The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1910-05-13
EIGHT DROWNED
IN Mill POND.
=
School Children Lose Lives as.
Result Of FrC!ic.
SIX GIRLS AND TWO BOYS.
Panic Stricken Girls Grasped the Boys
and clung to Them Desperately,
Dragging Two of Them Down-Four
Others Saved Themselves.


Dragging Two of Them Down-Four
Others Saved Themselves.
Wilkes-Barre, Pa, May 13. - Six
girls and two boys. members of the
graduating and junior classes at the
Huntington Mills high school, fifteen
miles from here, We're drowned in a
mill pond near the school. Four other
boys managed to reach shore and save
themselves. The drowned were all be
tween sixteen and eighteen years OF
age.
The pupils came to the school from
some distance and carried luncheon
After they had eaten at noon party
OF the older ones, six girls and six
boys, proposed going for row on the
old mill pond. They embarked in two
boats Fifteen minutes later eight OF
them were dead.
The victims are: Maud Sutliff. Ruth
Bonham. of Town Line; Caroline
Rooms. OF Harveyville: Iris Davenport
Kathleen Good. of Waterton; Rachel
Thompson. of Townhill; Robert Minny
and Ray Dodson. of Huntington Mills.
The four survivors. George Dodson
Uriah WeitZel. Jay Rooms and Harold
Bell. tell a confused story. They went
to the water in 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
l., ho hoI Il
off side by side The girls teased each
other and the boys about their com
panions. There was much splashing' OF
the water with the oars, and some of
the party used their hands and threw
water on the others.
Boys Rocked the Boat.
In one boat. where the boys and
girls were having jolly time. boy
got up to change his seat. Who it was
the survivors do not remember. They
have an idea that perhaps two or
three of the boys stood up at the same
time The boat rocked somewhat the
girls shrieked. and the boy rocked the
boat little more. 1t dipped some wa
ter. and the girls, thoroughly alarmed,
sprang up. The next instant the boat
overturned and all six were in the
water, with. chorus sf screaHls fer
help. 14f.s - - IS So /. a
The al hsesA hllat galss a fead =
away. reached the six Struggling in
the water with half dozen strokes Of
the oars. Those in the boat We're ap-
parently as excited as those in the
water Those in the boat reached out
to get their playmates. those in the
water seized the sides of the boat and
tried to scramble in. Their weight on
the gunwales pulled the boat beneath
the water or they upset it while trying
to climb in. Whatever happened. hap
pened quickly, for the second boat was
barely among those struggling in the
water before it's six inmates were also
overheard.
Desperate Fight For Life.
The four survivors say that then
there was an overwhelming confusion.
Some girls grabbed them, they seized
some of the girls. All the boys could
swim, and all apparently made an eff
fort to save some of the others. Fren
zied as all were, however. the girls
clung to them wherever they could
seize them, some around the neck,
some around the bodies. The surviv-
ors, who broke away after being drag
ged down, saw a group of four all
clinging together.
Each of the boys who escaped tells
of being dragged down by the girls or
other boys and fighting to get away.
and each reached the shore after a
desperate struggle to save his own
life. Apparently there were no cow
ards. The survivors saved themselves
only when it was impossible to save
others and saved themselves with an
effort. They reached the shore so ex-
hausted that it was some minutes be-
fore they hai strength to drag them
selves to the road and shout for help.
The bodies were recovered. Nearly
every victim was clasped in death
embrace about some other one.
Robert Minnick, one of the drowned
boys, was the particular hero of the
occasion. In the confusion he first
swan to shore and then, seeing the
girle were in the water, he struck out
for the middle of the pond again and
was drowned while endeavoring to res
cue the girls.