Walter Vance Brewer died as a result of saving Charles Kauffman from drowning, Sweet Springs, Missouri, March 20, 1927. While Kauffman and Brewer, both 18-year-old schoolboys, and others were riding in a wagon on an elevated highway that was inundated by floodwaters from Davis Creek, the wagon slipped over the side of the road, and Kauffman got in deep water. The weather and water were cold, and there was a current. Brewer and others jumped from the wagon to the highway. Fully clothed, Brewer swam 25 feet to Kauffman and then swam 15 feet with him to the upturned wagon bed, which was floating but not moving about 50 feet from the highway. Futile efforts were made to reach Brewer and Kauffman by means of ropes. A half-hour after the accident, a man with a rope tied around him swam to them, and they were drawn on the wagon bed to the highway. Both were unconscious from exposure. Kauffman recovered, but Brewer died the same day without having regained consciousness. 27172-2215
27172 – 2215
27172-2215