Engineer John Davis
Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 June 1876, page 8
A FATAL DIVE-Engineer Davis' Fatal Dive
Mr. John Davis, engineer on the Cincinnati and Newport ferry boat, Newport Belle, was drowned yesterday morning from his boat, while laid up at the Newport wharf. On Sunday but one ferry boat of the line is run, and it is the custom for the boat laying up to clean out boilers.
Yesterday it was Newport Belle's turn to lay up and after Engineer Davis had cleaned out the boilers and made the usual cleaning up about the engines, he jumped from the guards of his boat into the river, in order to wash his person before dressing to go up town for his usual every other Sunday holiday. His plunge into the river was done fearlessly, being a good swimmer, but he never came to the surface again alive.
It is supposed that in his descent he struck something that stunned him so that he lost consciousness, causing his death. The work of dragging the rive was immediately commenced, but the body was not found until after six o'clock. The deceased leaves a wife and two children. He lived at 108 Southgate street, Newport. Coroner Winston held an inquest and the verdict was accidental drowning.
Another theory of the drowning is that it was caused by heavy cramps. Deceased was in a heavy perspiration when he made the fatal plunge and when his body was found at the mouth of Licking by a man tracing a trot line, it was hung by the arms on the line and one leg and one arm were drawn up as in cramp.