Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1891-10-06
CARRIED OUT TO SEA.
Remarkable Eek perience of Two Coney Is
land BatherS

land Bathers.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, September
2S.-Went in bathing with pretty
girl at Coney Island August 9th:
washed out to sea, rescued by passing
schooner, taken toward South America.
exchanged on another vessel off Flor
ida coast. landed near the mouth OF the
ST. Johns river, tramped to this city
and now in boarding house "ere. Such
in brief is the story of Samuel' w.
Thornton and his pretty sister-in law.
Eva Jewell, both OF 227 Cumberland
avenue. Brooklyn. 1t is. tale to
stretch the widest imagination, and
yet the story is true. The parties are
fully identified, and tell their story in
straightforward manner. Thornton
lives in Brooklyn, where he and his
brother conduct bakery and cOnfec-
tionary business. His wife was in
line country rusticating and Sam
uel thought it good time to have a
little fun himself. On Thursday noon
he and Eva Jewell, his 23-year-Old sis
er-in-law, took Coney Island train
and at 2 p. m. were in bathing. Sud
denly as Thornton says q big roller
came up, and in a moment they were
struggling out beyond their depth,
while heavy waves and rapid tide
carried them out so quickly as to pre-
vent their crying for assistance. Hall
stunned by the waves and choked by
tho salt water, Thornton, who is good
swimmer, had the presence OF mind to
catch hold of Eva and hold her up. Sf e
could not swim and was almost para
lived by fear. Minutes rolled on ano
still they were carried seward. Thorn
ton clung to the half. inanimate form Of
his sister-in-law and tried to keep her
ahoat, log that he caught helping
him greatly.
They became almost unconscious, and
Thornton says his first recollection Is
when sailing vessel came near them.
He half rose out of the water and
shouted frantically for help. They
heard him, rounded to. lowered boat,
and in few minutes approached, and
the half drowned pair we're taken on
board. The sailors could not talk En-
glsh, and could only express them
selves by signs. The captains wife
quickly had the insensible girl in the
ca bin, her bathing dress removed and
began eating her to restore life, while
the captain and mate did the same
thing for Thornton. BY this time it
was dark, and when Thornton recov-
cred he could not see land, and knew
not where they were being carried.
Only the captain and mate could speak
little English, and that only suffi-
GENTLY to express sympathy, but not to
say where they were going. BY MORN
inc the girl was delirious and raving in
a wild manner over her escape. No
land was In sight, and Thornton
could not induce the captain
to put them on shore. He finally ex-
planned by signs that if the girl re-
covered he would put them on the first
vessel he met going to New York. The
girl still continued to rave at intervals,
and then fever set in, keeping her very
low for many days. Meanwhile Thorn
ton had been supplied with clothes by
the kindly sailors, who thought none OF
them could soeak word of English,
did all possible to assuage his grler and
distress of mind at his fearful situation.
He finally fell to help them at their
tasks to keep his mind at rest, as he
feared he would go crazy If he kept
thinking OF the distress of his wife
when she learned of his disappearance.
The name of this vessel he can not
recollect. but it began with tx" and
she was bound for some South Ameri-
can port. After thirteen days of this
life, after many failures, they managed
to hail a vessel that stopped and took
them off. This was Spanish vessel,
so Thornton says. The captain could
only speak English in very limited
manner. This vessel was the Kathe-
grona, as near as he can remember, and
was bound for Yukatan, going through
the Florida straits. He was made
oorn forfa hla and his sisfar-i n law nlaced