The herald., 1896-07-27
A Sad Accident at Long Beach
Yesterday
JASPER GEE THE VICTIM
Several People Saw Him Sink Beneath
the Waves
But As They Were Not Expert Swimmers
Could Not Assist Him-Heip Finally
Came But Too Late

| Jasper Gee of Downey was drowned
yesterday at Long Beach a few minutes
before noon, while bathing at a place
on the beach about midway between
the old wharf and the station between
the mesa and the mouth of the San
Gabriel river. known as Astbury. The
| deceased came down from Downey yes
| terday morning to see his wife, who had
| been ailing and who, with her three
| daughters, had been sent here in the
hope that the bright sunshine and sea
breezes would benefit them, and who
had been camping on the beach opposite
the place at which he was drowned for
two weeks previous. The cause Of his
drowning must ever remain a mystery,
as the two friends. Mr.. NJ. H. Hughes
and Mr.. Harper of Downey, who accom-
panied him in bathing knew nothing of
the accident until the alarm was sound
ed from the shore. Mr.. Hughes and
Mr.. Harper, when they had reached the
distance from the shore at which the
waves begin to break. turned back, ana
advised Mr.. Gee not to go any further.
but the deceased concluded he would do
so, and the other two gentlemen, never
dreaming of the possibility of their
kept on swimming toward shore, and
the first intimation they had OF the
drowning, as the deceased made no out
cry whatever was from crippled man
on shore, who saw the swimmer disap-
pear beneath the waves.
Mr.. Gee was 81 years of age, having
reached that age last Friday, and leaves
wife and three daughters, ranging be-
tween IS and is years of age, who, with
their mother, are utterly Frustrated at
the sad and sudden death of their father.
Later the Herald correspondent was
informed by Mr.. Malcolm Macleod and
L. j. B. Bourgeois, the we'll known artist
and architect of Los Angeles. who hap
pened to be in the immediate neighbor-
hood at the time of the accident, that
the drowning man did make an outcry
and held himself on top of the water at
least five minutes before disappearing.
The gentlemen say he struggled all he
possibly could, and was evidently max
ing as desperate an attempt to reach the
shore as he. in his exhausted condition
was capable of doing. A young man
passing on horseback was appealed to
by Mr.. Macleod to go to his assistance,
but galloped off down the beach. he said,
to send up the lifeboat, said lifeboat be-
ing about half mile east from the
scene of the accident. Another young
man, about five minutes later, also on
horseback. was prevailed on to attempt
to reach the drowning man. who by this
time was about exhausted. After rid
ing out a little above the depth of his
knees in the water. the young man dis
mounted and wanted some one else to go.
number of people witnessed the strug-
Cling man drown, but as there did not
happen to be an expert swimmer among
them, nothing could be done.
Right after the drowning man disap-
peared under the water there did come
a young man who Immediately threw off
his clothes, swan out and made every
effort in his power, even to the point
of endangering his own life, to find the
body. but to no avail. The name of the
young man could not be learned for he
was as modest as he was brave for he
went away after doing his best. appar-
emily oblivious of the fact that his self
sacrificing efforts to save a human life
bordered on the heroic.
The noise of the surf deadened the
sound of the drowning mans voice, so
that neither of the two gentlemen who
went in bathing with him heard him,
and this is readily understood when IL
is learned that they were right in the
midst of the breakers and to the wind
ward Of the scene of the accident.