New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-07

TWO CAMPERS DROWNED.
LIKE NUMBER SAVED
Boat Capsiaed in Hudson-Mdn an
Skif Offered No Help.

Two of four Young men. who had been spend
ing their vacations at the Young Mems Chris
tian Associations summer camp. on the west
shore Of the Hudson. opposite Inwood. were
drowned yesterday opposite the camp, near the
Manhattan shore. after their boat had capsized
The boys drowned were william Parks. nine
teen years old. Of Harrison. and ]. Baldwin.
eighteen years old. Of East Newark. n. J. Their
companions were Alexander Mitchell, Of No.
241 Grand-st., East Newark. and George Woods.
Of No. John-st.. East Newark The two last
named were rescued by Harris Strandhasen.
who is visiting John Fingers. at No. 2Is West
Observation-Disclosures and william
Birdsley. of -fourth-st- and
Broadway, Manhattan. Engers is an instructor
at the Horace Mann School. He. Strandhagen
and Birdsley have spent most OF the summer
at the Young Mems Christian Association
camp
On Saturday night Fingers came to this city.
being rowed across the Hudson by Strandhasen
and Birdsley. The agreed TO be at the pier at
Dyckman-st-. which is opposite the camp. at
O'Clock yesterday morning. to meet him Engers
was at the pier at o'clock. and saw his
friends rowing toward him IN boat. while
Parks. Baldwin. Mitchell and Woods were al
ready there in another.
Engers advised the four not TO return Just
then, as strong northwest wind was blowing
against flood tide. and the waves were COW
cred with whitecaps. They insisted on starting.
however. saying that they good swimmers
and would not be in any danger.
They started out. and Strandhagen and Birds
ley. who had much larger and stronger boat
passed them as they rowed in when they were
about two hundred and fifty feet from the
shore His friends were Just reaching the pier
when Fingers saw confusion in the other boat
Two Of the boys appeared TO be baling out
water with their caps. There was a sudden
wave. and the boat Ca psized- A minute later
all four were cnging to the overturned boat
The waves were washing over their heads and
tossing the boat about like chip. Engers
called TO his friends to go 10 the rescue Thers
were two pairs Of oars in the boat. and. al
though tired from their trip across. Strand
hagen and Bir1sley applied themselves to the
task and pulled hard for the overturned boat.
Fingers says there was another boat near the
four. in which a man was rowing. but though
his attention was called to the four young men
struggling in the water. he rowed away from
them.
When the two we're about fifty feet from the
overturned boat Parks sank. His body did not
rise Then Baldwin sank. When the rescuers
reached the boat Mitchell and Woods. who we're
helpless. were taken aboard The rescUsrs
rowed back to the Manhattan shore The five
then got into the resCuers' boat and rowed back
to the camp.
Mitchell and Woods said last night that when
their party started out Parks and Baldwin were
- .ii.s carS. Ntcbeii. hal thsSrU6ser and Woods
vas n the pow TIE ~eieht al. the t6rf beSs
made TIE boat sink until the gunwales were
within two inches Of the surface. When they
struck rough water the boat began 70 ship
waves Mitchell dropped the rudder and began
90 bale with his cap. Woods followed suit The
others pulled harder on the oars Parks caught
q crab and lost one of his oars. In reaching for
it he tipped the boat. and wave struck and
overturned II.
Mitchell says he saw the skif told of by
Fingers. and that it seemed to be about fifty feet
away. He shouted. and in doing got his
mouth filed with water. He says the man. who
was evidently a German. looked toward them
and shook his head. He thinks the man was
afraid of rsking his own life