Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-06-09
A SHOCKING FATE.
Four Children Drowned in the
River at Rapids City.
A TERRIBLE SUNDAY CALAMITY.
Three Children from One Family, and
the Only One from Another, Meet
Watery Tombs--.Full Details of tine
Direfui Calamity---GloOm in the
Upper End of the County

RATIOS Cry. June 8 Yesterday af-
ternoon about o'clock Roy Yost, aget
nine years, and son of John Yost, far,
mer. living 9 bout two miles south of Rap
Ids City; Maggie Baker, aged ten years
daughter of Geo. Baker, a resident, ant
Lola, Alfred and Chas. Sheib, aged nine
seven and three years old, respectively
and children of Jacob Shieb, the black.
smith here, were playing around the
blacksmith shop together, their mother
having gone across the street to neigh
boris with tie baby. aud Mr. Shieb had
gone into the country riding Someone
of the children proposed boat ride,
and Roy Yost says it was the
little Baker girl, the objective point be.
ing the island which is about sixty rods
from the shore and a little above the
mill. connecting with the mill by dam.
now all under water, owing to the pres
ent stage of water, and very strong
current is running all along the shore.
The children were seen BY Agent Webb's
mother and wife to pass by their house,
which is scross the street from Mr..
Shiebs house, and they saw the little
Shieb grl take the little boy to his
mother. but he would not stay and ran
after them. They had said nothing to
her of their intentions, and she though,
nothing wrong OF their playing. Mr..
Webb's mother spoke of going to see
where they had gone, and Mr.. Webb's
wife went to the rear of their house which
is only about one hundred feet from the
river, and was Mortified at seeing the
children in Mr.. SHEDS boat, and the boat
GOING SWIFTLY DOWN THE RIVER.
The children were thoroughly alarmed
and screaming at the top of Their
voices, Mrs Webb also began To
scream ard called for Mrs. She'll
and others, but il was some time
before any one was at the scene, as
nearly all the men folks were away some
where or at the church arranging for a
Chidren's Day service She SAW the
boat strike the shaft of an old mill wheel
and passing under it throwing all the
children out.
Her cries had attracted near neighbor,
Mr. Newton, and he ran down below the
mill and saw the boat with Roy Yost
alone in it, One of the others. presuma-
bly, Alfred Sheib. was floating near the
boat, and Roy was calling to some one to
come and save him. Frank Mitchell and
John Jacobs procured boat and rescued
young Yost from mis- perilous position.
but
THE REST HAD SUNK AND WERE LOST.
The news spread rapidly and in very
short space of time dozen boats were on
the scene Of the accident dragging for the
bodies, and in about two hours the body
of Lulu Shieb was found about sixty feet
from where she went down and was ten.
derby carried TO the trebly stricken home.
where the mother lay Frustrated by the
terrible shock. A short time after the
body of Maggie Baker was recovered near
where the first one was found and taken
to her sorrowing parents. Early this
morning the body of little "Alf" as he
was familarly called, was found and taken
home and only Charlie, the youngest of
them all. remains TO be found.
The river being quite high now makes
a very strong current here at the rapids.
and MIR. Sheib, who always kept his boat
locked sec lrely, is at Il loss to know how
no nfa ha
kept overhead in his shop and they must
bave got something and knocked them
down from their place in the loft. The
children OF nearly all the people residing
along the river play along the banks al
all times through the day, but something
seemed to tell Mrs Webb's folks that
SOMETHING WAS WRONG
or no one would have known of it per-
haps for several hours-until the children
would be missed and search would
show the boat gone. and then there would
be an uncertainty as to whether they had
fioated down the river or where they had
gone. So it was very fortunate indeed
in their being seer at all. Maggie
Baker YVES an only daughter, while of
four children Mr.. and Mrs. Sheib have
but one left-a little baby girl about eight
or nine months old 1t was very sad
affair and should serve as terrible warns
ing to Others There are at the mill two
places for water wheels of the old kind
and it was in the space where the outer
one had been that the boat was swept I'M
der. The old shaft of the water wheel is
still there and is about six or eight inches
above the water, and the space is about
twenty feet wide. The water pours
through here with terrible velocity and
the boat in striking the shaft no doubt
did so will shock that threw the chill
dren all out in the water, though young
Yost says he told them all to lie down, but
that Charlie, the youngest. fell out and
Lulu. the eldest girl. jumped after him to
save him and when she came up and
SCREAMED FOR HELP
that Maggie Baker jumped in to save her
and ALT. then jumped in, probably so
frightened that he did not know what he
was doing. Roy says he rcmem bers GO
ing down and when he came up II was
beside the boat which he caught with one
hand and then climbed in and commenced
calling to some one of the others whom
he saw floating near him. 1t was the
most distressing and fatal accident that
has happ ened here for good many years
There has been one or two children
drowned at the mill before but never so
many at one time. and never in a boat.
Station Agent Webb saw what after
ward proved to be Alvin Cox's body float
through the very same place the time he
was swept away on July A, 1888. in Bar
n ofn
river bank back of his house and saw
what Looked like a rubber coat fiOa,
through there, and Immediately notified
the searchers. and it proved to be his
body. Maggie Bakers parents were all