The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-08-20
Three Men Drowned While
Sailing the Monogram.
CAPT. PARROT TO THE RESCUE
All But Three Picked Up By the
Alarm-NOne of the Other
Bodies Recovered.

During dhe regatta festivities yester-
day. while the slJop race Wis in progress,
a most distressing accident occurred tnat
somewhat dampened the ga.eties last
nIg,nt The s,bop Monogram, which was
launched Sunday and for the first time
tried her sails yesterday, capsized, throw
irg all on board some seventeen psople,
into the river. The boat was built and
is owned by Joseph Leathers, and Is u
complete qo5s, now resting on the botuom
of the nlVer. 1t seems that the sailing
master, a Russian, commonly known as
'Aleck," neglected to WARN the crew to
shift ballast, with the result that the
heavy ballast and crowd of people made
the boat 50 veer THAT she took water and
the ballats shifting TO the stern sub
merged that end and she went down
like a log. just at this time Captain W.
Il. Rlrrobt, in command Of the judges
boat, the Ailarm, noticing THAT the Mon
ogram was not being handled right
steamed after her as rapidly as possl-
bic, arriving on the scene wiihin few
minutes afyer the accident happened.
He succeeded in picking up MOST of the
crew and passengers but just before ar
rlving, noticed two who did not again
rise to 1.-The surface. These were John
Ossenberger, of Astoria, seventeen years
of age, and Lewis Bilger of Portland,
aged twenty-two years. Every effort
wis made to save the men, and all who
were in the water alt the time Of the ar
rival of the Alarm were Qdcked up and
taken ashore.
Captain Parrott's story is that when he
got over to the buoy in the middle Of the
channel he noticed the Monogram und
cIn.a tn hi
soon saw that she was not being ham
died properly and would probably cap
size He hurried over ITO them as soon
as possible, but before he could get
there the accident took pace. When
about thirty yards away he saw two
mea sink and come TO lthe surface once
or twice and one who went down nevtr
to rise again. He says that Lea,hers
told him afterwards that the sailing mas
ter was entirely to blame in attempting
to tack without giving the rest of them
warming The boat was all right and
doing well, and h cannot account for
the carelesSness Of the man at the helm.
Il was rumored .ast night that a third
man was unaccounted for but no def
pite authority could be found for tn
statement The occupants Of THE boat
we're scattered and it was impossible to
ascertain as 10 the truth Of me runor.
Rumor also has 1t thai large number OF
the panty were more or less under the
Influence of spirits, which may have had
something Ito do with the untJinely acct
dent. However this may be the whole
affair Is much regretted and Mr.. Leath-
ers certainly has the sympathy of the
community under these trying circum-
stances.
Later-t was discovered ait late hour
that the rumor of lthtrd man being
drowned was we'll founded. Fr.nk Mead
ows, a painter of Astoria, and one of the
men who helped build the Monogram,
was the third victim. LFbtle could be
ascertalned at the hour of writing con-
cerning his past history or connections.
The boat was picked up and towed to
pesdemona Sands where she Is now tied
to a FISH trap at THAT point. MIR. Leathers
says that he wll try and get her into
working order again. and she may yet
be able TO take pant in the present races.
Mr.. Leathers further SAYS that there was
absolutely no drinlSing on board the
boat, and hld not been during the after
noon. He also states thalt the boy Osin-
berger, with several others, slipped down
the piling and stole inlto the boat and
were not discovered until she was some
distance from shore.