Rocky Mountain News
June 1, 1894

Eddie Wickman is Carried Off by the Flood

Eddie Wickman, the eight year old son of Edward Wickman, a car cleaner, living at 36 Winne Street, in the bottoms, was drowned in the Platte last evening at 6:30 o'clock. Ex-Lieutenant of Polce Clay, who is in charge of the guards at Burlington round house, telegraphed the coroner. The river was dragged in places for the body, but it had not been recovered at 10:30 o'clock. The Platte was a raging stream last night and hundreds of people went down to watch the waters. Eddie Wickman, in company with Fred Preinge, Norman Maloy, and Charlie Nelson, was walking along the bank of the stream between the Colorado Central and Burlington bridges. Coal slack had been dumped at this place and the boys were kicking it into the stream. Eddie's little sister told him to go home, but he refused to do so, saying he would wait for his father to come.

"See what I can do.", he said to Fred Preinge, kicking the coal dust into the river. The dust on which he was standing suddenly caved in and the boy fell into the river.

Anton Larson jumped in after the lad but the current was so strong he had great difficulty in keeping himself from drowning. Another man named Frank Warren waded into the stream lower down and caught the boy by the coat collar, but was forced to let go by the violence of the current. Mrs. Wickman was heart broken last night in her little home in the bottoms. She has five other children and Eddie was next to the eldest. At 11 o'clock she was notified that John Cornelius, a switchman, had discovered the body near the Burlington bridge.

Transcribed by Leona L. (Wichmann) Gustafson

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE: The victim's surname was actually spelled WICHMANN.  He was my grandfather's older brother.  Edward died the day after my grandfather's first birthday.