Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-05
DOWN TO DEATH
Five Young People Drowned
in the COnIOQuenessing by
THE CAPSIZING OF 4 SKIFF
Sad Ending Of a Pleasure EXcur-
sion Yesterday.
ONE RESCUED, BUT MAY DIE.
Alleghenys Brightest Young Ladies Among
the Missing.
A MAN DROWNED AT McKEESPORT

Death, even with illness and preparation
as mis- forerunner, is a grim, unwelcome
guest, and always seems out of place. But
Death at pleasure party, picnic. an ex-
cursion-reaching out his icy fingers for
half a dozen lives-how forbidding, how
doubIy dreadful! A merry party of IA
young men and women eft Allegheny for
Duck Run, four miles above Forest Grove,
on the Connoquenessing creek, to spend a
pleasant day in the woods. But only eight
OF them returned. The bodies of five are
lying at the bottom of the creek, and one is
dying at farm house from the effects of the
shocx. They had gone out skiff riding; but
the stream was swollen by the heavy rains,
and the craft was driven into the rapids above
the dam, and capsized. The party in the boat
who were drown ed, were:
MAY ROYAL, aged II years, daughter Of Jacob G.
Royal collector for the Grocers' Association, Of
Boyle street, Allegheny.
FANNIE McCOMB, agedE years, Of Clifton ave-
nue., Allegheny.
NELLIE BUTTON, aged is years. a niece Of
George H. HiIdebrand. of East jefferson street.
Allegheny. She was the cashier at Reuben's
IDA CAssIDAY, aged 2 years, of East jefferson
street. Allegheny; saleslady at Boggs &
Bulbs.
BERT FREEMAN. aged 10 years. of Ackley
street
Edward Shaffer was also IN the boat, but he
was saved bv clinging to the boat which had
risen and lodged against rock until he was
rescued
A MERRY CHURCH PARTY.
The picnic party was composed of members
snf ha rch NJ F Church n addition
to those who were drowned were Misses Annie
Frew, Lydia Ferguson 1.-TWO young ladies from
Bennett station) and Messrs. George H. How
ard, Bud Hiloerbranj, Will Parker and Will ].
Sample.
The young folk had all been at prayer meet
ing on Wednesday night. when they decided to
take an excursion to Duck Run. They left on
the s o'clock train and reached the grove
shortly before noon, when they sat down to
lunch. Six of the party, while wandering
along the swollen creek, noticed boat tied to
the bank and Immediately decided on a ride.
They rowed out ia the stream, not knowing
anything of ths rapids below. The balance of
the party saw them from the bank and noticed
the rapids below. They called to them to come
back, but the only response they received
was the waving of handkerchiefs. In
a few seconds the boat was whirlIng
down the rapids. striking rock and capsizing
Shaffer held onto the boat, but the others sank
and their bodies did not rise to the surface.
Shaffer has been an invalid for some time and
was in very delicate health. His companions
called to him to hold on until assistance ar
rived, bu: Shaffer said he could not hold on
longer than a minute.
A NOBLE RESCUE.
A rope was fortunately secured and VIII
Sample fastened it around his body and swan
OUT 20 the overturned boat He did not
ocbi a hot had inst
loosened his hold. The rope was quickly
fastened around his body and both young men
were drawn to the shore Shaffer was taken
to farm house where he received medical
attention. The accident occurred at exactly
206 o'clock, as the watch in Shaffer's pocket
stopped at that time, but the news of the terri
bic affair did not reach the city until after z
O'Clock in the evening. Bud Hil1erbrand tele-
graphs the particulars of the accident to Rev.
w. T. Connor, pastor of the Arch Street
Church, and he and his wife started on the sad
mission of notifying the afflicted families. Mrs.
Connor says she has been a minister's wife for
IA years and has many sad duties to perform,
but this was the saddest.
The mother of one of the girls. Miss
Burton was not told of her daughters fate.
She had been an inmate of an insane asylum
for four years, but two weeks ago was pro-
nounced cured, and returned
TO HER HAPPY HOME.
The shock, it is believed, will dethrone her
reason. The parents of the other girls are un-
able to realize the fact that their children are
lying at the bottom of a stream 80 miles from
home.
The young ladies took a very prominent part
in church affairs, and contributed literally
from their earnings and savings last Sunday
toward paying off the debt of the new Arch
Street Church. Miss Ida Cassiday was one of
the handsomest young ladies on the Northside.
Misses McCombs and Royal were only
daughters.
A rescuing party left at midnight on special
tram for the scene and will endeavor to recover
the bodies to-day.
The Coroner was notified last night that John
Boyle, a single man 80 years of age, was
drowned about o'clock last evening while
bathing in the Monongahela river at McKees-
port. Boyle lived at Reynoldton. The body
was recovered.