Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1878-12-20
EOt ND DEAD.
THE BJDIEs Or ALLEN AND vASTISE FOUND ON
AN IsLASD-NOT DROWNED, But DIED

THE BODIES O. ALLEN AND vASTIsE FOUND ON
AN IsLASD-XoT DROWNED, But DIED
FROM EXPOSURE
The bodies of Ethan Allen and Seward
Vantine, the Grand Isle men who were sup
posed to have been drowned in attempting
to cross from Plsttsburgh. on Wednesday.
December 4th, and Tor whom a rigid search
has since been made, were discovered Satur-
day, in the boat. which had been grounded in
little bay in Llw' ; island about half a mile
northwest of Colchester Point The men
had evidently per-hcd of cold and exposure.
They wsro discovered By Mr.. Heman Null
lany. keeper of the Colchester reef light
house. The boat was in good condition
and contained nearly all the freight with
which the unfortunate men started.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS.
By the courtesy of Mr.. Walter But
ton, assistant keeper of the Colchester
reel light hOuse. we are in possession Of the
following additional facts connected with
the terrible fate of Ethan Allen and Seward
Vantyne. The bodies were discovered by
Mr.. Button on Friday. December 18Th, on
the north side Of what is commonly known
as Ben. Laws island, about half mile
northwest of Colchester point. They were
in the bow of the boat, frozen stiff and
covered with ice and the bottom of the
craft was stove in and the eunwals broken.
Nothing was in the boat-a good sized
skiff-save the bodies, though when it left
Plattsburgh on that fatal night it was
laden with several hundred fee. of lumber
and considerable other freight. Evidently
the boat had capsized in the dreadful storm
that ragged on the night in question. and
the men had been able 70 regain it. only to
die Of cold and exposure. The wind and
awful freight-men dying o! cold in tine
darkness and st0rm-tO the shore of the
island; but when the day broke they had
''another morn than ours" The horrors of
such death language is inadequate to de-
scribe. OF all the tragedies of which the
lake has been the occasion and the witness.
none have been SO complete in all the ele-
meDts of horror as this.
The bodies were taken to North Hero on
Saturday by Ii. L. Mslsney, Walter Button
and W. B. Macrac, one Of the sele1tmen Of
Colchester.
We are indebted to Rev. U. e. Wheeler
for the following additional details:
Mr.. Button, and George the little son of
Mr. Manaley, were cruising around the
island. when the boy discovered the boat.
On going to it, the fearful sight of the
wreck and its liteless occupants was theirs
The boat had been thrown upon the rocks
and badly broken. The bodies, one upon
another, were found in the bow. Vantyne
lay upon his overcoat. One boo. was gone
and his hat. His closed eyes and lips. with
the expression Of his face, seemed 10 indi-
cate that. despairing of help, he had lain
down to sleep and die. lie probably died
frst. Allen Oyercoat was gone. Hats and
mittens. in fact everything in the
boat was gone. There are many theories
as to the nature Of the accident, and the
manner and time of their death They
evidently did not drown. From the fact
that their overcoats had been taken of.
and from other indications, it would seem
that they worked for their lives, till over
powered by exhaustion and cold. Their |
boat, for such weather. was overloaded. |
But God only knows the story of their
death. There is field for endless and |
useless copiectnra