Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-29
BODIES ARE FOUND
IN SEVERN RIVER
Mrs. Bowyer's Corpse Erect
With Two Midshipmen
Stretched at Her Feet.
ALL THREE LIVES LOST
IN "0LD MANS HOLE"
Coroner Decides That Death Was
Due to Accident.
BODIES BROUGHT TO ACADEMY
Relatives Are Notified and Remains
Are to Be Shipped Home.
Long Search for Miss
ing Party.
Coroner Decides That Death Was
Due to Accident.
BODIES BROUGHT TO ACADEMY

ANNAPOLIS, Md. June Outstanding
erect in the waters of the Severn river,
the body of Mrs Marie Bowyer, daughter
in-iaw Of Supt. Bowyer, of the Naval Acad-
envy. was found this morning some hours
after the resumption of the search which
continued long after dark last night
Stretched at her feet upon the river bot
tom were the bodies of Midshipmen Girls
by E. Thomas Of Union Point, Ga. and
Sherman NJ Mason OF Newport. r. 1.
Less than twenty-four hours before the
finding Of the bodies the two midshipmen
had set sail in a half-rater for the acad-
emy bathing beach across the river.
There they had donned bathing suits.
bathing suit she put on a long cloak,
which still covered her when her body was
brought to the surface.
Catastrophe Not Observed.
Re-entering the sailboat they went to-
ward the mouth Of the river to another
beach. Though this is within sight Of
the Naval Academy. no one knows just
what occurred there.
The trio not returning to lunch, search
was Instituted yesterday afternoon. The
sail6oat. empty save for some pieces of
the midshiDmsn's clothing. was found
couDae Sf hundred yards from shore and
about AaH that distance from the spo.
vnWO -e1s BODIES were found this morn
tsG
a0a4 boe1D from the Naval Academy
DsaEcAn6 tAe winters and q company of
naxlDso Saeroaled adjacent shores until
1oot afoR oark lest night. The efforts
10 AbekD the bodies were resumed at 6
o'el0ck III morning
eng tope0o boats and launches in the
ssatu6 Il was one Of these. William
8r4noeH Whceo graphing hook found
the bodiso 1n shout SIX teet OF water.
1sxnzsll Locates Corpses.
Shortly after this morning Branzell
located the body OF Mrs. Bowyer In q
few moments he found the body of one
Of the middies. About the same time one
of the naval searching parties, under
command Of Boatswain's Mate Spears.
found that Of the other unfortunate
youth
All three were within about twenty
feet Of each other and only about 100
yards from where the boat had been
found. In her standing posture the top
of Mrs. Bowyer's head was only about q
foot under the water.
The bodies were brought At once to the
academy dock. Mrs. Bowyer's remains
were taken to the home Of Supt. Bowyer.
Those Of the two midshipmen were taken
TO Bancroft Hall and their families were
at once notified.
Of inquest. Of which Lieut.. Commander
Raby Is senior member, with Lieut.. Com
mander r. l. Curtin and Surg. E. L.
Woods as the other members.
Academy authorities notified Coroner
John N Davis Of Annapolis. After view
ing the bodies he declared II to be clear
ly a case Of accidental drowning.
Bodies to Be Sent Home.
Mrs. Bowyer. who was the widow of
Capt Bowyer's son, Joseph McC. Bowyer,
Was. before her marriage, Miss Marie
Dean Of Pittsburg and Erie. Her brother
and other relatives. with the exception
of her mother. who is travelling abroad.
have been notified.
Funeral arrangements have been made.
The body will be carried from Annapolis
this afternoon to Erie for interment
The bodies Of Midshipmen Mason and
Thomas will be sent to their homes to-
morrow after funeral services at 10
O'Clock In the morning.
Started OF at Noon.
Starting for a sail on the almost un-
ruff1ed waters Of Annapolis harbor, the
young men left the Naval Academy wharf
about noon in one. of the small sailing
cutters which are kept at the academy
for the use Of the midshipmen.
After trying to increase the size of the
party by inviting others over the tele-
phone. the two midshipmen got Mrs.
Bowyer to go with them and proceeded
on their trip. The midshipmen wore their
white canvas summer uniforms Mrs.
Bowyer was In bathing dress. completely
covered with q long cloak.
They were passed by number of
small craft, including one In which there
were q number OF candidates. No special
notice was taken OF the party as there
was nothing about II to attract any par
ticular attention.
The harbor is generally crowded with
small boats at this time 1t Is part Of
the mystery of the whole matter that
separated the occupants from their boat
and probably resulted In the ending OF
their lives.
Empty Boat Found.
About o:a0 o'clock one Of the academy
iauncheS. In which some sailors were
cruising about the harbor. noticed q sail
boat. with sails set. anchored near Chink
point. about a mile and q half from the
Naval Academy and opposite Eastport, a
suburb of Annapolis.
They steamed to IL and found q mid
shipmans white canvas jumper in II.
There was no other sign Of any one who
might have been in the boat.
After looking about for something which
pants were the boat was towed to the
academy. Here II was learned that Mrs.
Bowyer and the two midshipmen had
gone tout in the little crast. Much alarm
was at once felt
number OF launches were at once
sent 70 the point where the boat had been
found. AS soon as ii could be dispatched
the torpedo boat Bagiey was ordered to
the scene. number of cutters under
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