Evening star., 1922-04-14


the schooner preparing to set sail for
Machodic. Westmoreland county, Va.
where he was moving his family and
household effects from New Alexan-
dria. Va. when the northwest squall
struck the small boat on the star
board side. capsizing it almost imme-
diately. His wife and children were
asleep in the cabin, and it is believ-
ed that the four drowned children
went down with the ship ignorant
of their fate.
Mrs. Lawrence, awakened by the
cries Of her husband. made a vain
effort to scramble to the deck, but
the craft went under Just as she
reached the door. Carroll succeeded
in getting on the deck of the schooner
before she sank and clung to a life
boat. His father. who had been wash
ed overheard, grabbed him just as
he was about to go under with the
lifeboat and swan with him to the
which protruded out Of the water.
The rigging at the top OF the mast
furnished them with improvised
seats. and here they remained until
the crew from the passing steamer
rescued and brought them to WASH
ington.
Drag for Bodies.
Lieut.. Russell Dean, in command of
the harbor police precinct. and the
crew of the police boat vigilant are
dragging the river today in the vicin-
ity of the sunken schooner in an ef-
fort to recover any of the bodies that
may have been washed out of the
cabin. Lieut.. Dean believes the body
of Mrs Lawrence probably is in the
river, because she had reached the
door Of the cabin when the craft cap
sized. The bodies of the children, in
his opinion, are still in the cabin. and
the vessel will have to be raised to
recover them.
The point where the Kemble sank
is on the edge of the channel of the
river on the Maryland side, where
water is about thirty-two feet deep.
Some difficulty, it is feared, will be
cause of the depth of the water.
According to the story told a Star
reporter by Capt. Lawrence, he had
Just gone to the deck of the boat to
hoist the sails. which were furled. when
a strong northwest squall came down
the river. The schooner was at an
chor with the stern upstream. When
the squall struck it, he said. the boat
was carried downstream with such
force that when it reached the end
Immediately. If the ship had not
been anchored. Capt. Lawrence said.
it probably would have weathered
the gale.~
AS the squall neared his craft, Capt
Lawrence said, he yelled to his wife
and children to come on deck, but
only his wife and his eldest son Car
roll, apparently heard him. He said
he saw his wife make a fruitless ef-
fort to crawl from the cabin just as
the craft upset.
Cling to Mast.
After rescuing his son Carroll, Capt.
Lawrence swan with him to the
mast Of the vessel, which was rest
ing on its side on the bottom, and
there they clung until they were
picked up by the crew Of the Norfolk
steamer.
Nervously walking to and fro in
front of the harbor precinct, and
vainly endeavoring to brush back
tears that would come. Capt. Law
renee told the story of how he and
his wife and children had long made
plans to move to their new home at
Machodoe. Va, a few miles above
Colonial Beach. Frequently he would
break his talk, throw his hands into
the air and exclaim: "Oh. my. God.
am a criminal for not trying to get
my wife and children. out of that
ship. / didn't have time to think. 1t