The Penn's Grove record., 1900-08-03
EbQR GIRLSL IN SURF
Floated Beyond Their vepth and
Were Caught BY the Uodertow.
HEROIC WORK OF LIFE GUARD.
4 Tragedy 1t Ocean CITY, N. J.- SIX
Young woln 81 We're Floating Whom
They Were Carried Into Deep watsr-
Two Rescusd-rhs Lie Guard,s Brave
Effort to Save tho Other our.

Young WON on We're Floating Whom
They Were Carried Into Deep Water
Two R~escued-Ths Lie Guards Brave
Enort to lave the Other rour.
Ocean City, N. ]. (~SpeciaD.-In full
sight Of their friends and OF many
hundreds Of visitors here four young
women drowned and two others
would have died with them only for
the single-handed efforts Of a life
guard named Foster. He almost lost
his own life in his heroic attempt to
save all six. The drowned girls are
Miss Elsie Lowe, twenty-five years old.
and her sister, Virginia, twenty-five
years old, Of Germantown, Penn; Miss
Berthe Lonsdale, nineteen years old,
and her sister, Jennie, seventeen years
old, Of Chestnut Hill, Penn. The
Misses Lowe were daughters Of DR..
Clement Lowe, q well-knoWn Phila-
delphia physician.
The Misses Lonsdale and Lowe, with
two other young women, went In bath
ing at the foot Of Fourteenth street
and Beach avenue. The water was
not rough, and all six turned on their
backs and floated. They were slowly
carried seward, and did not notice
that they were getting beyond the
life lines. One of the girls tried to
rest, and could obtain no foothold. She
could not swim, and, realizing her
danger, screamed. This frightened
her companions, who turned and tried
to swim back. They were not able
to make Roadway against the under
tow, which had caught them as they
turned, and instead of going toward
the shore they continued seward.
Their screams aroused those In the
water and on the beach, and several
men at once went out to aid the strug-
Cling women. Life Guard Foster had
started out to war; the girls before
they had discovered their danger, and
was beside them in a few minutes. He
saw they were h~ysterical and too
frightened to help themselves. Grasp
ing two of the girls nearest him, Fos-
ter swan back with them until he met
others going to the rescue.
He handed the young women over
to the other life saver and returned
for the four who still were struggling
for life. Behind him were strong
swimmers, bent upon the same mis-
sion. The struggling and frightened
girls had become exhausted, however,
and all four were under the surface
before the rescuers could reach them.
Foster dived and brought up one I'M
conscious girl. Handing her to one OF
the volunteers, he continued his brave
work until the four had been rescued
and placed in the arms Of sturdy
swimmers.
Then came q fveminute fight with
Ike surf and undertow to get the help
less and dying women to the shore,
where physicians were in waiting.
Within fifteen minutes from the first
alarm the rescuers had all the young
women on the beach.
The Lowe sisters apparently were
dead, but there were indications of
life In both the Lonsdale girls. Efforts
to revive all four were made. Every
thing possible was done, but without
success. The two girls first brought
ashore were revived. and have fully
recovered.
Every n who witnessed the fatal
ity Is loud in praise of Life Guard Eos
ter, who almost was overcome by his
efforts to rescue the young women.
He risked his life repeatedly In getting
them above water, and narrowly es-
capped drowning. All six tried to
grasp him when he first went out.