Evening star., 1948-07-26
Beach Tragedies
0ver.Week End
Fatal 10 -Four
Two Maryland Girls
Die at Cape Charles;
Two Youths Lose Lives

Two Youths Lose Lives
Two young Maryland girls. cousins,
drowned Saturday at Cape Charles,
Va, while on q vacation visit with
their grandmother.
The victims, neither Of whom
could swim, were Miss Joyce Eliza
beth Sprouse, Is, eldest daughter
of Mr.. and Mrs. Clarence w. Sprouse.
6202 Kingston road, Capitol Heights.
and Miss Doris Bernice Downes,
10, eldest daughter of Mr.. and Mrs.
George w. Downes, 800 Sixty-second
place, Seat Pleasant.
Two other persons, both WASH
ington area youths, drowned yester-
day in separate accidents on the
Severn River near Annapolis.
They were:
Charles w. McAlexander, jr., l8,
an employe of the Navy Annex,
Arlington.
Francis wahex, about 20, of East
port, Md.
GlrlS went Wading.
According to an account received
here by Mrs. Sprouse, the two girls,
accompanied by another cousin,
Miss Bernice Milburn, IA, daughter
Of Mr.. and Mrs. Robert H. Milburn.
674l Roosevelt avenue, Seat Pleas
ant, went wading in the ocean after
they had been admonished to wait
until an older relative could Join
them.
A confused account was given BY
Bernice who was reported suffering
from serious shock at her home.
She said all three girls either waded
into the ocean and were caught up
by the undertow, or dived in from
board over the water.
All went under Immediately, Mrs.
Sprouse said she was told. Only
Bernice, who could swim a little.
was able to get out of the choppy
water.
The bodies of the two victims were
recovered by Coast Guard personnel
As minutes after the drownings.
Numerous severe bruises and cuts
indicated they had either struck ths
ocean floor with great force in div
ing or had been washed against
boats anchored near the shore, Mrs.
SprouSe said.
Mothers Are Sisters.
Mrs. SprouSe and Mrs. Downes are
sisters, the daughters of Mrs. Allie
Charnock and the late Robert M.
Mllburn. The cousins had been vis-
lting Mrs. Charnock at her summer
home at Cape Charles since last
week.
Joyce, whose father is a welder
with the Washington Gas Light Co..
was an eighth-grade student at
Maryland Park High School.
In addition to her parents and
grandmother she is survived by two
brothers, Clarence, 13, and Raw 3
years old.
Doris also was born in Seat Pleas
ant, and graduated in June from
the Maryland Park High School.
she was to go to work as an ac-
countant with the Chesapeake e.
Potomac Telephone Cs. here this
week, according to Mrs. Sprouse.
Her father is a track and road
worker with the Capital Transit Co.
Besides her parents and grand
mother, Doris leaves eight younger
brothers and sisters.
Joint Funeral Planned.
Joint funeral services for the two
girls will be held at pm. Wednes-
day at Chambers funeral home, SIT
eleventh street Sc. Both burials
will be in Christ Episcopal Church
Cemetery, Owensville. Md.
In one of the Severn River drown
ings, young McAlexander lost his life
after rolling off a float into 10 feet
OF water at Herald Harbor, accord
Ing to Anne Arundel County police.
The youth, whose home is in Kan
sas City, Mo-, had been living here
since July 3 at the home of Mrs. M,
Rosalie Trana, of Gil Greenwich
street, Falls Church, Va.
Respiration Attempts Fail.
Members of the Herald Harbor
fire department administered arti-
fetal respiration for more than an
hour after a life guard had recov-
cred Mr.. Alexander's body. He was
pronounced dead by DR.. John M,
Claffy. Anne Arundel County deputy
medical examiner.
: Mr.. Wanex, who lived at SIG
Burnside avenue, Eastport, near An
napolis, was drowned of Winches-
ter, summer settlement on the
Severn.
He and another youth, Thomas
Stinchcomb, jr., 20. of Indianap polls,
were riding in the bow of a scow
which was being towed by a speed
boat when the scow swamped,
sweeping both into the river.
One Picked Up.
The operator of the speedboat
managed to pick up the Stinch-
comb youth after cutting the tow
line loose but was unsuccessful in
locating Mr.. Wanex. Mr.. Stinch-
comb was transferred to another
boat and landed at the North
Severn station of the Naval Acad-
emy while the speedboat and sew
eral Navy boats continued to
search the area.
After being treated for shock at
the Naval Academy Inf1rmary, Mr..
Stinchcomb lated was admitted to
Emergency Hospital, Annapolis.
Crosh Hurts Truck Driver
George T. Deacon, about 3A of the
1900 block of Columbia road NV.
suffered multiple bruises and a