Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1901-06-07
MERRY MAKERS DROWNED
Boat Containing Picnickers Swept
Over Dam.
SEVEN LOSE THEIR LIVES.
Oarsman Loses Control Of the Boat, and
1t Plunges Over Falls Twelve Feet
High, the Entire Party Standing Up
as They Meet Death.
vboat, containing eight young

A roWboat, containing eight young
persons, was swept over Flat Rock
dam, Pennsylvania. in the Schuylkill
river, and seven of them-fve girls
and two boys-were drowned. The vic
Tins, all of whom were Philadelphians,
were: Maize Kennedy. aged IS; Maud
Rutter, aged 19; Mamie Sullivan, aged
q; Florence Bond, aged 81; Bertram
Osmund, aged 10; Roy Kicker, aged IS;
Florence DenSmore, aged 10. The one
saved is John Moore. aged p. The
party was composed Of members Of
the Elm Social club, one OF the numer-
Gus associations in this city organized
for the promotion of picnics and other
social functions. The above-named
persons, most of whom resided in the
southern section of the city, organized
a picnic for the day. They embarked in
gayly decorated wagons early Decora-
ton day and pitched their camp at
Rose Glen, along the Schuyikiil river,
on the northern outskirts of Philadel-
phia. The party separated after din
ner for row on the river, and those
above mentioned decided to go in one
boat. Heavy rains had made the mud
dy stream quite high and the current
was much swifter than usual. All the
girls were huddled in the stern, one
of the boys was rowing, and the other
was sitting in the bow of the boat.
After reaching the middle of the river
finding q
comfort, the boat was rowed toward
shore. All this time it was carried
slowly down stream. The boy doing
the rowing decided to go through the
locks and as he approached the dam
he was told by the lock-keeper not to
not needed, and the young oarsman
kept on rowing until he found that the
lock was closed. He attempted to turn
the boat, which was then about fifty
feet from the dam and twenty-five feet
from shore, but he turned the wrong
way. A moment later the boat was
in the swiftly moving current. Real
izing then for the first time that they
were in danger, the girls began
screaming, and the oarsman lost con-
troll of the boat Swiftly it was car
ried toward the brink of the falling
waters, and just as it reached the
breast of the dam, over which thirty
inches of water was passing, the entire
eight stood up. and the boat went over
stern first. The drop to the rocks be-
low is approximately twelve feet. The
boat struck the water bottom up and
as it disappeared the whole party was
under it. Nothing more was seen by
the few persons who saw the accident
for almost minute, when the boat re-
appeared with one boy clinging to its
keel. Then the other young man was
seen to come to the surface and make
a frantic effort to reach shore by swim
ming. The six girls never rose to the
surface. The boy who was swimming,
and who proved to be OsmOnd, became
exhausted and sank before he could be
rescued Moore, the other boy, who
was clinging to the boat. f1Oated fully
half a mile down the river and his
rescuers had an exciting time before
they landed him in another boat He
was greatly exhausted and was slightly
injured by the falling of the boat