The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1883-04-14
FRIGHTFUL DISASTER.
CECIL P. WHITAKER AND THREE
COMPANIONS DROWNED.

CECIL P. WHITAKER AND THREE
COMPANIONS DROWNED.
Great Excitement-The Search for the
Bodies, ETC., etc.
4 most melancholy disaster occurred on
the Susquenanna River, somewhere between
Havre de Grace and Turkey Point, on
Thursday evening of last week Upon the
morning of that day, Cecil p. Whitaker,
son of George 2. Whitaker, Esq, pro-
prietor Of the Principle Iron Furnaces and
one of our most esteemed and prosperous
citizens, who had been visiting his farm on
Turkey Point for several days previous, &C
companied by white man by the name OF
Lewis ,Jetferes, and a colored man named
William Hopkins, started from the Point
for Havre lie Grace, in gilling skitf-
The distance from the Point to Havre de
Grace is from ten to twelve miles, across
the open mouth of the Susquehanna or head
of Chesapeake Bay. They reached the town
in safety, transacted the buIine fer
| which they came, and Mt about six O'Clock
|
| The wind at this time was blowing a stiff
gale, and the party was advised not to un.
dertake to cross, especially as their boat
was in Il very unsafe condition, and was
heavily laden with bone dust, pillow castings,
! While in Havre de Grace, Mr. Whitaker
had hired a colored lad, who WAS to return
with them. The boy saw the danger, and,
for I al 10 pfprf IN
fears We're finally queted and the start
made This was the last heard of them.
The bridge tender at the railroad bridge was
the only one it seems, who saw or took par
ticular notice of them after they set sail.
He saw them some distance below the
bridge, their boat laboring in the heavy
seas, and feared then that they would not
succeed in reaching their destination.
On Friday morning the boat, stove and
dismantled was found at Wilson Il Rutter's
fishing shore. containing nothing but JEFF
fries coat. The oars and mast dlifted ashore
at another point. Efforts at recovering the
bodies were ut once made The river both
above AMI below Wilson 4 Rutters Shore,
was dragged ON Saturday, but no further
signs of the lost party were found. On
Monday and Tuesday the open water be-
tween the Point and Havre lie Grace, was
dragged so far As it was possible, without
result. Long ropes, with barbed hooks of
iron fixed upon them at intervals of - few
feet, well the large fishing seiuss,
drags, grapples, etc, were used.
George p. Whitaker, Esq, left no means
untried for the speedy recovery of the
bodies. He offered large sums in reward,
an incentive to the efforts of the search
ing parties. On Monday the hat Of Sprig |
Hopkins drifted ashore near Wilson's fish !
cry, and from this it is thought the accident |
occurred we'll up towards IIavre lie Grace,
as the har, being water soaked, would drift |
slowly. The fatal accident is thought to
have been caused by the boat striking
snag, of which this water is full, while driv- |
ing before the heavy gale, and after filling |
/ it capsized. When the boat was found |
large hole was stove in her bow, the mast |
! had been broken OFT, and with the sail, was !
missing. The fact of there being nothing in |
the boat, except Il coat, which seemed to be
stuffed into the hole, is conclusive evidence |
that she had been capszei. The boat was
an ordinary gilling skiff, about eighteen to
| twenty feet in LENGTH and was said to be |
unseaworthy and totally unfit to attempt |
! this trip in, especially i'll rough weather,
such AS prevailed on Thursday evening.
Cecil Whitaker was the youngest son of
George l.. Whitaker, Esq. He was 4 young
man of not urr" than thirty-two or three
years of age. and favorite of his father
! He owned and operated a farm upon the
! Turkey Point side, which he frequently |
visited, remaining here often for several
weeks at time. He WAS on one of these
! periodical visits when the accident occurred |
/ He was a married man, and leaves "A widow
and one child TO mourn his untimely end.
| Lewis J, fries was a white man, residing in |
Elk Neck, and was frequently in the en-
ploy of Whitaker The two colored persons |
were also employed by him.
LATEH-FINDING THE FIRST BODY.
| The search was continued during he past |
I week. The coat of one of the culured men |
was among the first things found. Then |
/ the anchor of The boat was brought up; |
/
those that We're worn by ,jeffries, when he
left Havre de Grace The finding of them
| shows that some effort had been made by
| him to save himself. He was an expert
swimmer, and must have taken the gar
mcnt from his person while in the water,
Il feat not easy to perform. The hat of Mr..
! Whitaker was also found, but as it is
thought to have drifted, perhaps fallen
from his head at the time the boat capsiZed,
| it gave little or no clue as to the whereabouts
of his body.
| On Thursday morning the first bsdy was
found. 1t WAS taken hold of by the drag and
brought to the surface At a point far out in
| the river, in direct line between White
Bank and Havre de Grace When brougl,
to the surface it proved to be the body of
the colored man Hopkins, who was one of
the three who first sailed from tho Turkey
point side, for Havre de Grace. The news
reached North East very shortly aft rwards,
but it was there stated that it was Whitaker,
and not the colored man, who was found
When this news was received all the stores
were closed aud tho citizens in body, to
the number of several hundred proceeded to
the wharf to meet the tug bearing the body,
which was then stea ming up the river.
The body of Hopkins was taken charge of
by the authorities and prepared far burial.
The search is still going on, but up to the
time of going to press no further develop
ments had been made.