The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-06-05
GEN. @. E. BABCOCK.
The Drowning of Gen. Grants Old
Private Secretary.
Where and How It Happencd-Tuo
other Gentlemen Find Watery
Graves at the Same Time
-RabcOck's Life,

WASHINGTON CITY, June 5-A party con
sIsting of Gen. Q. E. Babcock, B. p Sutter,
Levi T. Luckey, and W. H. Bailey, all of
this city, left Baltimore Monday, the 10Th
uit,, bound for Mosquito inlet on the eastern
coast of Florida. They sailed in the sailing
vessel Pharos, which is the tender of the Sixth
Lighthouse district, and which was loaded
with material for the erection of a lighthouse
at Cape Canaveral. Owing to head winds
they were nine days in reaching Charleston,
where they ran in to land Mr.. Bailey, who is
superintendent Of lamps under the district
government, and who only had a ten days
leave The others then pursued their trip
LATER.-A telegram was received at
the place where Sutter was employed, sen
from Daytona, Volusia county, Florida, aud
signed by George ID. Benjamin, stating that
Gen. Babcock, B. 2. Sutter, and Levi L.
Luckey were drowned at Mosquito Inlet
and that the body Of Gen. Babcock had been
recovered. The dispatch contained no
further details. No official information
of the drowning of Gen Babcock
had been received at either the engineers
Office OF at the Lighthouse board. At the
office Of the latter, however, Capt. Picking
received telephone message from Gen. Bah
cocks headquarters in Baltimore stating Il
Mr.. Bailey ha! received private telegram
from Mir, Benja to the same effect as that
sent to MIR. Franzoni, except giving the date
of the casualty as Saturday last
The report of the accident spread about the
city very rapidly, and as all tie victims OF
tae unfortunate accident are well known
here, inquiries for further information were
A, j.. !, L
no further particulars had had been re-
ceived, either at the war or treasury
department Mrs. Babcock, wife of the de-
ceased, has received no nsws of the accident
other than that above given. The war de-
partment has telegraphad for full particulars,
but as Daytona is twelve miles from Mos
quito Inlet, where the accident is supposed to
have occurred, it is not likely that anything
will be known until Thursday.
Mr.. Bailey, the member of the party who
has returned, stated that he thought the
calamity must have occurred Saturday or
Sunday, as it is some distance overland TO
Daytona from the inlet Mr. Bailey believes
that the party attempted to land in a boat
from the PharoS and i'll the surf, which is
always high at that point, the boat must have
been overturned and the occupants lost
THE VICTIMS.
Gen. Babcock was the engineer for the
Fifth and Sixth Lighthouse districts, which
include Florida, and was combining pleasure
with business in the trip, while the Others
were accompanying him purely for their
| enjoyment He was major of the engineer
department, and it was while experimenting
the erection of lighthouse at Mosquito
Inlet that the accident occurred. He
will be especially remembered as the military
secretary of President Grant and as Commits
sioner of public Buildings and grounds. He
| remained practically President Grants pri-
vate secretary from the beginning of his first
administration until within year of the end
| of his second term, about the time of the
whisIzy-ring troubles He was succeeded by
| U, S Grant, Jr.
Mr. Levi p Luckey was also associated
| with President Grant during the same time
He was first made assistant secretary and
subsequently appointed private secretary.
| When he left the White House he was placed
at the head of the Indian division of the sec
| retary of the interiors office He was subse-
| quently appointed secretary of Utah terri
| tory by Gen. Grant After few years he
came east and was made the chief clerk of
Gen. Babcock's office in Baltimore.
Mrs. Babcock and her sons reside on q
| street in this city For some time past her
| health has been very poor, and it was feared
| that the shock would be disastrous to her.
She bore the painful news very bravely,
however Mrs. Babcock is daughter of B.
Il. Campbell, of Chicago, formerly United
| States marshal.