The Washington times., 1903-01-15
Sudden Giving Way Of the
Ice Precipitates Twenty
Persons Into the Water.
Rescucrs Active and Many
Heroic Deeds Reported.
Little Susan Torrey Begs
Boauman to Save Papa"
and Disregard Her Peril.
Basin Dragged for Bodies.
List Of the Dead.

By the caving in of the ice at the
entrance to the tidal basin last night,
at 5;45 O'Clock. at least three people
we're drowned. and score more pre-
cipitated into the icy water.
The dead are:
Jessie E. Thomas, twenty years old,
111s Dartmouth Street northwest; IL
brarian Of the Bureau of Ethnology.
Died at Emergency Hospital.
| Arthur wasserbach. twenty-six years
old, 1900 r Street northwest; engraver in
/ the Bureau Of Printing and Engraving
Henry C. HamiH, forty. years old, 1928
I Street northwest clerk in the Var
/ Department.
Scene of Tragedy.
Since the beginning Of the extreme
cold weather the basins west of the
Washington Monument have been the
scene OF nightly gatherings of large
crowds of skaters. The building of the
I breakwater at this point has made ap-
proach to the ice somewhat difficult To
obviate this feature q rude approach had
been constructed, consisting of ladder
stretching from the outer and higher 70
the inner and lower section Of the wall,
and two wide planks, extending for some
distance out over the surface Of the ice
People coming to me basin weuid
climb over the ladder. down some rude
steps in the masonry, and thence over
the pIanks on TO the ice. There is al
ways more or less OF a crowd around the
entrance.
Monday night, while leaving the basin.
a young man and woman we're precipi-
tated into the water by the giving way
of the ice They were rescued without
serious inconvenience by catching hold
OF the end Of a plank that was pushed
out TO them. On account of this acci-
dent the place of entrance was removed
to safer spot Yesterday afternoon
Lieut.. Robert B. Boyle, OF the Third
( precinct, went 20 the basin about i
o'clock. and after an investigation had
the ladder and pIanks removed to still
another place, where il. was thought the
ice was thicker. All the policemen on
detail at that point were busy warning
the skaters 10 be careful when near the
edge of the basin.
Disregarded Warnings.
IN spite Of these warnings. however,
a crowd collected about the foot of the
approach a little before s o'clock last
night. It just happened that a crowd
OF skaters wanted to leave the ice at
the same time They all arrived at the
dangerous point at the same moment.
and. even had anyone realized Just how
thin the ice was. there was no time for
dispensing the crowd before the tragedy
was over.
There were 10 preliminary crackings
to warm the endangered people tG fly
for safety, nor, indeed, was there time
for fight had such warning been given.
The ice for a diameter Of fifty feet
simply sank into the water, breaking
as It did so into chunks about three
to four feet in length. All who were
standing on the ice were now struggling
in the water Not all the names of
those who went down could be learned.
as some were taken at once to their
homes while the work Of rescue was
going on. but eye Witnesses say they
numbered fully score.
Lost Hold of Companion.
Jessie Thomas. the young woman who
was drowned, was standing just of the
outer end Of the plank, with her escort,
H. N. Adams, Of III K Street, a clerk
in the War Department. When they fell
in the water adams lost his hold on
the woman and grabbed plank. He
said afterward that he had been hit
or the head and stunned. On coming TO
the surface she was grabbed by W. W.
Rosson. a ffteen-year-old messenger
boy who lives at SO y Street north
vest. He held her up until assistance
arrived. and she was taken from the
water.
Both ambulances from the Emergency
Hospital arrived in a few minutes, and
she was taken to that institution where
every effort was made to restore her, but
E without avail Artificial respiration was
! kept Up for two hours. DR.. Morhart said
that her lungs had been completely flied
with water. probably the ror"~--
sank. and that life wa
she reached the hosDita
An example OF tE=
used 10 save the drown
told a reporter for The
Confined on Seco-