The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1904-08-11
awful Disaster
occurs At ALTON
MISSISSIPPI RIVERS CRUEL
WATERS ENaULF NAN AND
EIGHT LITTLE CHILDREN.
Only One Of the Party Is Saved
While Bathing, in the Dusk Of the
Evening, They Step from sand-ba.
Into the Deep Channel.

Alton, ILL.,, Aug. 6.-While bathing in
the Mississippi river Friday night,
Michael Riley, his daughter. and six of
the latter's little girl friends were
drowned. One child, who was in the
party, was rescued.
The Victims.
The dead are: Michael Riley, 80 years
old; Elizabeth Riley, II years old; Allie
Syner, IA years old; Lucy Pates, years
old; Lizzie Pates, IA years old; Bessie
Brum, IL years old; Ruth Marshall, IL
years old.
Riley lived near the river in the south
ern part of the city and was accustomed
to battle on the beach in front of his home
after his return from work. Friday night
his little daughter begged to go with him
and Riley took her and seven of her lit
tie girl friends to the beach with him.
When they entered the water Riley babe
the children join hands and they all
waded into the river and walked along a
sand-bar which stretches out into the
stream at that point.
Stepped Into Deep Water.
They had gone some distance from the
shore when suddenly the whole party
disappeared beneath the water having in
the darkness stepped from the sand-bar
into the deep channel. The children
struggle and screamed, fighting desper-
ately to reach the sand-bar. where the
water was only a foot or so in depth.
Riley, who is said to have been q good
swimmer, is thought to have been made
helpless by the girls clinging to him and
hampering his efforts to save. them.
One Girl Saved.
The only one in the party to regain
the sand-bar was Mary Timiny, eight
years old. The child is unable to tell
how she saved herself, beyond the
statement that 81 snatched my hand
loose from the grasp of the little girl
next to me, and soon found that /
could stand up and that the water
only came to my knees
The beach where the accident occurred
is practically deserted after nightfall,
and the screams Of the little Timiny girl
failed to attract anyone to the scene.
After Riley and her playmates had
disappeared beneath the water, the
child ran from the beach and reached
her home screaming at the top of her
lungs. She was so hysterical that it
was some time before her parents
could gather an account of what had
occurred. Immediately Mr.. Timiny
organized rescue party, but when
they reached the beach there was no
sign of Riley and the seven little
girls whom Mary had seen sink before
her eyes. Boats were hastily secured
and in short time four of the bodies
had been recovered. Searching par
ties worked late into the night.
Little Survivors, Story.
According to the account of the acct
dent given by the little Timiny girl, after
she had been in measure Gained by her
parents, the drowning was caused by the
excitement incident to the passage of a
large steamer. Mary says that they had
waded some distance into the stream.
keeping carefully to the sand-bar, when
the wash from the steamer caused
waves of considerable height to come
ashore. Before entering the water
Riley had instructed the little ones to
maintain a tight grasp on each others
hands. he taking place in the center.
The wash from the steamer created
considerable confusion among the
girls, Mary explains, and in the dark
ness they lost their bearings and be-
fore they were aware of their danger two
or three of them had stepped off the
sand-bar into the channel. dragging
the others with them. Mary was at the
end of the line. and when her companions
dragged her from the sand-bar she was
the nearest to shOa1 water ond "a +h.+