Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-02-23
SHOCKING CASUALTY.
a Hoy Frozen TO Death en- the Lake
Full Particulars Of the Dreadful Ar
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A hoy Frozen to Death en- the Lake
Full Particulars Of the Dreadful Ar
We are called upon to-day to chronicle
most distressing casualty and one calculated
to elicit the sympathles of the public to an
unusual degree. A thirteen years-od boy
willie" Hathaway Of Pitkin street, was froz
en- on the lake Friday. lie had started at 7
or y o'clock that morning TO carry breakfast
to his father, Timothy Hathaway, at j. r.
Booths lumber yard. The day being a warm
one he had left home thinly clad, without an
overcoat or scarf, wearing cotton stockings,
and his hands protected by mttens. After
leaving his father he went out on the lake
with his sled, and was last seen
by some boys, outside the break
water chasing his hat, which had
blown away. A strong south wind was then
blowing, but il his disappearance had been
due entirely to this it would seem, accord
ing to the opinion of men familiar with the
lake and the circumstances, that it would
have blown him into Appleree Point,
whence, of course, he could have made his
way home by land. The wind at
7:l5 O'Clock that morning was blowing
10 miles an hour, but increasing
until at l1:15 1t was blowing
III miles AZ hour, and late al night the rate
had reached 81 miles. Having gone beyond
the saving point and finding that it was too
Ia sn At. ~.
determined, if the plan had not been pre-
viousy conceived to keep on before the wind
and visit his aunt who lives at Pla,tsburgl.
MIR. Frank Austin, driver of the Burlington
and Plattsburgh stage, testfies that the
strongest man could hardly have faced the
wind at times during that day.
The boy, thus started, seems to been blown
to within few miles of Pittsburgh, for he
was found Saturday morning, by a mau out
ce-boating, of Stave island. only three miles
from Pittsburgh. He was lying face down.
ward on the ice, frozen stiff Ills sled was
missing and his hat was afterward found at
one end of the Pittsburgh break alter. 1t
was judged from his position that, tired and
chilled, he had laid down to sleep-and in
that sleep the poor little heartbroken lads
spirit passed from the storm and the bitter
cold into happier world.
The man with the ice boat took
the body in to Pittsburgh but his
identity WAS of course unknown Mean
while the lads father had tele sraphed to
Shelburn, 81. Adams and elsewhere, and
to his relatives in Plattsburgh, who at once
went TO view the body and telcgraphed back
that willie is here, dead" The boys faith.
er went over the lake SUNDAY and brought
the body home, and the funeral took
place at the Baptist church in this city,
tuesday at . p. III. The coroner S
inquest was held at Pattsburgh Saturday af-
tcrnoon with this result:
hereby certify that upon being called by
Acting Coroner NJ. ii. O'Brien of this place
TO view the body and report upon the proba-
bic cause OF the death of William ii. Hatha.
way, whose body WAS found upon the ice on
Lake Champlain some three miles from our
shores in the afternoon of Feb. II, 1888, my
sell in company with DIR. j. Ladd Of this
place give it us our opinion and belief that
the said William Ii. Hathaway came to his
death by exposure and chill while crossing
on the ice on the lake
I. b. NIcnoLs, NJ. d.
Pittsburgh, N. Y, Feb 1888.
In their dreadful atiiictiou the family of
The unfortunate boy will have universal SYM
pathy.
The Pittsburgh Telegram has the follow
ing in relation to the finding of the body of
the unfortunate Hathaway boy: Saturday
afternoon, George q. Conn and Hal. Mich
OILS were out ice-boatng. When in the vicin
ity OF Crab Island they espied dark object
on the ice, and on approaching, it was dis
covered to be the body Of boy. The young
men brought the body totown and 1t was
viewed by several hundred people, among
whom were Mr. Joseph Howe and wife. and
who had but few minutes before received
telegram from MIR. Hathaway of Burlipg
ton, inquring after the whereabouts of a
young son who was supposed to have started
Two or three days ago to visit Mr. Howe's
family. who are his cousins and they at once
identified the body us that of the lad 10 que :
Ton. Ihe scene was very affecting. when
MIR. Howe and his family recognized the re-
mains. Mr.. Howes son "a youth about the
same age as the dead boy, whose playmate
he had been during many visits back and
iorlh) was quite overcome with grief and
wcpt and sobbed and would not be comfor.
ed. When found, the boy was lying on his
| right side, his position indicating that he had
| laid down to sleep. lie was drcs9ed in a
short jacket of light colored cashmere, and
dark, heavy pantaloons and vest. His shirt
was OF gingham light checked blue and
white; and his feet were encased in pair of
boots nearly new. He had on warm fan
mel undcrshirt, but no overcoat."