Ottawa County news. (Port Clinton, Ohio) 1931-1956, 1949-11-18


News went to press. The
continued rough waters made
dragging operations nearly
impossible.
A young woman was asphyxi-
ated and two local men were
drowned in duck hunting episodes
! here this week, while the woman's
! husband and a third hunter were
survivors.
Victim of the asphyxiation from
carbon monoXide poisoning was
Mrs. Winifred Macy, "a, who was
discovered dead in their bed, her
husband lying unconscious beside
her, when 4 mutual friend walked
into their Madison Street apart
ment at $3.50 Saturday morning
to keep duck hunting engage
ment with the victims husband.
Walter Macy, husband of the
victim, was taken to Magruder
Hospital where he remained in
critical condition throughout the
day
Drowned in Lake Erie, between
Mouse Island and the Catawba
! Island shore Monday forenoon,
were John Struhar, 50, and Jack
Holbrook, 2l, both of Port Gin
! ton and both employees of the u.
S. Gypsum Company.
Only survivor in the boat trag-
edy was Durwood Meacham, 81,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Meach-
am, Catawba Island. Meacham
fought the stormy lake waters for
nearly an hour before he stumbled
exhausted, to shore. A nearby
resident, Morris LAGER, discovered
the exhausted youth and took him
to his home.
Rudy Nehls and Walter Macy
had planned to leave on a duck
hunting trip at a o'clock Satur-
day morning. When Nehls went
Ito the Macy apartment at Madi-
son and East Fifth, his efforts to
arouse the young couple We're un-
availing.
Alarmed that the Nagys did
not answer his calls, Nehls tried
the door and learned it was not
locked. When he opened the
door and walked into the apart
ment, he noticed the rooms were
unbearably hot and then discov-
cred the tragedy
Thinking that both Mr.. and
Mrs. Macy were dead, Nehls ran
all the way from their apartment
to the police station where he
notified Patrolman William Robel.
Within three minutes, the Germ
er and Wolf ambulance was at
the Macy apartment and Macy
, was rushed to the hospital.
Fireman Jack Riddle was called
to rush the Fire Departments new
resuscitator to the hospital, but
the equipment was not used as
Mrs. Macy had been pronounced
dead by the attending physician.
1t was reported that there was
no flue to remove fumes from
the gas heater in the Macy apart
ment. County Coroner DR.. George
Poe investigated and reported
death as accidental and due to
carbon monoxide poisoning.
Winifred Fitzgerald Macy was
born June 18, 1915, in Manches-
ter, England, and was the daugh-
ter of Mr.. and Mrs. Edmund Fitz-
gerald, now of Cleveland. Sur
viving besides the husband, Wal
ter Macy, and the parents, is one
brother, Henry Fitzgerald, also of
Cleveland.
Funeral services We're held on
Tuesday forenoon in the Gerner
and Wolf Funeral Home, with the
Rev. Paul Mueller of the I'm
maculate Conception Church Off
ciating. Gerner and Wolf direct
ed interment in Riverview Gene
terry.
Search Continues
Coastguardsmen from the Mar
blehead station, volunteers and
Sheriff Merlan Budd's department
are continuing searches for the
bodies of Struhar and Holbrook.
An oar, decoys and gasoline
tank, supposedly from the miss
ing boat, were noticed Monday
afternoon but the boat and bod
les were not discovered.
Suffering from shock and ex-
posure, Meacham was unable to
give a coherent account of the
tragedy. 1t was believed that the
boat was swamped by the high
waves after it began shipping
water.
After kicking off his rubber
boots, Meacham fought his way
through the stormy water to Par
mans Point where the exhausted
young man was taken home by
Morris LAGER and Charles Bau-
! man.
Mr.. and Mrs. Eric Staaf, who
reside at Catawba Point, heard
cries for help and summoned aid