Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-07-27
DROWNED NEAR OCEAN City
Sad Fate of Arthur and James
Birney of Washington.
FELL FROM A SAILB0AT
While Grabbing for His Hat,
Which Blew Off.


Ocean City, Md, July 23.-Arthur
Birney and James Birney, aged 16 and
IA years, respectively, sons of A. A.
Birney, formerly district attorney of
Washington, were drowned Saturday
in Sinepuxent Bay. Mr.. Birney and
his family have been accustomed for
several years to spend the summer
season at their cottage on Atlantic
avenue. Arthur, the eldest of the three
boys, became an expert sailor and this
year Mr.. Birney provided him with
a skiff.
Arthur, James and Willie, the last
named being only IL years of age, left
home at 10 o'clock yesterday morning
for sail on the bay. There was stiff
breeze blowing at the time and the
skiff was sent scurrying before it. In
a short time the lads were four or five
miles from home and Arthur deemed
it prudent to return. He turned the
course of the boat homeward and just
then James hat blew overheard. The
boy attempted to catch the hat as it
flew from his head and lost his balance
and fell overheard. He called out to
his brothers and Arthur quickly threw
the anchor overheard and jumped into
the water to swim to the assistance of
his brother. Before he could reach him
James sank beneath the waves and
few seconds later Arthur went down
and was drowned.
James was unable to swim, but
Arthur could swim short distance
He had been suffering from an affection
of the heart and it is thought that the
excitement, coupled with his struggles
in behalf of his brother, caused the
heart to fail.
While the two elder boys were strug-
Cling in the water Willie was making
heroic efforts to bring the boat about
and go to the rescue. He found the
anchor too heavy for his strength and
after several attempts to raise it took
out his pocket knife and cut the rope.
He then managed to get the boat
| about, but not before both of his
brothers had sank to the bottom. With
rare torethought in one so young, Willie
.steered the boat close to where his
brothers were drowned and threw a
| buoy overheard which he hastily con-
structed of piece of rope, an ak and
a pole. He had not sufficient skill in
| handling boat to beat back home
against the wind. and he therefore
steered straight course to the United
| States life-saving station, one mile
| away, where he was able to communi-
cate with Ocean City by telephone. The
message the young boy. sent was com
municated to his mother and quickly
spread over the town. At first it was
not known who it was that had been
drowned and many anxious mothers
went to the life-saving station to. in
quire.
Soon after the information Of the ac-
cident reached Ocean City IL or ID sail
boats left for the scene to recover the
bodies. Prominent among them were
a party of young men from Rockville
who are camping here A circle Of
boats was formed around the buoy and
several hours were spent diving and
dragging for the bodies without sue
cess. The searchers returned when
darkness set in. At O'Clock this
morning Capt. Dunton of the Ocean
City life-saving station went to. the
scene and after several hours hard
work recovered both bodies and re,
turned with them at 10 O'Clock. The
bodies were taken to the life saving
station, where they were prepared fol
burial and were afterward conveyed tc
WASHINGTON.