grave import

Obituary

The greedy river has claimed two more victims at this point, a total of eight in the past three weeks. This time a man and wife in the full flush of youthful health and vigor are snatched away before the very eves of their agonized and powerless friends. It was Sunday afternoon, at Otter Island. A party of friends had chartered the Nautilus and steamed up to this favorite resort with a view to spend the day in fishing and the quiet pleasure of resting in the shady grove. The party comprised Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Campbell and daughter; Mrs Rosy, of Chicago, sister of Mrs. Campbell; Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Hanaphy, Dr. Hanaphy, Mr. and Mrs. Henry C. Heffner, Mr.and Mrs. John Gillespie and little boy, Mr. and Mrs. Sweeney and children, Mrs.Ed Moore and others. After dinner Mr. Heffner went out onto Otter dam to fish, and his wife and Mr. and Mrs. Chas C. Campbell got into a small row boat with sails, and were sailing and rowing round the bay. At the eat end of the dam there is a brak through which the water pours with tremendous velocity, making a strong current in the river, and causing an eddy and reflux movement several hundred yards below. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell being experts at handling craftes of this sort, thought nothing of allowing their boat to drift down with current and back with the eddy, thus riding round and round the circle with but very little exertion Their boat had been pushed into this current several times and they had made the round each time, but from some unaccountable reason the boat upset suddenly; it will never be definitely known whether the current upset the boat, or a gust of wind which suddenly filled the sail; the occupants were all thrown into the river. Mrs. Heffner in coming to the surface felt the boat and grasped the ruder convulsively with her hands and tried to draw herself up, but was unable to do more than to hang on to it; she looked and saw Mr. Campbell and his wife come to the surface, several feet away from the boat, but though the boat was drifting rapidly with the current, they were being carried more rapidly still, and further and further away from the boat. Mr. Sweney, at the east end of the dam. saw the catastrophe first and called to those at the other end, at Otter Island, to come out with a skiff. George Niewcehner, Triff Bouvia and "Dutch" Kropp, jumped into a skiff and rowed as fast as they could for the scene, but the distance was so great they could not get there in time to do Mr. Campbell and his wife any good. By this time, though they had kept above water several minutes and floated several hundred yards, they had lost their strength and disappeared below the water and were not seen again. Mrs. Heffner was rescued more dead that alive and was taken to shore, and assisted into dry clothes. The entire party was paralyzed and could only stand on the bank and bewail the fate of their unfortunate friends. The sister and eleven-year-old daughter of Mrs. Campbell were with the party and were nearly distracted. The accident happened shortly after 4 o'clock, and the Nautilus soon took on its sorrowful load of passengers and headed for Burlington. Coroner Unterkircher went with a force of men immediately to the spot and began dragging the river for the bodies. The search was kept up all night and yesterday morning a discharge of dynamite was let off in hope of bringing the bodies to the surface. Shortly after noon the body of Mrs. Campbell was found and brought to the city, but that of her husband has not been found. Mr. Campbell was a member of Excelsior lodge No. 258, I.O.O.F. and that organization will have complete charge of the funerals of both husband and wife, the announcement of which cannot be made at this time. Rev. Mr. Emerson, pastor of the Christian church, will conduct the services at the house. Mr. Campbell formerly lived near Chariton, Iowa, whence his father and mother hastened yesterday on receiving the sorrowful intelligence. He was a young man and one time traveled for Lewald & Co., but recently for a Chicago firm. The wife was a Burlington girl, had lived here nearly all her life, her maiden name being Miss Bulmer. They both had many warm personal friends, upon whom this catastrophe has fallen with terrific force. General sympathy has been shown the afflicted family, and the house was full of friends yesterday, conveying their sincerest expression of sympathy to the bereaved relatives.