Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1905-03-27
Madison. March %.

MaQlSOu, MdICu IG'
William Frazier MCGOWAN, aged five
years, the little son of MI. and Mrs.
Angus MCGOWAN, and little playmate,
Wilfred Bondi, four years old, the son
of Mr.. and Mrs. Edward Bondi, met a
tragic death by drowning yesterday
afternoon in Lake Mendoza.
The children, who had wandered
away from home and out upon the lake
early in the afternoon, fell through a
crevice in the ice about block out
from the shore near the Yahara lock
in scarcely more than three feet OF
water.
The bodies were recovered by Angus
MCGOWAN, the father of little Frazier,
who was out in search of the missing
children. He dragged the bodies out
of the water and while laboring with
frantic haste to resuscitate them called
for help, Several men ran to his as
sistance, among them Otto B. Haus-
mann and John Hortsmeier, who also
aided in conveying the bodies across
the marsh to the homes. Medical ala
was at once summoned, but the utmost
efforts failed to restore life.
An Unforeseen Accident.
The tragic accident which has strick-
en- two homes in the seventh ward
was one Of those happenings which
perhaps can not be foreseen or prevent
ed. The two children, who were al
most daily playmates, living but
block apart, met yesterday shortly
after 1 o'clock Wilfred had obtained
a penny from his mother and gained
permission to go TO the store of Goude
and company, 1902 East Washington
avenue, a few blocks from home, where
he intended to invest his mite
in candy. His home is at
I'LL East Gorham street and
the MCGOWAN home is at 81 North
Few street, just around the corner.
On his way to the store Wilfred met
five-year-old Frazier who dragged be-
hind him his small draywagon. The
two little fellows stayed about the
neighborhood playing together and
were seen in the HOO block of East
Johnson street as late as o'clock.
Afterwards they went across the
marsh sidewalk to Sherman avenue,
and tempted by the expanse of ice be-
fore them, ventured out upon the froz-
en- lake.
Children Missed.
About 1880 the little ones were
missed by Mrs. MCGOWAN, who sup
posed her small son to be where she
last saw him, on the street near home.
Becoming alarmed at his absence she
began to look for him, but failing to
find him, raised an alarm. Then be-
gan the search.
Finds Children in the Lake.
Mr.. MCGOWAN secured the neighbor
hood and presently gathered that the
two children had been seen going in
the direction of Lake Mendoza. With
increasing apprehensions he hurried tol
the lake and guided by the marks of
the little cart in the snow and slush,
tracked his way along the lakeshore
towards the Yahara locks. He found
the wagon, and presently in a crevice
of the ice discovered the two little
bodies. This was at point a short
distance from where the lake flows
into the Yahara river
Current Cracked the Ice.
The strong current Of the lake att
this point had cracked the ice, which
was sound over all the rest OF the
lake. Into this lack the two unfor
n
in spite of their struggles were unable
to regain the sound ice. According tol
the physicians, it was impossible to tell
how long the bodies had been in the
water, although it is thought that the
time did not exceed 20 or 80 minutes.
The water was not deep at the point
where the drowning occurred, and the
loss of life was due in part to the shock
and chill of the exposure. Mr.. Meow
an himself found the two bodies and
made Intellectual efforts to revive them,
by rolling them about on the ice. The
lungs were not filled with water as 1s
usually the case in a drowning, but
the dreadful plunge and bitter cold
watery exposure left life entirely ex-
tinct. Mr.. MCGOWAN and Mr.. Hausr !
mann conveyed the dripping body OF
Frazier home in one of the Hausmann
wagons, while Mr.. Horstmeier carried
the body of Wilfred Bondi to his home. |
DIR. e. a. Brown and DR.. w. W. Gill
visited the MCGOWAN home and worked
over the body, but finally admitted the
uselessness of the attempt. DR.. j. A.
Mack was called to the Bondi home.