Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-23
T0PATROL THE RIVER
A Valuable Suggestion to be Made to
Councils by Coroner Mcdowell.
BRANCH OF THE POLICE SERVICE.
The Idea Brought Out by the Recent Drown
ing Of Two ColOred Men.
EOBODYS DUTY TO SEEK TIE BODIES

The bodies of the colored men drowned at
the foot of Wood street, last Wednesday
morning, still lie at the bottom Of the Ohio
river. because it is nobody's business to
search for them. A case of this kind occurs
rarely to call attention to this failure of the
local law. As rule drowned man has
relatives nor friends who see that search is
made for the body. In this case it happens
that the unfortunate deckhands have neither
relatives or friends in this neighborhood,
unless it be the few colored men who knew
them along the wharf. but who. like the
dead men, are homeless and without money.
One of these colored men visited the Coro-
ner's Office yesterday morning, asking it
ner was powerless to act.
THE coRoNER's IDEAS.
Coroner Mcdowell said last evening: sit
seems to be nobody's duty to drag the river
for these bodies. During my first term of
Office colored man was drowned in the
river. l employed a professional diver to
recover the body. He charged SO for the
werk, and it was a narrow scratch that I did
not have to pay the bill out of my own
pocket. was taken to task for the matter,
business to search for the bodies Of the
drowned. I do not mean to do such thing
again.
sit would seem to be the duty of the De
partment Of Public Safety, considering the
general scope of its work, to perform such
service, but the department is handicapped.
1t has no authority to do such a thing, and
no money for the purpose.
when the son of Sheriff McCandless
was drowned, a few months ago, near Lock
No. 1, searched the city for graphing
irons with which to drag the river, but I
could not find any. then suggested to
Chief Brown that graphing irons should be
put into every police station, and the sug-
gestion is being acted upon.
A RIVER PATROL NEEDED.
"There ought to be river patrol con-
nected with the police bureau. The river is
often beset by thieves, who steal along the
wharf, on the boats tied up or in the mills
along the river. The patrols duty would be
to watch for such fellows, to guard
generally the property along the river,
and to rescue drowning persons or
search for the bodies of the drowned.
''The department cannot establish such a
patrol now. The police are not at all to
blame. The Appropriations Committee of
Councils is now about to meet, and it should
make an appropriation for such q purpose.
1t is the duty Of Councils to take up this
matter. If the committee desires, will
gladly go before it and give reasons why q
river patrol should be established
In the case Of the drowning of the two col
ored men off the @. W. Bachelor, the acci-
dent occurred at o'clock in the morning,
and the news of the affair did not reach the
police until o'clock in the afternoon, when
the patrolman on the Water street beat was
informed of the affair by reporter for The
DISPATCH.
Inspector McAleese said: at is not the
duty of any of the authorities to search for
the bodies in the river. That is done only
by the friends of persons who are drowned.
Graphing hooks for dragging the river
have been purchased, and will be placed in
the police stations next week, for use in
cases of emergency"