This day in history: Authorities feared the worst after a teen disappeared while canoeing, and more ‘dry agents’ were cracking down on rum-runners

From 1975: An 18-year-old canoeist disappeared near the Bowl and Pitcher on the Spokane River, and was feared to be drowned.

He and a fellow canoeist were thrown into the water when the canoe capsized. His companion was able to swim to safety, but the 18-year-old stayed with the overturned vessel. He and the canoe soon disappeared in the rapids.

A park attendant said he saw the man’s body float under the footbridge a few minutes after the accident.

Attempts to recover the body were unsuccessful so far.

From 1925: Federal Prohibition officers were in Spokane to formulate a new plan to crack down on rum-runners coming over the border from Canada.

“Enforcement officers are given considerable trouble by the smuggling of liquor through Montana and Idaho ports, which is destined for the Spokane region” the Spokane Daily Chronicle reported.

To staunch that flow, “new work was contemplated,” including the posting of 100 “dry agents” along the Canadian border.

Officials believed they were already making some progress. The liquor house in Grand Forks, British Columbia, “has decided to close because of the falling off of business.”

Also on this day

(From onthisday.com)

1787: Delegates gather in Philadelphia to draw up the Constitution of the United States.

1804: Meriwether Lewis and William Clark’s expedition sets out from St. Louis for the Pacific Coast, commissioned by Thomas Jefferson.