Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 September 1885 — DOWN TO DEATE [ARTICLE]

DOWN TO DEATE

Four Girls and Two Men Drowned in the Fox River at Oshkosh, Wis. A Frail Boat Suddenly Capsized by the Swell of a Passing Tug. [Oshkosh fWis.) special] The most melancholy case of drowning chronicled in the history of this city occurred at an early hour this morning near the draw of the Milwaukee and St Paul bridge, which crosses the Fox River. A dozen operatives in the Diamond Match Company’s works, principally young girls, were being rowed across the stream in a frail boat, and being caught in the swell of a passing tug, the craft was upset and six of the party drowned. When the boat began to rock in the waves several of the girls became seized with terror, and in their apparent madness rose from their seats, and, rushing to one side, caused the terrible accident. A young man named Wolff, who was of the party, reached a landing-place first, and though somewhat exhausted saved one or two lives with great difficulty. The other persons were saved by a young man named Starbeck, who pushed out from shore after witnessing the accident. Those rescued were m an exhausted condition. As the news of the accident spread hundreds of people were attracted to the spot, and among them relatives of the lest ones. The scene during the search for the bodies was painful to witness, and tears and lamentations rent the air. In three hours from the upsetting of the boat all the bodies were recovered and taken to their desolated homes. The names of the drowned are: Johanna Matschie, aged 20; Augusta Wiese, aged 15; Emma Bauer, aged 18; Lena Maidle, aged 12; Philip Berry, aged 18; Louis Dicht, aged 25. With the exception of Berry, the dead men were members of the poorer class of laboring people and assisted in supporting their parents. Berry, who was night watchman at the bridge, wan under a contract with the girls to carry them across the river for so much per week. It is said that he was careless in the management of the boat, and intensified the fright of the girls when the boat first began to feel the effect of the waves. The place where the accident occurred is one of the deepest points in the river, the water being thirty feet in depth. The water was chilly, and those who were thrown into it were so numbed that they could not assist themselves. Their cries were heartrending when they fell into the water. The accident causes universal sorrow. There are various rumors concerning the cause of the accident. It is asserted that the watchman, who is among the dead, rocked the boat on purpose to frighten its occupants, and that this was the starting point of the accident. After the waves struck the boat, they claim, all were so terrified that they lost their heads and looked only for safety. The people of the neighborhood where the dead resided are greatly incensed and threaten to do bodily injury to the day watchman nt the bridge, who had also made a practice of carrying passengers across the river, but there is no reasonable cause for this, as the persons were satisfied to have the men ferry them, because the distance by the regular avenues of traffic was two or three miles longer than by this route. The watchman* it seems, conducted the ferry without having obtained the consent of the agents of the road here, and the railroad men do not hold themselves liable for the accident.