Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1896-08-27
BODY RECOVERED.
Sad Ending of a Happy Camden Party
Down at FOrtescue-Miss Harper
Was Nineteen,

The body of Miss Mamie Harper, who
was drowned Wednesday at Fortescue,
was recovered Thursday about noon.
The 1ll-fated sloop Bertha and Lulu"
was lying pretty deep in water early in
the day, but the boat was worked ashore,
or as nearly as possible, so that she was
In about ten feet of water. Then some
sturdy fishermen dived into the cabin,
and discovered the body of the unfortu-
nate young woman back of the stove in
corner, and so wedged that she could not
possibly have extricated herself.
The body was placed in row boat, and
kept there for about half an hour until
the arrival of County Physician Thomp-
sou, who ordered the removal of the
body.
1t was placed in the care of Undertaken
Bateman, of Cedarville, and taken to that
town, where it was prepared for burial,
and this morning was sent to the sad
home in Camden.
When Miss Harper's mother learned of
her daughters death Thursday morning,
she went into convulsions, from which
she did not recover for some time. She
is heartbroken over the loss of her child.
Thursday afternoon the grief-stricken
mother was surrounded by coterie of
relatives and friends who were trying to
console her. She said she tried to per-
suade Mamie to remain at home, but she
pleaded so persistently to be allowed to
take the trip that the mother finally gave
her consent.
Story of the Accident.
1t was jolly light hearted family party
that left Coles wharf, Camden, Tuesday
morning last, on the oyster sloop
Bertha and Lulu" of Newport, N. J.
on weeks trip to that place as the
guests of Captain Rufus Grace, owner of
the sloop. On board the boat besides
Captain Grace were his two sons, Tony
and William, George Harper, Jr., his
wife and 16-month-old boy of 227 Syca-
more street; Mrs. Viola Pooley and her
6-month-old child, of Us Sycamore street,
and Miss Mamie Harper, the I9-year-old
daughter of George Harper. Sr., of 126
Mechanic street, Camden. Tue entire
party of nine were related, and they an
ticipated spending an enjoyable outing at
the home of Captain Grace, at Newport,
on the Delaware Bay shore. as we'll as
aboard his comfortable sloop.
They experienced good weather, and
everything went well until they reached
Egg Island light, off Fortescue Beach, at
the head of Maurice river cove, Wednes-
day afternoon. They were sailing along
with all canvas set and drawing, with
not thought of danger, when IN an in
slant squall jumped into the staunch
little sloop's big mainsail. She was not
ballasted heavily enough to withstand
the sudden shock, and just how it hap
pened not one in the party is able to tell,
but, without the least warning, the boat
was capsized. All hands We're thrown
into the water, with the exception of Miss
Mamie Harper. She was sitting in the
companion way when the sloop went
over and was carried down and inn
prisoned in the cabin by the sudden rush
of water. She was drowned.
Her brother, George Harper, went over
board to leeward and was caught be-
meath the sail. Being good swimmer
and an experienced sailor, he succeeded
in extricating himself from his perilous
position, and was fighting for the lives of
his relatives almost before they were wet
to the skin by the briny water. 1t was
due in great measure to his heroic
work, as well as that of Captain Grace
and his two sturdy sons, that the lives of
the other women and the two small chill
dren were saved.
Mr.. Harper cut the Bertha and Lulu's"
yawl loose from the capsized sloop, and
with much difficulty his wife, Mrs.
Pooley, his sister and their two babies
were rescued. The two women exhibited
an unusual amount of pluck and endur-
ance in hanging on to floating objects
from the sloop while Mr.. Harper and
Captain Grace fished the two young chill
dren from the water.
The escape of so many of the party was
almost miracle, as within a few seconds
after Harper had cut the yawl loose the
sloop sank in twenty feet of water, and
but for Harper's quick action would have
taken the yawl down with her.
1t was not until the last of the eight
survivors were safely aboard the yawl
that Miss Harper's absence was noticed.
Immediately her brother and the Grace
boys made efforts to extricate her from
the cabin of the sunken sloop. They
dlved after her several times, but were
unable to locate her body. Owing to
their becoming exhausted, they were
compelled to give up all efforts to recover
her body, and signals of distress were
holsted from the yawl.
There were number of people at For
tescue Beach during the afternoon, the
attraction being a boat race, and the peril
OF the pleasure party was noticed from
shore as the sloop capsized. Several boats
put out to the rescue, and the "Bertha's''
yawl, containing her shivering and grief
stricken paSSenperS was tOwed ashore