The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-04-08
DROWNED
BY THE CAPSIzlNG OF A
SMALL BOAT
FIVE LIVES WERE LOST
Ard Two Others are Not
Expected to Recover.

Expected to Recover.
Tampa, Fla, April 5.--By the cap
sizing or "a small cat-boat in which
they were returning from merry
picnic party. three members of the
faculty, one student and a visitor to
the Florida Methodist college at Suth
erland, on the gulf coast, lost their
lives, while the president Of the col
lege and another teacher are not ex-
pected to survive the horrible expert
ence through which they. passed.
The dead are: Mrs. s. W. Walker,
wife of President Walker Of the COL
Iege, herself a teacher
Miss Slaughter, instructor in instru-
mental music.
Miss McCrary, teacher Of elocution.
Mrs. O'Connor, of Atlanta, Ca, aunt
OF Miss McCrary, who was visiting
her at the college.
Oscar ID. Bourland, student
The survivors are: President Walk
er and Miss Newton. teacher Of art.
They are not expected to recover.
The party of seven left Sutherland,
the college town, yesterday morning.
sailing to Anclote, resort ON the
coast, about fifteen miles distant
They spent two hours at Anclote and
then set sail for home. In the mean
time a strong gale had arisen. which
gradually grew hercer, driving the lit
tie craft of shore. Bourland, the stu
dent, was acting as skipper, but he
lost control of the boat and at about
2:30 q sudden gust OF wind overturn-
ed the frail craft, spilling the occu-
pants into the water.
In the driving wind, the two men
of the party had hard work In prevent
ing the drowning of all the ladies at
once, but all except Mrs O'Conner, the
Oldest of the party, managed to catch
hold Of the overturned craft and cling
to It for their lives. Mrs. O'Connor
disappeared from sight and was not
seen again until her body was found
today.
All through the afternoon and into
/, the night the wind still blowing a
gale and the temperature being much
colder than usual In this latitude,
the wet chilled men and women held
TO the bottom Of the boat Mrs. Walk
er, the wife of the president, was the
first to succumb and the others were
too weak to save her. In fact. In the
darkness, they scarcely knew when she
released her hold and sank into the
deep. She was missed by one Of the
ladies and II was all they could do to
keep President Walker from surren-
dering to the inevitable amh following
her to a watery grave. After two hours
more, young Bourland, who had lost
consciousness, also sank.
President Walker exerted his little
remaining strength to save the others,
but just at daybreak, Miss McCrary,
who had been pathetically praying for
several hours, released her hold and
also sank. From then until noon
President Walker and Miss Newton
held Miss Slaughter, who had lapsed
into Inconsistencies above the water
and but for the calming Of the wind
they would not have been able to
cling on themselves.
Miss Slaughter died at II o'clock
and when, one hour later, one of the
searching parties sent out from Suth-
erland and Ozona, in naptha launch
found the shipwrecked trio, they found
the president and Miss Newton exert
ing their little remaining strength
clasping the dead body Of their last
remaining companion.
The survivors were picked up by o.
lie Tinney and John Hill, in launch
little after noon. about one mile on
Shell Island and they were taken tc
Ozone and thence to Sutherland
President Walker and Miss Newton
had been in the water clingipg to the
boat from 2:30 yesterday afternoon un'
I'll noon today and they are tonight
reported In a dying condition. Search.
ing parties sent out in other launcnes
found the bodies of Miss McCrary, Mrs
O'Copnor and Bourland this Afternoon
at, 5 o'clock but that Of Mrs. Walker
has not yet been recovered. The entire
= student townFis bowed In grief and
universal sorrow for the dead ninglet
with prayers for the recovery of thu
two survivors.
IT, tlta.s.a Ia ~ .