DROWNING AT HOPKINTON-1876

HYDEN, BILLINGS, WEST, LATHROP

Posted By: cheryl Locher moonen (email)
Date: 5/8/2020 at 14:59:58

Cascade Pioneer, Published in Cascade, Iowa, Friday, July 21st, 1876

DROWNING AT HOPKINTON

Eight Persons Carried Over the Dam and Four Drowned.

Last Thursday Mr. Charles Hyden of Hopkinton took a party of ladies residing in that town for a boat ride on the waters of the dam which extends across the South Fork of the Maquoketa at that point

The ladies accompanying Mr. Hyden were Mrs. West and her babe and her sister Miss Billings, two daughters of Mr. Charles Lathrop, and two Misses Hyden, his sisters.

Just before dark the boat was allowed to float down the stream until it was within the strong current which was rushing over the precipice, and in spite of the most frantic exertions on the part of Mr. Hyden, and the most agonizing cries for help, on the part of the ladies, the boat was gradually sucked into the mad course of the torrent until it was dashed with its precious freight of human souls into the pitiless eddies and drifted out of sight in the gathering darkness.

Four of the parties were saved. Mr. Hyden and one of his sisters, one of the Misses Lathrop, and another whose name we have not learned. All the others were drowned.

It is one of the lamentable occurrences that have been recorded since the Rockdale disaster. Even in life we are in the midst of death. The dread fatality follows us with unerring foot step. Let is all hope that when the grim sentinel chooses us for his own we may answer the summons with quiet resignation.