The herald., 1897-07-12
LAD DROWNED
William Fowler Overcome
by the Surf
while HUNDREDS LOOK ON
YESTERDAYS FATAL ACCIDENT
AT SANTA MONICA
There Was No Helping Hand and No
Rope Near-The Body Not
Recovered

The biggest crowd of the season spent
Sunday at Santa Monica, the capacity of
the electric cars being taxed to the ut
most and beyond it, both routes being
generously patrobiNd. The ocean was
particularly inviting, as the surf was
not at all boisterous and the tempera-
ture of the water was 70 degrees. Un-
happily in the afternoon fatal accident
marred the enjoyment and caused con-
siderable excitement among the throng
on the beach.
At 4 o'clock, about 100 yards south Of
the Arcadia bathhouse, a colored lad,
William Fowler, aged 20, waiter in the
Arcadia hotel, was drowned a few feet
from the shore before the Mortified eyes
Of hundreds of helpless spectators. The
lad was bathing with quite a company
of colored folk, who, however, did not
seem to realize his distress until too late
Fowler was drowned within ten yards of
the beach, and had any swimmer of or
dinary strength been at hand the ac-
cident would probably have been avert
ed. 1t appears that Fowler was able to
swim a little, and when last seen was
either swimming or ating on his back
and crying out for help. His friends
however, thought. as they express it,,
that he was only "monkeying," and
realized too late that he was in danger.
The probability is that the lad was over
powered by breaker while on his back,
and that he lost his head when he felt
the strength of the undertow and
thought that he could not get to shore.
The fatality occupied so few seconds
that those who realized the danger were
unable to avert It, Will Knippenberg
the we'll known wheelman, was stand
ing on the steps of the Arcadia hotel and
Immediately upon hearing cries for help
rushed headlong towards the ocean but
was too late to be of any avail.
But into one pair of eyes witnessing
the struggle came a fearful anguish
The boys mother was with gay CON-
pany of colored folk watching her son
in, the water. The terror and trouble of
the poor woman were fearful to witness
She tore her hair, shrieked loudly but
he1plessly and flung herself repeatedly
on the sand, and again tried to rush into
the water. A small army of friends en-
deavored to calm her and applied va
rious restoratives. They finally in
duced her to leave the scene still Shrek
ing and hysterical.
A boat was launched and several
swimmers tried for some time to find a
trace of the body, but the remorseless
sea refused to give up its dead.
1t seems strange and altogether wrong
that at such popular bathing resort as
Santa Monica there are no appliances
with which to rescue a bather in dis
tress. 1t is true that this is the first ac-
cident that has occurred at Santa Mon
lea for long time, but for all the pre-
cautions there are, there might be a
drowning every day. For the expendi-
ture of few dollars such an accident as
that of yesterday would be rendered al
most impossible. AT all we'll regulated
bathing resorts there are ropes on ca
bles at handy distances along the shore
which can speedily and easily be thrown
or carried to bather in distress or dan
ger. A we'll known habitue of the Santa
Monica beach declared yesterday that
he thought it criminal that there was
no such appliances on shore where the
breakers are often sudden and over
whelming, and the undertow is fire.
quently irresistible. The Santa Monica
bathhouse proprietors and the town
authorities should see to this without
da1aV