Evening star., 1925-06-07
C|TY'S TOLL IS SIX
DROWNED SEEKING
RELIEF FROM HEAT
Lack of Bathing Beaches in
District Forces Citizens
to Untried Places.
MERCURY FALLS SLOWLY
As TORRID WAVE BREAKS
Country's Death List Mounts to
324 in Six Days of Record
Hot Spell.

Tortured by week of unprecedent-
ell heat and without a properly guard
ed beach where temporary relief might
be found. FIVE persons dived TO their
deaths in untested lakes and stream
here and near Washington yesterday
and another was drowned while canoe
ing in the Potomac Rivera total toll
of six dead.
While graphing irons were drag
Einc to the surface yesterdays vic
Tins. the Police Department an
nounCed plans to protect Washington
best it can against just such trag-
edies until the city can provide place
for hathers to succeed the abolished
Tidal Basin Bathing Beach. which was
permanently closed early in the sea
son.
Two Rescued.
Strenuous measures are now to be
enforced to prevent a repetition of the
climax of the National Capitals full
week of torrdity. but already the toll
has set a new record for drownings
here and in addition the Potomac
River washed up on its banks the
body of another victim. who was
drowned Thursday, while two more
persons We're rescued.
The list of fatalities for yesterday
reads as follows:
James +. Black. %, of the United
States Marine Corps. drowned while
swimming in treacherous currents
near Chain Bridge.
Vernon Kidwell, IS. of Fairfax Va.
drowned when his canoe capsized near
Arlington Beach.
Levi NJ. McCauley. a patient at st.
Flizabeth's Hospital. drowned while
swimming off the Steel Plant pier;
body not recovered.
James Carter and Ellsworth Jones.
both 15 and both colored, caddies at
the Congressional Country Club, were
drowned while swimming in the lake
on the clubs golf course.
Warren X. Lucas, 3. drowned In the
Eastern Branch, near Anacostia
Bridge.
Augustus Grey. colored. drowned
Thursday near the foot of the Wash
ington channel, body recovered by har-
Dor police today.
Had it not been for the daring of
stronger swimmers, the names of Miss
Elizabeth Beaton of Alexandria, who
was in the canoe with Kidwell and
Everett Fuscoe, colored, IL years old,
of $50 G street, who tired out while
swimming in the river at the foot of
eighth street, might also be written in
the same list. Johannes F'eigland saved
Fuscoe and life guards from Arlington
Beach saved Miss Beaton, who man
aged to cling to the bottom of Kid
wells upturned canoe barely long
enough.
Relief Monday.
Faced by this sudden toll. Wash
ington must look for continued swelter-
ing weather until Monday, but with
the definite assurance now that re-
lief will come late that day. In the
meantime police vigilance along the
river and around pools or streams
that might be used by bathers ia to
be redoubled. orders to that effect
having gone out to every precinct
commander in the city. following an
nouncement of the tragedies Of yes
terday.
The lake that claimed the two cad
dies at the Congressional Country
Club had been used only as a water
hazard for the clubs golfers. l. is
neither inviting nor safe for swim
mers. Carter and Jones thought,
however, they could wade out just
z, little way into the cool water for
a few minutes relief while waiting
to carry some golfers clubs around
the course. They stepped off into
Z feet of water.
Neither could swim. and. although
their struggles attracted attention al
most Immediately. they had disap-
peared before rescuers could run the
block from the clubhouse TO the pool.
Divers went down and recovered their
bodies within a few minutes, a nd Capt
Groves OF the lire department resuSci-
tation squad was rushed to the scene
from No. = Engine Company. He
was too late, however. Carter was
from Washington, but sunny" Jones
home was in Brookmont, Md.
Hundreds of bathers, who had gone
to Arlington Beach for relief from the
heat, Witnessed the drowning of Kid
we'll and the sensational rescue of
Miss Beaton. The two were chang
ing positions a the time, trying to
walk from one end of the tipsy craft
to the other. Suddenly il capsized
and when il settled bottom-side up. the
girl alone clung TO it. The lifeguards
got Miss Beaton before she exhausted
her strength, but kidwell's body has
not yet been found.
Falls i'm Suck Hole
Warren Lucas, years old. was
only wading in what had every ap-
pearance of being q safe beach of the
Eastern SrdnCn, near the navy yard.
Suddenly his foot slipped into a suck
hole" in the river bed and he disap-
peared beneath the surface. Officers
aboard the L. s. S. Sylph notified the
police of the accident and after hours
of dragging they succeeded in recov-
ering the body, only a short distance
from the scene of the mishap, but well
jmbedded in the muddy bottom.
Black was trying to swim in the
swift current of the Potomac near
Chain Bridge. Stationed at the Wash
ington Barracks of the Marine Corps,
he had been given liberty" for the
afternoon and Immediately sought the
river for relief from the heat. He
was caught in a small whirlpool and
drawn to the bottom. Several hours
later harbor police succeeded in find
ing the body. Nothing is known of
the drowning of McCauley. His
clothes were found on the Steel Plant
pier and 1t Is assumed he went in for
n refreshing swim. His body has not
yet been recovered.
The rescue of 11.year-old Fuscoe
was dramatic. Johannes Eiegla nd
saw the boy struggling in the water.
unable 10 help himself any longer.
Fiegland. employed on the yacht
Continued on Page 4, Column A. j