Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-06-13
Ralph H. House Wanders
from Home, Friday.
Fears Entertained Of Drowninu
in Presumpscot River.
Clothing belonging to Him Found,
Sunday Morning, in a Boat, at West
Famouth-Search Made by Au.
thorities, but No Clue Discovered,

Ralph II. House, Oldest son of Ma ior
and Mrs. G. j. House, has been missing
/ from home since Friday noon, and
fears are entertained that he is drown
ed. The foundation for the belief is a
telephone message received by Major
House. last evening. from Deputy
Sheriff SWEET of Portland, stating that
a boat on the Presumpscot river had
drftcd ashore above the power station
at Falmouth. at about II o'clock, yes
terday forenoon. and,that in the boat
were a coat, vest and hat, the coat
pocket containing a letter addressed to
Ralph H. House, 10 Melville street
Augusta. The watch was also mention
ed as a gold one of Hamilton make
such as the young man was known to
have worn. Major House was seen by
a Journal reporter, last evening, and
was inclined to believe that his son was
drowned.
Later. in conversation with Coroner
Frank J.. Littlefield Of Portland, over
the telephone, the Journal learned that
while it looked as if young House We're
drowned. there were circumstances
connected with the case that would
lead to the belief that while there was
IL probability that the young man was
drowned, there were circumstances, al
so, which warranted a hope that he
was still alive.
Mr.. Littlefield said that the boat was
found about four miles above the pow
er station, at West Falmouth, with
the garments folded up in it. The boat
was close to the shore, with the bow
in the mud, and the stern toward the
river.
A peculiar feature Of the case was
the fact that in the mud on either
side of the bow of the boat was the
imprint of a boot, one facing toward
the river, and the other toward the
shore, both being the imprint of a
right foot, wearing No. boot.
Leading from the shore was a path
through the grass for about 600 feet to
the highway. and the strips of mud on
the shore was narrow, so that one
might have stepped from the boat to
the sod. but the grass in the path was
trodden down so that footprints would
not show.
Young House has been missing since
Friday noon. He had been employed
but had been out quite a good deal for
the past 10 days, on account of the
Maine Festival. being a member of the
Augusta chorus.
He attended the Bangor Festival and
and also went to Portland when the
Festival was there. Returning from that
city he arrived home about o'clock,
Thursday morning. On account of his
late arrival he did not go to the State
House until after dinner.
When he did not go to the office. Fri
day morning, his father thought moth
ing of it, as he concluded that the boy
had remained at home to assist his
mother. When he went home at noon
he found that his son had gone. but as
he had gone away in the same way be-
fore, did not apprehend anything Sc
rious.
Young House had been subject to
these spells since he was in Colby Col
lege, during which times he would wan-
der away and entirely lose his identi-
ty. The last time he left home was
Jan. 16, being gone six weeks, the great
er part of the time i'm Manchester. n. II.
Since his return, however, he had been
much better and the improvement in
his condition was remarked by his as
SOciateS.