The morning call., 1893-03-01
MUST BE DROWNED
No Tidings Yet of Church
and Frost.
MAY EMPLOY DYNAMITE.
Dragging the Slough With Nets and
Graphing Irons for the Miss
ing Duck-Hunters.

AnS uullliDR SEASON OIL 1875 mas UHQ a SOT-
rewtul ending at Alviso.
The probable death of Albert Church and
Eugene Frost cast a gloom over the gun
clubs at 'the bridges" which win not be
dispelled for some time to come.
Before the opening up of the southern
country and the conversion of the many
miles Of prairie lands Into grainhelds by
means of irrigating bitches, the Alviso and
AlvaradO marshes were considered the best
duek-hunting localities within easy reach
Of this city.
Gun clubs, COMPOSED OF spoFtsmen from
this city and San Jose, were organized, and
comfortable: :cIubnGuses were erected at a
place called 1.-The bridges" where the hunt
ers remained over night to be among the
ducks at the first glimpses of daylight.
Shooting was good here until the last few
years, when the birds became scarce, and
as a result some of the clubs disbanded.
Among the city sportsn[en who made
Alvis0 their principal bunting head
quarters were Z. :Ladd. John Stack, Judge
Xix. j. K. Ault. Frank Dolliver--a nephew of
the senior nartHer of the leather firm of
D0lliver & ChHrek-Al Neuman, Dick
Brooks aud many other local .sportsmen
who have forsaken the old hunting grounds
for pastures new. :. 60.
Frank DoliiHet has probably bagged as
many ducks at AlEiso MS any :other man.
who in tile good old shooting days paid
',the bridges" regular weekly visits during
the shooting season =.
= Frank is well known to the hunting fra.
ternity, and. to use his own words there
Is not an inch of land on the buntng
grounds that is strange TO me.' =.
In fefereneet to the dangers that are at
tacbHd TO duek-shOoting lii. the slouGhs.:
Frank states. that accidents that have hap
paned were In. most Instances caused by.
carelessness and:a forgetfulness of the dan
gers that arfse-from a sudden dip into the
slough.
Dolliyer has. had some. narrow escapes
during ducK-huntng experiences at Alvso,
and it has been. through his timely a=sis-
tance that more than one sportsman who is
now in the land of the living has escaped a
watery grave 49,
Speaking of the sad accident which has
recently occurred, Mr.. D0iliver says that,
suppOsing the men whose bndies are new
being searched for In the sIoughs were able
10 swim, their lugsagei which consisted of
loaded shells and heavy rubber boots, would.
weigh them down and prevent any possible
chance of their gaining the shore.
Again, as the wind was blowing a: heavy
gale at the time they started out TO shoot it
Is 10 be presumed when they were pitched
out by sndden :lurching of the boat the
craft drifted away from their grasp when
they arose to tue surface. or else they would
have been found clinging to it when the
tom-up. 80.
The slough in which the hunters evidently.
perished is known as MidshipWan's Slough.
and when tile wind is blowing from the
west 1t is a very dangerous place for the
most experienced navigators 10 venture
upon. especially in such crafts as hunters
use for duck shooting. =
The bottom of the slough is coated with
layer Of soft mud, from which 1t is next
10 an impossibilty for a man wearing rub
Der boots to eXtTicate himself.
All yesterday searching parties in boats
were engaged with graphing hooks and
nets dragging the bottom of the muddy
waters OF the slough for the bodies OF the
unfortunate hGRters, and up 10 late hour
last evening there was no v ord received
from the searehers.
Experienced hunters state that the aeci-
dent most probably happened at one of the
sharp turns Of the slough, where tho boat
while rounding a bend, was caught by
sudden sQuall and upset.
The store OF Dolver & Co. was visited
yesterday by the friends of the missing
sportsmen and to the many inquiries con-
cernipg Tire safety OF Messrs. Church and
Frost, The only reply was a shake Of the
head, with the remark, I'VE fear the worst
has happened them"
Eight small bents sailed up and down the
slough yesterday and their occupants re-
turned at dark after ma king an Intellectual
search for the unfortunate spOFtsmen
Mrs. Church and her two children, a boy
Of IA and a girl Of 16, are prostra.rd with
grief over the sad affair. The boy, who was
a great favorite Of MI Church, has been
continually inquiring for his papa and won
deIing why he does not reture home from
hunting
The little fellow cannot be made TO under
stand the terrible situation occasioned by
the unfortunate occurrence
No news had been received up TO a late
hour last night from the two missing men
EHHenA. GhuTph and s. T. Erngt tn
supposed to have been drowned at Alviso.
TIE searching. party continued its work
yesterday, but gave II up IN despair when
night iell.
Mr.. Humphreys, who first brought TO
Oakland the news of the drowning, re-
turned from the search at: noon. He said
that he was satisfied in his own mind the
men were at the bottom Of sOne deep pool
among the tules. ~.
G. w. McNear Jr, one Of the relatives of
Frost. returned yesterday dishsartened. A
careful search; fh the hope of finding the
bodies at low tide, had been: made, but it
proved enavaiing:" -
Mrs. Church is still unwilling to concede
.that her husband IS dead. When he did
not return Sunday night she believed that
he had missed tile train, and still thinks
that perhaps the.twO. men were separated
by the upturning Of their boat, and are
wandering lost ln:the swamp.
Mrs George: McNear, sister of Church, en-
tertains the same hope. = =
:: They waited all day, anxfously expecting
favorable news, and mad not given up hope.
Fast night. -: =: J.
81 fear the shock will kill my: poor old
mother. who is over so years of age" said
Mrs. Church yesterday. 81 hope that they.
will be found safe before thenews is broken:
10 her. We are expecting to hear from them
atany moment" With all this torment the.
night waned away without any news being
received =:
George W: MeNear and the officers of the
consolidated RAILROAD, Of which Frost was
secretary, had about given up hope last
night. The mother of Churchis is the widow.
OF the late Rev: Albert ChEfeh and lives at.
lob Chestnut street, Odkland
. i he slough has been dragged with seires
and hooks ,, without u success and to-day giant
powder vii be used to brihg up the bodies,
as IL Is desired TO get them before they are
much decom posed. G. w. McNear and 9th
ers went to: a lviso last evening.
-ALYIso, Feb. 28-G. w. McNear with a
special train came here last night, and
terial necessary started back to iithe
bridges" TO drag the slough with seiDes and
hooks in hope of finding the bodies OF
Church and Frost at low tide.
SIX small boats. with three men: in each.
started from "the bridges" and two from
here.
'Iliis morning Mr.. Frost, a cousin of the
drowned Hlan, came here to purchase SUPP
plies for the men at "tbe bridges" He
reports that as vet no sign or clew has been
found, and last nights search was without.
success.
Continued search is, however. being
made. and, as the tIdeis extremely 10 W tins
afternoon, there may be i'm pOr tant deyeIon
ments Tonight 1t is said that il success is.
not soon met with the searchers will eni.
ploy giant powder, to see IL that will
answer the purpose OF bringing the bodies
To light