Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-06-29

GET INTO DEEP WATER
por Cast Over Alexandrians at ke'
sort-Bodies Brought to the o''S
in Storm Last Night.

in Storm Last Night.
Ear,v Yesterday afternoon pau
,,os cast over the many Alexandrians
,,ho we're passing the day at ehe
Dyke by the drowning of two , rhi.
teen vear-old girls of this city lhey
! had been bathing and while so en-
cared suddenly found themselves IN
Jgep water. They seized each othef'
disappeared in what is locally known
~ the "suck hole" at that place anu
! drowned in each others arms. Inc
victims of this sad accident were
Helen Leona Downey, daughter OF
Mrs. Ellen NJ. and late John 7. Down
| ey. of 721 Gibbon street, and Mary
| Loretta Kelly, daughter OF Mr. ana
Mrs. Thomas f. Kelly, of 327 soutn
Alfred street.
Versions of the accident vary IN
;on'c minor particulars. Some say
the GIRLS while in the water caught
hold Of a rowboat which was passing
them and allowed themselves to be
towed out from the shore. The man
! in charge of the boat warned them
of their danger, as they were likely TO
| be taken into deep water. Neither
! could swim, and they were prevailed
upon to release their hold upon the
boat mad return to more shallow wa
ter. They, however, in their gambols
| gradually moved away from the
shore, and eventually found their feet
| sliding downward. To their horror,
| Ihey realized that they were being
forced by the strong outward current
into the dreaded "suck hole" They
seized each other simultaneously and
sank to rise no more.
! John Raisons, who was at the bridge
i near the spot where the girls disap-
peared jumped into the water in hopes
of rescuing them, but as they failed
to reappear upon the surface he found
i himself powerless to render assist
ance.
i Several persons were in close proX-
unity to the unfortunate girls when
they disappeared, but all seemed to
have been impotent and unable to
render succor.
Later William E. Hinken, Emmett
! L; Finks and William Ketland set to
work to recover the bodies, diving for
them. After about an hours work
Finks recovered the body of Miss
Downey, and Hinken that Of Miss kel'
lv. An electric car bearing the re;
mains reached this city at eight
o'clock last night while one of the
: electric storms which prevailed dur
ing the evening was at it's height. The
remains were taken to the homes. OF
the parents of the dead girls. Jus
4ice of the Peace Kirby of Fairfa,
county, gave a certificate of deatf
from accidental drowning.
A double funeral from st. Mary:
Catholic Church on Wednesday morn
> ing at 9:3O o'clock has been arranged
for the two young girls.
Separate cottages will leave tn
+ houses of the parents and Will NEE
g at the church where joint services Wi
v be held.
V Another version of the sad affair l
J. that the girls after taken hold OF Tn
l. boat allowed themselves to be towe
b. some distance from the shore an
10 when they finally let 60 they foun
J. themselves in deep water, and bot
a. sank Immediately.
The relatives and friends of the ur
fortunate girls have the sincere syn
pathy of the entire community. Mis-
Downey, anticipating the pleasure c
V a day at the Dyke, left here yestel
- day morning to be. the guest of Mis-
- y; Kelly during the day. When til
% news of the sad accident reached TIL
5. city it brought forth genuine expre
sions of regre:.
A special meeting of the Childre
A, of Mary will be held in st. Mary
h. Academy, Tuesday evening at L;
er to make arrangements to attend in
a. body the funeral of their two con
IS panions. Loretta Keil.I and Leol
DoWney.