Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1888-08-16
THE PENNSVILLE TRAGEDY.
FULL DET HIS OF THE TERRI
BLE DROWNING.
Five Persons Meet Their Death-.
The Captains StOry--Find-
ing the Bodies.

ing accident in Salem county during
the squall on Wednesday, night, alone
published in our columns Thursday,
are sickening in details, which are as
follows:
SALEM, Aug. "a wild wind storm,
accompanied by profuse thunder and
lightning, prevailed in this section
from 7.30 to s o'clock last evening. Du-
ring the storm the sloop Flora B., of
Pennsville, N. j., capsized in the Del
aware river above that place, and four
women and child were drowned.
The names of those drowned are:
Mrs. Anna Wheaton. wife of Captain
Wheaton, aged about 55 years; Mrs
Sadie Wheaton, aged 30 years, wife Of
Wheaton's son; Mrs. Thomas Finne-
gan, aged. 20 years; Dora Wheaton,
daughter of Mrs. Sadie Wheaton, aged
8 years; Mrs May Turner, aged 42
years, wife of Jonathan T. Turner.
The saved are: Captain Elijah Wheat
ton, Jonathan T. Turner and Clayton
Baton, brother of Mrs. Sadie Wheat
on and of Mrs. Finnegan.
Captain Wheaton and his party had
left Pennsville in the morning for
Pennsgrove, to attend the picnic given
by st. Georges Protestant Episcopal
Church, of Church's Landing. Capt.
Wheaton, in bis lifelong service on the
water, had always been opposed, he
said, to taking women aboard his boat,
but he strained a point on this occa-
sion, and took the four women and
child with him. The distance between
the two places is only about seven
miles. Nothing occurred to mar their
pleasure until the return voyage.
The party had intended to return
about s o, clock, bnt by various delays
it was almost 6 o'clock when they
started. In Difference to the fears OF
the women, the Captain took in two
reefs in his main sail, and took the
bonnet out of his jib. AS he after
wards remarked: IF l had not reefed
my sails ! would have reached home
before the storm came up, but the
women were afraid and l reefed her.
About 6.45 p. m, off Church's Land
ing, the squall struck the sloop, almost
heeling her over. The first blow was
over in few seconds and the craft was
almost righted again, when second
and severer blow struck her and upset
her. The frightened women in the
cabin were screaming at the top of
their voices.
AS she was going over Mr.. Turner
managed to grab one of the women,
who was standing near the companion
way, by the arm, but a heavy sea
washed him overheard and released
his hold. He managed to crawl upon
the sloop's bottom, and thinking he
was the only one saved of the whole
party, SWAN for the yawl boat which
was towing astern, but did not upset.
where he found Capt. Wheaton and
Clayton Baton nearly exhausted
The tug E. L. Cain, Captain Harris,
of Philadelphia, bound out with the
schooner, j. s. Hopkins in tow, saw
the sloop capsize, and the captain or
dered his men to throw off the schoon-
er's hawser, and immediately steamed
for the wreck which was about SOC
yards off. He picked up the men in
the yawl boat, put them aboard the
t,ro< 1aa e,l) i
made an effort to get the bodies from
the cabin, but without success, owing
to the heavy sea. A line was made
fast to the wrecked vessel, and after
considerable difficulty she was towed
ashore by the tug about half a mile
above Pennsville. The tug then steam
ed towards Pennsville, where she lam
ded the men.
CAPTAIN WHEATON'S STORY.
What has happened can only be told
in the words of old Captain Wheaton,
for he is the only one of the three male
survivors on boad who seems to have
kept his head. The Captain says that
he felt sure that he could make Penns-
vile under the breeze that was blow
ing, and that after he took the reefs in
his mainsail, the storm came up much
more rapidly than he had expected.
The first thing he knew the thunder
storm was on them, but the wind had
not increased to gale.
1T was still a main. sail breeze" the
Captain said "and nothing alarming.
sent Clayton forward to haul the jib
sheets aft and l heard the jib Tapping,
for the wind had died out. Then, as
quick as yon could clap your hands,
sir, it changed from Southwest to West
and struck us a-beam with force that
at first felt would send us to the
bottom. There we were fiat over on
our side with wind that think must
have blown me bodily overheard. Any