The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-08-15
-FOUR GIRLS LOST IN SURF
eIoated Beyond Their Depth and
Were Caught by the Undertow'
HEROIC WORK. OF LIFE GUARD.

A Tragedy at Ocean City, N. j. - Slx
Yonng WON on were Floating When
They were Carried Into Deep Water
Two Resoued-rhe Life Guards Bravo
Effort to Save the Other Four.
Ocean City, N. J. (SpeciaD.-In Sull
sight Of their friends and Of many
hundreds of visitors here four young
women were drowned and two others
would have died with them only for
the single-handed efforts of life
guard named Foster. He almost lost
his own life in bis 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
Bertie Lonsdale, nineteen years old,
and her sister, Jennie, seventeen years
old, Of Chestnut Hill, Penn. The
Misses Lowe were daughters Of DIR.
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 foatel. They were slowly
carried seaward, 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
nNf crxytr I'D
danger, screamed. This frightened
I her companions, who TUNED and tried
to swim back. They were not able
to make headway against the under
vtoW;Which had caught them as they.
turned, and instead Of going toward
1.-The shore they continued seaward.
Their screams aroused those In the
Sk6ter and on the beach, and several
men ut once went out to aid the strug-
Cling women. Life Guard Foster had
started out. to warn the girls before
they had discovered their danger, and
was beside them ID few minutes. He
saw they were hysterical and too
Enlightened to- help themselves. Grasp
] Ing two OF the girls nearest him, Eos.
EswAm back with them until he met
S's65tkers going to the rescue:
5 j He minded the young women over
for the four who Bfill were struggling
for life Behind him were strong
4swimn1a& bent upon the same mis-
Ssion. Fhe struggling. and frightened
;sgirls had become exhausted; heWeyer.
and all four were under the surface
before the rescuerS could reach them.
Foster diyed and brought up one Iun-s
sc0uSefous 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 &. & n
Then came fiveminute igIf with
thessurf1nd undeltow to get the slp-S
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 apparsptlE were
dead but there were indicalo9s Of
life tn both the Lonsdale girls. Ets
to revive all four were made u
thing possible was done, but 1t
success. The two girls first t
ashore were revived, and b.
recovered.
Every one who witnessed til
ity Is loud in praise Af,I Liza -Gnaru T'os-
ter, who -alpastRsffas overcome by his
efeorts to rescue the young womeny
j, 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.