
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Sandy Heintzelman sheintz@iserv.net December 16, 2011, 2:16 pm

Belding Banner, 17 May 1900

Win Burhans and Elmer Snell, Twp of Ionia’s Best Known Young Men Find Death
Suddenly in Grand River Last Saturday Evening.

Our neighboring city of Ionia was terribly shocked and thrown into deepest
mourning last Saturday evening when it was discovered that two prominent young
men had been drowned shortly after 6 o’clock, while fishing upon the river.  The
two unfortunates were Win Burhans, only son of a wealthy widow, 25 years of age,
a great lover of sports and out door recreation, manager of the New State
telephone exchange in that city since its inception.  He was an all round
athlete and had acquired more than a local reputation as a bicycle rider, that
he could not swim seems remarkable.  His companion was Elmer Snell, a single
man, age 35, had been a resident there some five or six years and being the
driver of the city fire team had become well known and respected by all.

The story of the accident as related by Chas. A. Chapin, a cutter in the Ionia
paper box factory, is as follows:

Chapin says he heard them talking as they came around the bend from the east,
and that he could see them both standing in the boat; that he paid little
attention to them, but heard one ask the other if he could swim; a moment later
he says they were in the water.  The boat had capsized.  Burhans and the boat
were then in the middle of the stream, Burhans trying in vain to pull himself on
top of the boat, but it being an air tight affair, would not sink and kept
rolling over and over on top of the water.  Finally Win called for help and then
went down three times.

In the meantime Snell, who was a good swimmer, struck out for the shore.  Chapin
jumped up and got a long willow pole and reached it out to Snell, who was able
to get within ten or fifteen feet of the shore, but here he was caught in a
whirl pool.  He kept trying to swim out of it, and just as he reached for
Chapin’s pole, it broke.  Chapin thinks he kept above water fully ten minutes,
when he too finally disappeared.

Burhans’ body was recovered about an hour and a half afterward and every effort
made to resuscitate him, but without avail.  Snell’s body was recovered about an
hour later than Burhans’

The funeral of Snell was held Monday afternoon at the M.E. church and of Burhans
Tuesday afternoon at his mother’s residence, every honor and token of respect
being paid them by friends.


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