Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-08-29
Two Drowning Accidents
Sunday at Warren, RI.
-Four Of Nine PicnIckers Lost
..-GdHant RescueS.
Life Savers Save Three Of Party Of
Four Young Men.


their lives and eight others were
rescued. some of them in such state
of exhaustion they were resuscitated
with difficulty, were recorded here to-
day. Two men, one woman. and two
| children, were the victims. They We're:
Antello Gandretria. 10, of Warren.
Manuel Muniz of North Dighton.
Mass. ...... ..... ...-.
Muniz's 6-months- old child
Mrs. Mary Mellow of Fall River.
Mrs. Mellow's 15-months- old child.
The accidents happened within an
| hour of eacn other. the first soon after
| ) o'clock and the other, in which four
persons lost their lives. a little later in
the evening. Both were marked by
thrilling rescues.
The first accident happened at KEEL
ly's bridge. near the junction of the
Warren ana Talmers rivers. Four
young men, all residents of Warren.
had been Spending the afternoon boat
ing on tile river and were on their way
home. AS they neared the bridge the
tide was running out with considera bic
speed and as they sought to navigate
| the heavily loaded craft through the
narrow draw it got beyond their con-
troll. A moment later the boat struck
the piling and was overturned, throw
ing all of the occupants into the wa
ter.
So swiftly was the tide running that
the men were carried through the draw
anc into the whirlpool on the the other
side, where they struggled nelplesslv
for several minutes.
Gandretria was soon sucked down by
the whirling waters and with cry of
agony sank from sight. The others
were almost on the point of giving up
when shout from the shore told them
of an approaching rescue party and
they renewed their struggles to keep
af1oat.
The reScuerS, crew from the Unit
ed States life saving station, a short
distance away, headed by Captain Will
liam r. Clayton with Robert Dryden
and Frank Fields as his assistants
reached the place as the men-almost
exhausted-were about to give up the
fight. Two of the men, Henry Rena
and Salvatore Marcel. We're taken
aboard the boat and the other two,
Severio Milo and James D'Dace, were
directed by the life savers how to swim
out of the current and so made their
own way to shore
All of the men were in a serious con-
dition when they finally reached shore
and some time was spent over them
by the life savers and others before it
was assured that they were out of
danger. Marcel was in the worst con-
dition of any of the quartet and it was
declared that another minute in the
water would have meant his death.
Even after he had been resuscitated
the life savers had considerable trouble
with him, for as soon as he learned of
the death of Grandretria. who was his
particular crony, he was heartbroken.
The body of Gandretria was not re-
covered and it is believed that it was
carried some distance down the river
and possibly out TO sea.
Hardly more than an hour later
party of nine Portuguese picnickers
who left Fall River early in the day
for an outing on the river were over
turned in Mount Hope bay and four of
them drowned. The party were in
small motor boat and were about to
start for home when it started to rain.
The motorboat had no awning and as
it could not be run up to shore on &C
count of the shallowness of the river.
the entire party started to climb into
the small tender behind to row ashore.
Eight of them had got into the frail
little craft in safety and taken their
seats when the ninth, one of the wo-
men of the party. climbed aboard and
the craft was overturned. A moment
more and all were struggling in the
water, women clasping their babies
with one hand and trying to hold onto
the men with the other and all shout
ing Justify for help.
The same rain which had brought
disaster to the picnickers brought res
cuers to the scene for a short distance
away the Fall River newsboys had
been engaged in a Sunday baseball
game when the scattering drops drove
them to shelter and incidentally
brought them within earshot of the
drowning people.
Three of the newsboys. Abraham
Tinkoff, Edward Ney and Max Fried
man. dove into the water and a mo-
ment later We're engaged in struggle
to pull the frenZied foreigners apart
and effect the rescue of some of them.
Tinkoff grabbed one of the women
and started for shore with her. AS he
dId Manuel Muniz. believing that he
was about to sink for the last time.
grabbed the boys leg and the three
were rapidly being dragged down.
when the boy. realizing that it was his
only hope. drew off and kicked the
man square in the jaw. Muniz's hold
relaxed and a moment later he sank
from sight. while the boy succeeded in
dragging the woman ashore. after
much difficulty. Meanwhile the others
had rescued four members of the
party.
By this time other help had arrived
one OF the leaders being E. D. Hardy
Of New York. a summer visitor at
Warren Neck. He an other men aided
the boys in caring for the rescued per
sons.
When Antoine Mellow. one of those
whose life had been saved, learned that
mis- wife and child had both been lost,
he endeavored to throw himself into
the water and end his own life. He was
only prevented by half a dozen strong
hands which held him down until he
had somewhat regained his compos-
ure.
The bodies of the four drowned in