Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-27
CONTINUE SEARCH
. FOR CAPT. FENW|CK
|. IN LOWER POTOMAC
Bodies of Richard KIimkie.
Wicz and Owen Whitcomb
Found Yesterday.
GROUP MET DISASTER
IN SATURDAYS STORM
Lone Survivor, Unable to Swim,
Describes 24-HOur Stay in
Waters of River.

Search for Capt. Arthur Fenwick was
continued along the lower stretches of
the Potomac River today, following the
recovery late yesterday Of the bodies Of
two Of his companions, who were
drowned when their speed boat sank on
Cobb Island during the storm Saturday
afternoon.
The bodies recovered yesterday were
those of Richard Klimkiewicz, II, 1872
Twelfth street northeast, and his broth
er-in-law, owen D. Whitcomb, 80, Of
5737 Thirteenth street. Rivermen carry
ing on the search for Capt. Fenwick,
Maryland State oyster inspector, ex-
pressed the fear that he, too, had been
drowned.
The sole survivor of the Inflated
cruise Of the speed boat, Mary Lucy
II, is Francis D. Klimkiewicz, father Of
Richard. The survivor was the only
member OF the party who could not
swim and when the boat went down he
apparently had the poorest chance of
coming through alive, the others being
equipped with regular life preservers,
while he was forced to depend upon
two seat cushions to keep afloat.
Believes Signal ETisinterpreted.
When the boat sank" Klimkiewicz
said, Il grabbed two seat cushions, one
under each arm. At first all of us
houndered around together, but grad
ually the others were carried away by
the wind and tide. Richard was the
last one saw, and I waved for him to
SWIM ashore. He was good swimmer
and thought he could make it, but
I am afraid he misunderstood rly
signal as an appeal for help, and that
ne exhausted himself trying to get back
to me-"
For "a hours the elder Klimkiewicz
chung desperately to his two cushions
and was tossed and battered by the
waves and the driving wind. Never for
a moment did he dare relax, knowing
That death awaited him if one or both
OF the cushions should slip away. But
he did not become panic-stricken and
waste his strength in futile struggles,
Tor DEATH" he said, closes its sinister
aspect when you stare it in the face for
hours, and soon became composed"
through the long hours Of darkness
ne orltted-and prayed. When dawn
broke the storm had subsidized, and the
current carried him in close to shore.
Hair Turned White.
AT times" he said, Il felt almost as
though my feet could touch bottom, so
close was I carried to the streams edge,
ana Then, when 1t seemed was surely
Sa1e, the river would sweep me out into
mldstream. A few strokes would have
carried me ashore, but never learned
to SWIM"
1t was this, his friends believe, that
caused his brown hair to turn white.
AS the day wore on and he drifted
mile after a mile without sighting a
ship, Mr.. Klimkiewicz said he began to
fear he would lose his mind.
ITO steady myself" he explained, 1T
began to sing The Cradle of the Deep
and other hymns. Later counted mum.
berS out loud and argued with myself,
Anything to pass the time"
Finally at 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon,
after he had been in the water "a
hours, he was picked up by fishermen
and taken ashore at Stratford, Va. He
returned to his home here yesterday.
Richards body was found In a trap
net, and brought back to Washington
in a Naval plane. The body of Whit
comb was floating near the upper end
of Cobb Island.
The party started out Saturday
morning to take the speed boat to q
Summer cottage on st. Georges Island.
They were about is miles from their
destination when the storm broke.