The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-11-07
TWO CHILDREN AND
- A WOMAN DROWNED
Knocked BY 40 Essine From . Bridge
lnto the River at Moosic.
WOMAN WAS THEIR GRANDMOTHER
She Mas Mrs. Mary Mccarthy, Of
kirst Court, South Side. and the
Children Were Daughters OF Mr..
and Mrs. Martin klink, Of COnneil.
tOn..News Kept From Mrs. klink
for Fear 1t Would Kill Her.

pened at Moosic yesterday few min
utes before noon, by which two little
girls and their grandmother met q
shocking death in the L.ackawanna
river. The bodies have not been recoV-
cred.
The woman was Mrs. Mary Mccarthy,
IS years old. wife of james Mccarthy:
who lives on Kirst court in the rear OF
4S2 Pear street. South Side. The glris
were Marguerite, 4 years old, and Mary.
9 years and months old, children or
Mr.. and Mrs Martin Klink. Of Conneli-
ton. Mr.. Klink Is employed as hoist
ing engineer at the shaft of the Willlam
A. colliery of the William Connell Coal
company at Duryea. He and his wife
We're brought up on the South Side and
are we'll known in that section OF the
city.
Mrs. Klink gave birth to a baby girl
last Tuesday, and the sad news has not
been broken to her for fear the shock
would kill her. But last night she was
i'll at ease and restless, and she told
those who came to call upon her that
she had some strange terror possessing
her. Before any one was admitted to
her bedroom warning was given not to
say anything about the three deaths.
They are waiting until she grows
stronger. What aroused her suspicion
was her husbands coming home eX-
cited from work at 1 o'clock and chang
ing his clothes in a great hurry.
Mrs. Mccarthy left her home on the
South Side Wednesday afternoon and
went to Connellton to care for her
daughter. The latter was feeling good
yesterday morning with the prospect of
being able to he around in few days.
and 1t was thought best that the grand
mother should take the two little girls
back to the South Side with her for a
week or so.
STARTED FOR SCRANTON.
Accordingly the old lady dressed the
children uD after breakfast and got
them ready for their journey. Just as
they We're ready to start out the chill
dren Kissed THEFT mother and their baby
sister and their brother, Terence, who
Is the only other one of the family. He
is about years old. They We're I'M
menscly delighted to visit Scranton.
From the house of Mrs. Mccarthy
first brought them to the store across
the river. and after making some pur-
chases, which she sent home with a
neighboring woman, they turned in the
direction of Moosic to reach the street
car track. For one of her age she was
exceptionally spry and active and she
had no misgivings about taking the two
children out, nor was her daughter dis
turbed about letting them go with her.
From the Lawrence store they went
up the back road as far as the wagon
bridge, which crosses the river at the
Lackawanna station. Then they cut
across the field until they came to the
branch of the Erie and Wyoming VAL
ley railroad running up to the Old
Forge colliery of the Pennsylvania Coal
rpnpany The path noJinr thrOnph
the field brings one to a row Of stone
steps running up the embankment to
the railroad. And after getting on the
railroad, about ten steps brings you to
the bridge crossing the river
At this point the stream is wider and
deeper than in majority of places
along its course. The bridge is an
overhead structure with two spans
meeting on a solid pier of masonry in
the bridge ii Is only stones throw to
the Horseshoe Bend" A quarter of
mile above the Spring Brook creek
forms confluence with the river.
ENGINE STRUCK HER.
The woman picked the younger child
up in her arms and was carrying her
across the bridge, leading the other
one by the hand. They had reached the
and tender came along behind them.
The noise at once attracted her atten-
ton. Realizing her peril she made a
heroic effort to grab up the other child
and step to one side out Of the way,
but there Is no room on the bridge to
get out of the way In an emergency of
this kind, and the engine struck her
and sent her down into the river carry
ing the two children along.
1t is 30 feet from the bridge to the
water and when the three went down
they were seen no more. The engineer
who is Andrew ]. Decker. of Dun
more. saw them on the bridge, but not
In time to stop the engine and prevent
the accident. and he saw them knocked
off the bridge sand strike the water
He only took his eyes off them long
enough to shut off steam and put on
the air brake, but when he looked
again they were nowhere to sc seen and
the river swept on as before.
The bridge Is not one for public
travel. although 1t is used extensively.
1t cuts off long way round for one go
Ing from Moosic over to Lackawanna.
After getting off the Pittston street car
at Buffers corner in MoOsic the travel
er usually chooses the route along the
railroad over this bridge rather than
go around the Bend
SEARCHING FOR THE BODIES.
The accident happened at about 40
and in an hour the bridge and along
the river for a great distance We're
lined with people. Men Travelled UP
and down the banks until 1t got dark
to see If any trace of the bodies could
be found, but their search was not re- .
warded and the probability is that it :
may be long time before they are re-
covered.
The rains of this and last week have
swollen the river to a high point, and
the current Is strong and rough. The
river dashes over rocks and 1t will be
days before its seething settles.
Mrs. Mccarthy is survived only by
her husband and daughter. She was a
devout member Of Rev. Father Melley's
parish and was highly respected among
her neighbors. Mr.. Klink. the grief
stricken father. is between two sorrows,
the one, the loss of his children accen-
tuated by the fact that the bodies are
yet undiscovered. and the other the
dread and fear that the news will in
some way reach his wife before she
ought to hear il and that it will kill