Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-05-22
FATHER And son DROWNED
Samuel and Harry Rodman of
This City the Victims.
THEIR BOAT STRUCK BY YACHT
Accident Occurred on Delaware
River.



Samuel Rodman, aged 81 years, and
his son, Harry Rodman, aged 2l years,
were drowned in the Delaware River
Thursday afternoon, near New Castle
by being run down by the steel steam
yacht Marietta of Philadelphia. The
men lived at 420 South Claymont street,
this city, and were engaged in fishing
for shad on what is known among fish
ermen as the bar drift, which is to the
eastward of the western channel and
south of the Christiana River.
They saw the yacht bound ur the
river and signaled the pilot of the boat
to keep away from their net, and fear
ing that it was going to run them
down, they cut their net in two and in
an instant afterward the yacht struck
the skiff near the thwart and threw
both men overheard into the river. If
they arose to the surface at all no per
son saw them, and it is believed that
the yacht passed directly over them as
| they came up and prevented them from
saving their lives Both men could
swim.
Capt. Charles H. Platt was in com
mand of the yacht. Two stories have
been told in relation to the matter, one
| to the effect that the men jumped over
| board before the boat was struck and
| never arose, and another, that the men
| iumped and arose to the surface cling
| ing together, and before the boat from
| the yacht could reach the place the
men disappeared and were not seen
| afterward One of the men on the
yacht is reported to have said that the
men in the skif gave the wrong signals
and that the yacht captain attempted
to obey them in order to clear the net,
but could not clear the net and the
boat appeared to come directly in front
of the yacht which struck it.
David Trumble and Andrew Trumble
of Penn's Grove, who were fishing some
distance away, hastened to the scene of
the accident, but could not find the
men. They asserted that when the boat
was struck the men were thrown out.
Charles S. King, Harry King, Charles
Munson, John Walls, Patsy Cunning,
William II. Bradley, John Martin and
John Rementer, who were out in a
naptha launch purchasing fish, hastened
to the place and ran alongside of the
yacht.
Harold Harvey claims that he came
near being run down by the yacht and
was told to keep out of the channel
course. He States that he was not in
the channel.
The occupants of the naptha launch
boated the net of the unfortunate men
and towed the broken skitf to New
Castle, where it was taken in charge
by William j. Hanson, relative oi
the drowned men, and afterward towed
it to Wilmington.
Capt. Platt went before Magistrate
Van Arsdalen of New Castle and made
a report of the accident. He stated
that he had been following the water
for 80 years, and this was his first acci
dent, He wanted to make affidavit tt
! the accident and cause.
Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas II. Leech o.
No. ia East Fourth street, New Castle
had narrow escape, They bad beer
out in Mr.. Rodman S boat to watch tht
method of catching shad and but :
short time before the accident had beer
transferred to the boat of Capt. Wiel
and afterward came ashore The net
: of Capt. Wier was also cut in two, it i!
said, by the yacht Marietta.
Samuel Rodman was formerly black
smith in the employ of the Lobdell Ca
Wheel Co., this city, and had given vi
) his work there to fish. lie is the fathe
of five children, one babe few
, months old He was brother of vii
liam b. Rodman, painter, of 222;
) Market street.
Robert N. Carson, owner of th
| yacht, when seen last evening at hi
} homo at Chestnut Hill, Pa, gave tn
l following account of the accident:
"It happened about2 o'clock. | wa
4 at luncheon and did not see the affair
/ | heard the commotion overhead AM
+ hastened on deck, arriving just in tim
$ to see the boat being lowered to rescu
: the drowning men. Capt Platt wa
very cool headed, and as expeditions IL
: possible in sending TO the rescue. Th
: boat was not 20 feet away when botl
q men threw up their hands and wen
: down. We did not see anything NOR
p of them. Capt. Platt told me how tn
n accident occurred. He said that tn
t yacEG was running under one bell whel
e the two men in tho boat signaled t
n keep away from their net. They frs
S yelled for him to go to one side ant
then to the other. When he saw col
6 lsion was imminent ho rang for tn
engines to stop, which they did. Ih
i men in the boat then became frightene
r and jumped overheard before their boa
It was hit. We ran into them lightly, onl
knocking OIL bit of the gunwale. Th
' boat did not capsize, and it as towe'
h ashore later. sent Capt. Platt ashor
y at New CASTLE where he reported tn
accident. am greatly distressed b
h the occurrence.
it The bodies of the drowned men wer
IL not recovered.