The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1909-04-23
A SHIPWRECK ON
THE HUNT MEADOW
Crew Found Refuge on Top Of a
Clothes-Pole.
RESCUED AFTER DARK SUNDAY
Somebody Rocked the Boat as it Was
Slipping Through the Orchard and it
Was a Case of Swim to the Nearest
Thing That Stuck Out Of Water.

By the overturning of boat in which
! they were taking short pleasure TRIP
over the flooded meadows in the vicinity
of the Hunt farm late Sunday afternoon
| William Smith, Martin Vigneau and Rich
| ard Pollica received impromptu duckings
| and John III. Scott nearly lost his life be-
fore he finally reached a place of safety.
| The accident happened late in the after.
noon, and owing to the fact that the
spot where the accident occurred was par.
TALLY screened from the highway by the
large grove of apple trees the upset was
not noticed by any of the numerous pass
ersby on the road between Brattleboro
and Vernon. The high water had flooded
the meadows and was about 10 feet deep
where the men were tipped over. Ham
pered by their clothing and the intense
cold Of the water they were unable to
swim to the highway, and SO grasping
whatever chance offered in the way Of
safety they chung to apple trees and a
over an hour after the accident happened.
Their shouts and cries for help were
heard after some time by passersby on
the highway, and several attempts at res
cues were made by the people attracted to
the scene One of the would-be rescuers,
Louis Pollica met the same fate as his
predecessors. 1t was not until boat was
finally taken to the scene from Brattle-
boro that the men were brought ashore,
thoroughly chilled from the effects of
their ducking and exposure to the full
sweep of raw north wind which charac-
terized the latter part of Sunday after
noon.
Just what caused the accident is yet to
be learned, for none of the men were in
any condition to talk about the affair
when rescued. Some Of them claim it was
because one Of the party began to rock
the boat, and the boat being leaky and
waterlogged capsized.
Sunday afternoon Smith and Scott Wis
tied friends on Vernon street and after
their call walked down to view the high
water. Pollica and Vigneau were in the
boat when they espied Smith and Scott
and the two were asked to- take ride.
Nothing 10th they accepted and were
rowed out to the Hunt farm. On the way
back Vigneau is said to have rocked the
it overturned throwing the four occu-
pants into the icy water. Being good
swimmers the men struck out for the
thing which offered safety, two
of them climbing a clothesline frame and
the other two hanging gratefully to the
limbs of an apple tree. Scott was some
what hampered by his clothing and before
he reached safe place went down twice,
but was finally pulled onto the clothes
line frame by Smith.
Their cries for help finally attracted the
attention of people passing along the high
way and assistance was soon Forthcoming.
Louis Pollica, father of Richard Pollica,
started out to the men in a leaky boat
using board for paddle, but this also
sank and he was obliged to seek refuge in
The trees In the meantime a raft had |
been constructed out of driftwood left on
The rivers banks but this was also found
20 be useless.
Finally Charles Spaulding and Bert Pol |
lea obtained boat at the roundhouse in
he local railroad yard, and after half
lour's hard labor the five men were
anded, wet both inside and out but none
he worse for their experience. They
we're given a change of clothing and then
vent to their homes. The rescue was &C.
after dark.