With all the pioneer/genealogy work Dad has been doing, he pulled out a book that had different "news articles" from long ago. I thought I'd include this article about Joseph Burk (Grandma Hunt's dad), word for word:
From Apache County Historical Society Quarterly
Double Tragedy in Springerville
On May 16, 1916, Joseph Burk, 28 years of age, his two cousins, Elija and Commodore Everett, Lonnie Trammel and Grover Atkins, all of Springerville, were out in a boat on Becker's Lake. The boat capsized and Lonnie and Elija, who was crippled, were drowned.
Grover and Commodore were able to swim to shore. Joe, who had on rubber boots, went to the bottom of the lake. He said he walked, counting his steps so he wouldn't stay down too long, come up for air then go to the bottom again to walk until he reached the shallow water. Commodore put a long board out to Joe and he grabbed it and Commodore pulled him on in to shore.
Joe was completely exhausted and lay on the bank vomiting water and trying to get his breath while one of the men ran to the Tom Phelps home for help. He said it seemed like hours that he was at the bottom of the lake. When he was taken to his parents' home they had large fires built in both fireplaces and every stove so that they could warm the chilled and sick young man.
The entire community was shocked and saddened by the double tragedy.
We took these pictures in February 2010 when Dad and I went to Springerville for Aunt Elda's (Grandpa Hunt's sister) funeral.
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