Description
Drowned - Three Men While Boating on the River Meet with an Accident - Two of Them Find a Watery Grave - - Yesterday afternoon, about 5 o’clock, a large flatboat loaded with wood and manned by three men, was seen by the watchman at the bridge coming down the Missouri, and was evidently, from its course, being steered in the direction of the east side of the western pier. The current of the stream being very strong at that point, and being divided by the projecting pier, the river, when high, presents the appearance of a seething maelstrom.
The efforts of the boatmen to bring their craft outside of the dangerous vortex seemed to prove unavailing, and instead of getting clear of the pier on the eastern side, one corner of the boat struck the western side of the pier, and the opposite corner becoming too heavy, sank beneath the waters, and the large load of wood following in the descent, caused the boat to capsize, throwing all three of its occupants into the water.
Two of the men, named Brown and Merrill, were drowned, while the other, by crawling upon the wreck of the boat, managed to secure himself until assistance arrived. The two men who were drowned were not seen after the occurrence of the accident.
(Researcher's note: The “Brown” mentioned in the article as John Brown. He had enlisted at Fort Scott, Kansas, on August 8, 1862, and was mustered as a Private into the 79th USCT Infantry, Company D.
On January 7, 1867, James Ellison of Buchanan County, Missouri, signed claim for compensation #113 for enlisted slave John Brown and swore an oath of allegiance before and swore an oath of allegiance before Buchanan County Notary Public J. C. Robidoux. Ellison claimed he had acquired title to John by being "...born and raised in the family from a slave woman named Mary.")Date(s) of Creation
4/2/1876
