Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1910-05-21
EIGHT DROWNED
IN MILL POND
School Children Lose Lives as
Result Of FTOllC.
SIX GIRLS kNO TWO BOYS
Panic Stricken Girls Grasped the Boys
ana Clung to Them Desperately
Dragging Two OF Them Down-Foui
Others Saved Themselves.


Six girls and two boys. members OF
the graduating and junior classes az
the Huntington Mills high school
fifteen miles from Wilkes Barre. IA
lost their lives by drowning in g
mill pond near the school -Four othe.
boys managed Go reach shore and save
themselves The drowned were all be
tween sixteen and eighteen years OF
age
The pupils came 90 the school from
some distance and carried luncheon.
After they had eaten at noon a part,
of the older ones. six girls and six
boys. proposed going for a row on tine
old mill pond They embarked In twr
boats Fifteen minutes later eight o'
them were dead
The victims are. Maud Sutlin Ruth
Bouham. of Town Line. Caroline
Rooms OF Harveyvile. Iris Davenport
Kathleen Good. of Waterton. Rachel
Thompson of Townbll. Robert Minny
. and Ray Dods0n. OF Huntington Mills
The four survivors George Dodsou.
Uriah WeItzel Jay Rooms and Harold
Bell tell confused story. They wen
60 the water iu couples At the side of
the dam they got two small rOwboats
and three boys and three girls crowd
ed into each. There was much frolick
ing and laughter as the boats pushed
on side by side The girls tcascd each
other and the boys about their com
pauions. There was much splashinE Of
the water with the oars and some OF
water on che others
In one boat where the boys and
girls were having a jolly time. "a bow
got up Co change his seat Who 10 was
the survivors do not remember. Thc1
have an idea that perhaps two or
three of the boys stood up at the same
time. The boat rocked somewhat. 20.
girls shrieked. and the boy rocked the
boat little more. 10 dipped some wa
ter. and the girls. thoroughly alarmed
spranE up The next instant The boat
overturned and AN six were In tho
water. with chorus OF screams fot
help
The other boat only a few yard
away. reached tho six struggling u
the water with a half dozen strokes ,
the oars Those in the boat were an
parontly as excited as those I'm On
water Those in tho boat reached out
% get their playmates. those iu tho
water seized the sides of the boat and
tried to scramble in Their weight on
the gunwalos pulled the boat beneath
the water 0r they upset 70 while trying
90 climb in Whatever happened. hap
pencd quickly. for the second boat was
barely among those struggling iu the
water before its six inmates were ais.
overheard
The four survivors say that then
there was an overwhelming confusion
Some girls grabbed them they seized
some of the girls. AN The bows couI
swim. and all apparently made an o.
fort 90 save some OF the others Treu
zied as AN were. however tho gill.
chung 90 them wherever they coul
seize them some around me mech
some around the bodies The survi,
OTIS. who broke away after being dra2
ged down, saw a group OF fouI aU
Ciinging together.
Each of the boys who escaped tells
OF being dragged down by the girls or
ONANA NNNe anu AAillAA 10 Etl away.
and each reached the shore after "a
desperate struggle 10 save his own
life Apparently there were no cow
ards The survivors saved themselves
only when 70 was Impossible 10 save
others and saved themselves with an
effort They reached the shore so ex
hausted that 10 was some minutes be
fore they had strength 90 drag them
selves TO the road and shout for help
The bodies We're recovered. Nearly
every victim was clasped In q death
embrace about some other one
Robert Minnick one OF the drowned
boys. was the particular hero OF the
occasion. In the confusion he mrs.
swan 20 shore and then. seeing tho
girle were in the water. ne struck ont
for the middle Of the pond again and
was drowned while endeavoung 20 res
cue the girls