Rensselaer Union, Volume 5, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 July 1873 — The Sad Disaster on Green Lake, Wis. [ARTICLE]

The Sad Disaster on Green Lake, Wis.

Our quiet little village was to-day the scene ot a disaster that qpiekly turned the rejoicings of the morning into mourning, and filled many households with the deepest grief. Dartford is the shire town of Green Lake County, and that village is located at the northern extremity of the beautiful sheet of water from which the county derives its name. Among the arrangements for the celebration of the nation’s birthday was a picnic on the eastern shore of the lake, projected by a temperance society in the town of Ripon, six miles distant. - The morning opened cloudy, with the appearance of rain, which it was hoped would be dissipated as the day advanced, and the streets soon wore an aspect of gayety —the rural population turning out in holiday attire, and all looking forward to a happy day across the lake, at Cullen’s Point. The little steamer made hourly trips, and the sail boats and other small craft dotted lh&wafer .at. various points. Many uneventful trips were made, and numbers transferred to the picnic grounds. The clouds continued to thicken, however, attended with the peculiar, close atmospberc tiiat frequently portends a severe blow; when suddenly', at about ten o’clock, the storm broke with great fury upon the lake. The wind blew a gale, twisting limbs from strong oaks, and the rain came in blinding torrents, rendering it impossible to see' objects twenty feet distant. _ —ik B. Pierce’s sailboat, containing twenty persons, was at this time nearly a mile from shore. It was running very smoothly when the squall struck it, with only the main-sail set, and the ill-fated passengers had no apprehension's of danger until they suddenly, without warning, found themselves struggling in the water. The boat rolled clear over, making almost a complete circuit, and resting on one edge, while its late occupants clung to its sides and rigging for such support as they could obtain, until rescued bv the steamer. Six of those who were thus precipitated into the water were never seen again. They were as follows: Mrs. Carman, wife of the Clerk of the Circuit Court, a ladv much beloved in this community, ancl her sister, Mrs. Russell, of Princeton, who was here on a visit, having a daughter ten years of age with her, who was also drowned; Mrs. George,Harding; -litllc Man tie Allen, the eldest child of the Methodist minister; and good Jennie Olin, aged 14, the daughter of one of our most respectable citizens, the Rev. L. I). Olin. She was a great favorite in the village, and will be sadly missed. The other victims of this disaster, so far as known, are Mr. Bloxam, wife and child, and Sirs. John Baird. These persons were in another sailboat—the “Ripon Girl”— owned by a gentleman in Ripon, and man aged by Norman Warner. They saw the rain approaching, and deserted tlie sail boat for a row-boat in order to go ashore; but the wind, rising soon after, swamped their frail craft. Had they remained in the sail boat they might yet be among the living, as it reached land in safety, It is feared that other persons may have been lost, as several small boats have drifted ashore without any occupants. None of the bodies have yet been found. A general search will be made for them to-morrow, but the result is uncertain, as the lake is very deep- in some places, and it is feared some of the bodies will never be recovered. — Hartford (TF»#.), July 4, Cor. Chicago Tribune.