Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-05-04
MAN DROWNED.
Carried Over Augusta Dam,
Saturday Noon.
AIphonse Matthew, Paper Mill En-
pIoyee, Lost His Life.
Five Others in the Boat All Escape
With Wetting.

keQnebeC dam, lew minutes before L
| O'Clock. Saturday afternoon.
He and five other men, all employees
of the Cushnoc Paper Company, had
been home to dinner, and We're cross
| ing the river in boat on their re-
turn TO work. They ventured too near
the dam. the current proved too strong
| for them, and despite their frantic eff
forts they were swept over into the
| eddy below. Onlookers saw the DOOM
| ed boat draw nearer and nearer the
| edge of the dam, while the rowers
| strove to bring her across to the east
ern shore; suddenly she whirled and
headed straight down with the rushing
waters She remained upright as she
slid down over the middle of the long
apron. The six men stood up as she
plunged them out of sight in the boil
| ing waters below. In an instant five
figures were seen scrambling up on the
side of the breakwater between the
river and the mouth of the paper mill
canal, where they had been thrown by
the eddy. One did not appear.
An excited crowd soon gathered,
graphing irons We're procured from the
paper MILL and from the police station,
but a boat could not live in that seeth
| ing pool, and all that could be done
toward recovering the body was to
stand on the breakwater and plunge
the grapples into the eddy i'm the hope
of finding some trace of the lost man.
Superintendent j. d. Butler of the
Cushnoc Paper Company kept a crew
there till late at night, but nothing was
found.
The drowned man was 10 years old,
and lived with his parents, Mr.. and
Mrs Joseph Matthew, at S York street.
He came from Canada to Augusta with
his parents, Is years ago, and had since
lived in this city He had been work.
ing on the clipper in the paper mill,
but had been idle during the winter.
lie told his people of feeling that if
he went back into that mill something
would happen to him, and seemed to
dread doing so. Besides his parents,
three brothers and two sisters
all residing in Augusta, Gideon
Matthew, and David Matthew, both
with homes of their own, Mrs. Her
minnie Charpentier, wife of Patrick 0.
Charpentier, Miss Amanda Matthew,
Mrs. Angelina Cloutier, wife of Au-
gustine Cloutier. and Dominic Mat
thieu, who is studying for the priest
hood in College Assumption at
Montreal, survive him.
His companions at the time of the
accident were Joseph Lessard of %
Washington street, splitter; Napo-
leon Matthew, not a relative, who lives
in Edwards block SIS, off Washington
street, and is a grinder at the paper
mill: Leon Poulin of York street. a
log handler; John Patrie of 10 Mill
street, log handler; and Wilfred La
Joie of 30 Northern avenue, a workman
on the heater. None of them were
hurt except for the wetting, and it is.
surmised that Alphonse Matthew must
have struck his head against a rock, or
he would have come out like the others
When they found that nothing further
could be done, Lassard, Napoleon
Matthew, Poulin, and Patrie walked
home to get dry clothes while Lajoie
having a working chance where it was
warm, went to his labor without re-
turning to his home. Later word was
brought to him that his wife was near
ly Frustrated from hearing of the ac-
cident, and not seeing him TO be sure
of his safety, he too, went home. All
five returned to their labors in the af-
ternoon.
1t was a scene of excitement in the
neighborhood where the men live Sat
urday afternoon. The first reports were
from those who saw the accident from
the west bank, and did not see to de-
termine who had been saved, and
thought at first that all were lost. The
survivors wet and bedraggled. received
royal welcomes as they reached their
homes.
Engineer D. ]. Hinckley of the Ken
nebec Light and Heat Company seems
to be the only man who witnessed the
accident at close range. He says that
the first he knew of it was as he look
ed ont of the window and saw the boat
come around the works at the sluice
way and slide on the middle of the
wide apron about 20 feet from the end
of the dam. AS they went over they
stood up, and went under water stand
ing. The eddy carried them against
the braakWater below and the five who
came through alive got out before as
sistance could have reached them. 1t
was only a second or two from the
time they went under water till they
were climbing out. The boat was
thrown against the breakwater and
smashed into flinders.
Lajoie says that he does not know
just how they got out. They all stood
up and tried to jump except Alphonse
Matthew, who tried to cling to the boat
and lost his life. When he came out
of the plunge Lajoie says that he
found himself clutching for the rocks
of the breakwater and got hold and
pulled out. Then be helped Poulin and
Patrie out while Napoleon Matthew and
Lessard got out by themselves. Poulin
was the last man out and was swept by
the breakwater several times before a
helping hand was reached to him.
Napoleon Matthew and Lessard tell a |
graphic story of their experience. |
Matthew says: eve no keep the boat
where we want her. She go over the |
dam. / tell Joe he hang to me and / |
hang to him. and when we go over we
hang to each other and we go over to- |
gether Then we got one swim, and we
keep hang to each other together. and |
we get out together, and Alphonse he
no get out. Then we go home, get dry i
clothes. and we come back to work. 1t |