Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-08-22
SEVEN DROWNED TOGETHER
An Entire Family Lost at
Ocean City, Md.
BY THE CAPSlzlNG OF THEIR BOAT
The Craft Crowded and
Handled Improperly.


Ocean City, Md, Aug. 10. Seven
persons were drowned in Isle of Wight
Bay yesterday morning as the result of
overcrowding little boat managed by
youth of little experience. Five Of
the bodies lie tonight in the homes Of
grieving relatives, while two are still
at the bottom Of the bay. The victims
are:
William II. Storrs, sign painter, aged
AS of No. 4S49 Lancaster avenue, Phila-
delphia.
Laura Storrs, his wife, aged 80.
Ida StorTs, a daughter, aged IA.
Eva Storrs, another daughter, aged
16.
Miss Lulu Hall, aged le, Of Bishop.
vile, Del.
Miss Lima Hall, aged IS, sister Of
the above.
Myrtle Stevens, aged Ia, Of Selby-
vile, Del.
In addition to these there were in
the Inflated craft William Hudson,
Miss Ida Hudson and William Hall, a
brother of the Hall girls.
Mr.. Storrs married in this neighbor-
hood and every year has brought his
family down for two weeks outing.
They were fond OF the water and spent
most of their time cruising and fishing.
On Saturday they were up early and
started for Gray's creek. Mr. Storrs
had arranged bay party for his
daughters and their young friends.
He employed William Hudson,
young man who knew little about boats,
to take them out. Hudson's boat is a
small one, capable of carrying only
about four people. He protested when
the nine crowded in the boat. 1t did
not avail, Storrs saying:
"Oh, there is no danger. The water
is shallow. We are close to shore. The
wind is light"
With this the boat was pushed off
and with a laugh and loud good bye
to friends on shore, the party started
for Hammock's Point. The point was
reached and the boat turned towards
an inlet In doing so the boat let in
little water.
oAPsIzED IN A TRTcE.
The women and girls, with
scream, rushed to the upper side of
the boat, capsizing the little craft in
six feet of water. The boat went to
the bottom.
Hudson dove under water and with
seeming superhuman strength wrenchcd
the mast out. This done, the boat
arose to tho surface. Mr.. Storrs was
meanwhile keeping the women and
girls from sinking.
Hudson FASTENED to his assistance,
Between them they succeeded in get.
ting all to the boat and placed their
hands on the railing, telling them to
hold on. As soon as Storrs had placed
the hands Of his wife, the last one, on
the boat, he grasped for it himself, but
his strength had been exhausted, and
with cry of despair, he sank never to
rise.
This had terrible effect ON the wife,
who let go the boat as il to spring for
her husband, but she, too, sank.
SANK ONE AFTER ANOTHER.
Tho daughters were thrown into hyt-
terics Boats had put out from the
shore, but before they came up one
after the other let go and sank They
were quickly followed by the Hail
girls
Miss Lynch struggled for few
minutes, but as hands were about to
grasp her, she also sank. Hudson, the
master Of the boat, and William Hall
were clinging to the boat when res
cued. Miss Ida Hudson was clinging
to the centreboard, and about to give
UP the struggle when grasped and
saved.
FIVE BODIES RECOVERED.
The frantic cries of the distressed
people on shore, as we'll as those drown
ing, attracted large crowd to the
opposite shore. Scores began search
ing for the bodies, but only that OF Mr.
Storrs was found during the day. The
search was renewed this morning, and
the bodies of Mrs. Storrs, her two
daughters and Miss Stevens were found
They presented horrible sight, par
ticularly that OF Mrs. Storrs, having
been eaten by crabs.
Before entering the boat Mrs. Stcrrs
took her husbands gold watch, over
800 in money and their rings and
other valuables and tied them in her
apron. Whens the boat capsized she
was tightly clutching the bundle. 1t
was recovered this afternoon.
The searchers gave up from sheer ex-
haustion at o'clock for the day. The
efforts to find the two missing bodies
will be renewed tomorrow.
Capt. Dunton, Of the life saving sta
tion at this place, says that this terrible
accident proves the need of another
station between this city and Fenwick
Island. Had there been station mid
way, the victims OF this catastrophe
would have easily been rescued