Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-04-07
TRIPLE Drowning
At CEDAR RAPIDS
Woman Rocks Boat and 1t Cap
sizes, Resulting in Her Death
and Two Others
PARTY OF FOUR IN A LAUNCH.
One of the Number Succeeds in Swim
ming to Shore, and Summons Help,
But Too Late to Afford Any Relief
to His companions-search for the
Bodies.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Cedar Rapids. April 1.-Two young
men and a woman lost their lives by
drowning in the Cedar river here last
night The accident was caused by the
woman standing up in a gasoline
launch in which three companions she
was riding, and rocking it. Her fool
hardy action caused the boat to over
turn and precipitated the entire party
into the river. The dead are:
George Macdonald.
Samuel Callahan.
Mrs. Hattie Copp.
The accident occurred just above the
laney. the fourth member of the party,
had a narrow escape from death, hav-
ing succeeded in reaching the shore
after sinking two times. The quartet
started out in a gasoline launch owned
by Samuel Callahan, an employe Of
the cereal company. Callahan and
Macdonald had been on the river with
Mrs. Copp for some time, and about
H. 80 went to the boat house and took
in Tom Delaney, who was on the bank
with man named Will Reagan. They
invited Reagan to go along, but he de-
clined. saying there was ALREADY too
many in the craft. The launch headed
down stream towards the Northwest
ern bridge, but before reaching it
turned and started up stream. 1t had
not gone far when the woman, in fit
OF foolhai iness, stood up, according
to the story OF Delaney, and began
rocking the boat, Altilo warned 20 ds-'
sist, she continued to rock the boat.
and suddenly 1t was overturned When
Delaney reached the shore he sum.
moned help and the river has been
dragged since in an effort to find the
Of the river.
Delaney gives this version of the ac-
cident:
1--WE were going UP stream and the
gasoline engine stopped. Callahan
started it agal and it went all right
a little ways and then stopped again.
| Just as he got it started again, Mrs.
Copp stood up in the boat and rocked
| it and 1t dumped. We were all thrown
out into the river. Mrs. Copp and
Macdonald were holding onto the
boat and he helped her up to get Il
better hold on the boat. l am pref
ty good swimmer and said to them,
Stay here and hold on to the launch.
and I'll try to swim to the shore ani
get a boat Then started to swim
and in a minute or so l heard Gala
han call out tom, It's all up with me,
I'm going I swan on, but 1 had on
all my clothes and I went to the bot
TOM l came up again and swami
little farther and then l went down
again. This time touched bottom
and some way managed to get to the
shore and pulled myself up on the
bank. There was a boat there fasten-
ed by a wire and broke the wire and
was going back, when the launch
went down but there were no oars in
the boat and 1 could find nothing that
could use for a paddle. called out
to Macdonald 3Grasshopper Chats
what we call hin), are you holding
on?' but there was no reply, and I
| could see nor hear nothing OF them
I stayed a minute or so calling, but
I couldn't hear anything and 4 made
up my mind they had gone down with
the launch, and then I ran across the
Northwestern bridge for help.
Will Reagan, who was sitting on
the bank when the party left the boat
house in the launch, said:
81 sat on the bank talking to
switchman, and we were busy talking
and paid no attention to the launch,
didn't hear anything and d1dnt
know anything was wrong until
heard Delaney come running across
the bridge. He said, For Gods sake
come and help me get boat the
lady has dumped the launch and they
have all drowned He was crying and
was very much excited"