The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-13
TaE LAMAR-CoNNgLLY TRAGEDY
Details OF the Drowing of the Two
Young People.

Youag People.
The drowning OF Mr.. Henry Lamar and
Miss Louise Connolly Tuesday afternoon in
the canal at Augusta was given IN the
MORNING News dispatches Wednesday
morning. The following fuller account is
given in Thursdays Augusta Chronicle:
OUT FOR A PLEASANT RIDE.
The boat was light, round bottom row
boat, the property of Frank II. Miller, Jr.
Mr.. Lamar borrowed the boat to take Miss
Louise Connolly out in the afternoon.
Miss Connolly had called at the home of
Miss Fannie Cashin, family connection on
the hill, to make a call. Ar. Lamar and
Standard b. Owens board and room
together at Miss Cashin's, and it was from
there that the young couple set out for their
row on the lake and canal
THE POINT OF DANGER
Turning out of Lake Olmstead into the
canal and rowing toward the city, the War
wick mill IS only about 100 yards below the
lake on the lett bank of the canal. There is
a bend in this left bank Of the canal of
about forty feet. and in this bend is placed
the gates TO the race weir which carries Die
water from the canal onto the wheels Of the
Warwick mill. There is a considerable fall
from the canal to the wheel pit, and when
the gates are up the water dashes
down this race weir like a mountain
torrent. This create a tremendous current
in the canal toward this race weir, and
when both gates are up it reaches out fifty
feet from the gate and draws floating OBJ
jects in. To prevent trash and floating
timber from being carried down upon the
wheels of the mill
STRONG IRON GRATING
is placed ocross the opening in the bank of
fhn Il H.,
apart and extend up and down from above
the surface Of the water to the bottom of
the canal, ten or twelve feet long.
Mr.. Lamar and his fair companion passed
this point at safe distance in going toward
town and probably did not notice it at all.
They went down the canal probably as FAR
as the high bridge, and it was on their re-
turn trip up the canal that the terrible acct
dent occurred. 1t must be borne in mind
that in rowing the oarsman sits with his
back to the bow of the boat, and con-
sequently is going backwards all the time.
His companion must steer the boat in its
proper course, or the oarsmen does so by
taking occasional glimpses over his shoulder.
THEY WERE DRIFTING.
Mr.. Samuel W. Edison, an employee of
the Sibley mills, who was an eyewitness to
the tragedy, gives the following detailed
account OF 1t:
THE mills were not running, and had
taken my gun and started out hunting.
was on the canal bank few feet from the
gates to the Warwick mill race weir when
/ saw boat on the same sida OF the canal,
near the bank, a hundred feet or so distant.
There were two persons in the boat-a
young man, with his back to me, and
young Lady, in the stern Of the boat. facing
him THE oars were lifted from the water,
and they were idly drifting. and talking
together, not paying much heed to where
they were going.
THEY DID NOT LAND.
"JuSt ahead of them was point on the
bank where persons land on coming to the
mill, and I thought at frat they were in
tending to land there. But when they
passed the point without stopping, and
were still drifting straight toward the
gates, / said to Wiley Newby, who was
with me, those people will be drowned if
they come any nearer here l called out
to the young man, and Newby at the same
time motioned him to pull out to the mid
die of the stream. When the young man
heard me say
you'll BE DROWNED
he cast hurried glance over his shoulder
and ct once saw his danger. Hastily getting
his oars in position he turned the prov Of
his boat toward the middle of the canal,
straight across the course of the swift, rush
! lug current. He strained every nerve and g,
despite the strong current, the boat made
its way across it, about twenty feet distant
from the bank, whore we stood watching
them with breathess interest. Both Of
them realized their danger and neither OF
them uttered a word as he strained on the
oars. The boat was almost
ACROSS THE DANGER LINE
and I was sure they would escape from
their perilous position. He also evidently
thought they had gotten out of their per-
llous position, for he looked up from his
oars into the face of the young lady with g
smile Of relief.
"This cost them their lives, for as he took
his eyes from the oars he made a false
! stroke, dipping his right over too deep in
the water and he could not pull it out. The
current caught it and pulled it under the
side Of the boat, turning the boat over to
the right the young lady's left and prob
ably at the same time swapping the oar.
They both went out on the other side from
us, SO that the boat was between them and
the gates, the bottom of the boat being to-
ward the gates.
"When the young man went out he went
under and never rose again, evidently hav-
ing been drawn by the current under the
boat, and straight TO the iron grating near
the bottom of the canal.
tine young lady caught hold Of the boat
as it overturned and exclaimed: Lord,
have mercy her accent indicating that the
sentence would end with the young mans
name, but she never finished it before she
went under.
ALMOST IN REACH.
"She came up again at the end of the boat,
and be5wean the eEd of the boat and the
gates, and by this time the current had
swept them nearly to the iron grating. AS
she came up she screamed help and looked
nue. right ia the face as she reached out her
hand. had run down on the platform at
the top of the grating only two feet above
the wafer. Preached out for her band, but
missed it., and she went down again. AS she
did 50 she caught the side of the boat and
whirled it over, the top Of the boat coming
against the grating with her between the
grating and the boat.
a BRIGHTFUL CURRENT.
''Some idea Of the force Of the current
can be gained from the fac5 that it was per-
fectly impossible for US to pus1 the boat
back from against the grating or pull it out
Of the water Being unable to do anything
while the water was running out, tried to
shut down the gates. but they were locked,
and ran 70 tho mill aud called for help"
From this point on Dir. Edison's account
10 CANA fhof Of r I