The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-03-31

LEWIS w. HARMAN DROWNED.-One OF
the saddest deaths we have been called upon
to chronicle for long time is that of Lewis
w. Hartman, native Of this city, which oc-
Cured at Colemans Falls, on James River, 12
miles above Lynchburg, last Friday at noon.
The deceased was captain of the packet sup
ply boat, John Hardley, and had been running
on the canal for year or two. 1t the place
above named, the canal has been somewhat
obstructed by the building of the railroad,
and it was necessary, as the boat came down,
to detach the horses and let it float along until
the obstruction was passed, when they would
again be fastened to it. There were only three
men manning the boat-the Captain, Lewis
Hartman, colored steersman and the driver
Immediately after the boat was detached from
the horses, it commenced to drift out towards
the middle of the river and down towards the
dam. At the same time a brisk wind came
up and accelerated its speed in the direction
indicated. 1t is supposed that Captain Har-
man, though usually cool and self possessed,
became somewhat excited at the prospect of
the boat going over the dam, and forgetting
that the anchor would save him, determined
to swim for the shore and fasten the rope.
With this idea he threw off his coat and boots,
and taking the rope on his arm, jumped into
the river and struck out for the shore. The
colored steersman, who was in the boat, begged
him not to try feat SO dangerous, but young
Hartman was confident of his ability to reach
LAND and paid no attention to the warning. As
he proceeded towards the shore dragging the
rope after him, which the colored man uncoil-
ed, the boat drifted farther and farther away.
When about fifty yards out the swimmer
found that his strength was failing and called
to the steersman to pull him in. This the
colored man proceeded to do, and had gotten
him up to the side of the boat, when he
dropped the rope and ran down to the hatch.
way to lift his drowning companion from the
water. The rope not being fastened, slacken-
ed and slipped from his arm, and the exhausted
swimmer sank to the bottom
A number of men standing on the shore
witnessed the sad occurrence but the wind
was blowing so hard, and the water running
so high that they were afraid to make any
efforts to render assistance.
1t was not until four or five hours after
ward, when brother of the deceased, Capt
A. Q. Hartman. came up from Lynchburg, that
the remains were taken from their watery
grave. Capt. Arthur Hartman and several
others procured boat as soon as they reached
tic spot, and provided with graphing hooks
commenced the search. The first time Can't.
Hartman lowered his hook it came in contact
with his dead brothers clothes, and all tina t
was mortal of the brave, gallant boy was lifted
into the boat. As a matter of course there
was no possible hope of a resuscitation, as the
body had been under the waves for hours.
The deceased was in his twenty-frst wear.
and was the third son of the late Gen'l W. 81.
Hartman. Hewas young man of fine business
capacity, and of noble, generous disposition
and sterling character. The remains were
buried from the Episcopal church in this city
on Sunday last. The large concourse that at,
tended the funeral testified to the esteem in
which Lewis Hartman was held, and to the
general sympathy that is felt for the grief.
stricken mother and family