Waterbury Democrat., 1901-05-31
PIcNICKERS DROWNED.
Were Rowing on the River When Car
 ried Over the Dam.


 ried Over the Dam.
 Philadelphia, May 31.-Seven young picnic5ers, five Of them girls. whose ages ranged from eighteen to twenty one, went to their death yesterday af- ternoon in the turbulent, muddy wa ters of the Schuylkill river that pour over Flat Rock dam between Shaw mout and West Manayunk. They were of party of eight, members of the Elm Social club, down town organ ization, which went for a row on the river above the dam where the recent rains had swollen the water until it had become raging torrent. A the party, after repeated warnings, reck- lessly neared the breast Of the dam, the strong current hurled it's members over to their death in the depths, eighteen feet below.
 The dead are: Mazie Kennedy, IS; Mamie Sullivan. 21; Florence Dins- more, IS; Florence Bond, 21: Maud Brown, age unknown; Albert Osmand. 19, and young man whose name at present is unknown.
 The only one of the ifl-fated party res- cued is John Moore, 22 years old, of No 951 Cantrell street, who is in St Timothy's hospital in serious condi- tion.
 Moore's rescue was achieved after the sWirling waters had dashed him and the overturned boat, to which he had clung. half a mile below the dam. l It added to the annals of heroism an l unidentified bicyclist, who, stripping l himself of his outer clothing, plunged into the river, and, swimming to the overturned boat, lifted the nearly un- 1 conscious form of Moore across tho boats bottom. Then he accompanied him in the wild ride until boat, man. ned by Constable E. J. Watchorn and his father-in-law, pushed into the stream and brought both men ashore on the Montgomery county side. Those on the shore who witnessed the act of heroism brought the hero's clothes and bicycle down the river I road, and after resuming his clothing he mounted his wheel and rode away, l Without revealing his identity.
 Moore was taken to the Manayunk police station on the Philadelphia side Of the river, and only revived to say
 he knew none of those in the boat, when he lapsed into 1lnconsciousness
 Dr David Custer of Manayunk was called and ordered his removal to the hospital, where he was found to be suf. fering from internal injuries and
 strangulation.
 I The point where the accident occur. red is particularly treacherous stretch of water, especially when the river is
 swollen, as it is at present The waters swiftly coursing and foaming through the rocks in the river on its western side, meet the deeper and more rapid T ly moving water on the eastern, and form whirlpool that sends fully three I feet of water crashing over the breast
 of the dam. There are no life lines
 attached to buoys, such as is found al .I the Fairmount dam, and which were I placed after numerous accidents haC indicated the necessity for such safe sl guards.
 l The falls are half mile from the spot where the picnic was held. The 4 party fot the boat and drffted doWI
 the river singing and laughing. II Persons on shore recognized the dan
 ger and shouted to the picnickers
 Iiiosc ia eAc uOat sIoou up duu SHOuL
 ed back, Mind your own business
 This was followed by a general laugh
 which was quickly turned into screams
 of terror, for the boat party then real
 ized for the first time the peril Grea-
 efforts were made to resist the current
 but they were useless. Just as tht
 boat reached the brink of the falls { l young woman leaped from it and was
 carried over When the boatIoad wen
 over only two heads were seen. Tn. l rest had disappeared