Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-06-04
INCIDENT IN THE PAssAIO
Miss Josephine Chandler of Philadelphia
Slipped From Macdonalds Launch Int
the River, and He Rescued Her by a He
roic Effort, but Lost His Own Life.

NEW YORK, June 4.-William G. Mac
donald, aged "a, n boss plumber at 29t
Sixth avenue in this city, was drowned in
rescuing young woman who fell from
his naphtha launch in the Passaic neal
Nutley. He lived with his mother and
his brother, DIR. Macdonald, in the Chelsea
flats, in Twenty third street, in winter
and spent a great deal of his time in sum
mer at the family home in Belleville.
1t was his habit to make frequent trips
up the Passiac, and he almost invariably
stopped at the Bend View House for din.
ner in the evening. On Saturday evening
he was accompanied by Johnson Woods
and by a pretty young woman whose name
Woods and everybody else at the hotel
very unfortunately, endeavored to conceal
Slipped Into the River.
A little before clock the party start
ed away from the hotel with the young
woman daintily perched beside Macdonald
upon the wooden canopy of the "a foot
launch. The boat swung out into the mid
die of the stream, and the combined weight
of the two persons upon the canopy, being
so high above the water caused it to ca
recn as the bow was turned down stream
The boat careencd so far that the young
woman slipped off into the water Mac
donald plunged in to save her. Woods
who was running the engine, Said in his
story to County Physician Elliott yester
day that he shut off steam instantly and
threw rope to the woman. She caught
1t, and he dragged her aboard.
Meantime the boat swung broadside to
the tide, and when he looked for MacdOn-
aid he could see nothing of him. Woods
finally told the county physician with re-
luctance that the young woman was Miss
Josephine Chandler of Philadelphia, and
that she was his friend.
Tried to Keep 1t Quiet.
Miss Chandler was taken to tho Bend
View House and put in the care of Mrs.
Luke r. Brandt, the proprietor's wife
Then several parties of men were sent out
to drag the river for Macdonald's body
Macdonald's younger brother was sum.
moned from Bellcvillc, and a telegram
was sent to his elder brother in this city
Woods used every effort to prevent any
knowledge of the affair getting to the
newspapers, and he assisted in this by
a number of Newarkers who were at the
hotel.
They prevented any of the employees OF
the place from talking to reporters, and
even denied that anybody had been drown
ed or that there had been a woman in the
case, although the river was being drag
ged almost directly in front of the house
and hot drinks were being prepared fol
the exhausted young woman. Woods
threatened dire vengeance if anything was
published about the matter.
Macdonald's Heroic Struggle.
The body was found by Thomas Lem.
ons of Newark and John Mashctt of Jer-
scy City shortly before 10 o'clock yester-
day morning. 1t had not moved from the
place whore the accident had occurred.
Undertaken John d. keyler took charge
of it and removed it to his place in Bloom
field by permission of the county physi-
clan after Acting County Physician Har-
rison had examined it and found no marks
of violence. DR.. Harrison was told that
Miss Chandler had been removed to the
residence of a Mr.. Brown in Bcllcville, Il
friend of the Macdonalds'. He did not see
her to get her version of the affair. DR..
Macdonald paid 800 to the men who re-
covered his brothers body.
A man who says he saw the accident de-
clarcs that when Miss Chandler slipped
from the canopy into the water Woods
threw cushion to her, while Macdonald,
without stopping to take off Il single gar
mCnt, Sprang into the river and swan to
the struggling woman. He caught her
and swan back toward the boat with his
head under water nearly all the time. He
pushed her within reach of Woods, who
strength was then spent, and he drifted
under the counter of the boat, and the
man thought he was struck by the wheel.