Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-26
HIS COMPANIONS FAIL
IN EFFORTS AT RESCUE
Accident Occurs in Upper Potomac,
Opposite Sycamore Island.
Young Man Was Principal Of Public
School In Alexandria and q
Nephew Of Mai. Mac
Rae, q. s. A.

d
hat Duncan MacRae, twenty-one years
old. principal OF an Alexandria public
school. was drowned when his canoe
upset in the upper Potomac. opposite
Sycamore Island, yesterday afternoon
about o'clock.
Three companions. Reamer weileer
Argo. Harold Keats and Robert Jones.
attempted to rescue MacRae. Keats
put out In a canoe, and Argo and Jones
swan out to MacRae. who was trying
to swim to shore In his clothing.
The swimmers reached MacRae and
gave him their support. Argo. made
numb by the icy water. went under.
and the current swept him ashore.
Getting foothold he looked back to
see Jones and MacRae still struggling
to reach the bank. and Keats. padding
with q piece OF board. making efforts
to reach them against a swift tide
that bore his canoe away from them.
Then Argo saw Jones and MacRae
ing shoreward. In a few moments they
both went under again. This time
Jones came up alone. and in q few
moments gained the shore. MacRae
was seen no more. His body has not
been recovered
Keats had had ducking a short time
before the fatality Padding with an
improved paddle, his canoe had upset.
He clung to the keel and was rescued
by his companions.
Canoe Tips Over.
It was his hat, lost when he was i'm
mersed. that MacIaae went after. In
, reaching out from the side OF the canoe
to get the hat MacRae overbalanced the
craft In swift current that turned &C
over
MacRae: Jones', Argo and Keats, oil
young men and members Of the Theta
Delta Chi Fraternity house. 91S 18th
street, set out about 2:3O o'clock yester-
day afternoon for a trip on the river
At the Washington Canoe Club they
asked for the use Of a canoe owned by a
friend. The rules OF the club do not
Of the owner without express permission,
and the quartet were refused the privi-
lege.
Keats suggested that they go up to the
camp where he had spent last summer
and where he knew that he could find
canoes.
The camp was on the Virginia shore.
opposite Sycamore Island. Here the young
men round three canoes, but no paddles.
Keats got board. and using it as a pad
die started out alone in one of the canoes
Unable to guide his boat skillfully with
the improvised paddle. ne was caught
In the swift current and upset. He clunC
to the canoe until his companions
reached him in another canoe which they
padded with boards found on shore
Starts After Hat.
A fire was made on the shore for
Keats to dry out Jones and Argo took
or their clothes, despite the low tenn
perature. and were planning a dip In
the river. Then Keats discovered that
his hat was missing, and MacRae took
out the canoe to go in search Of it, with
the fatal result told above.
Argo, seeing the fate Of MacRae, ran
for help. He found some Of the men
who live in the vicinity. and the search
for the body began. The news was sent
to the fraternity house. and a num-
ber Of the associates of the young men
went out to help In the search. The
body had not been found at midnight.
from william and Mary College. Vir-
Army, who dwells In the Northumber-
land apartments, is an uncle Majs Mac
Rae Joined the search party when in
formed Of the death Of his nephew. Mac
Rae was a native of Florida and twenty
one years old. He had been connected
with the school system Of Alexandra
since last September. His father lives
I'm Macon. Ga. He had intended to take
the examination for a commission in the
army. and had been a hard student.
Argo Keats and Jones are all gradu-
ates OF George Washington University.
Arxo lives in HyattEville.