The Voice Of Freedom

From The Burlington Free Press.
Very Distressing Casualty

On Thursday of last week, between one and two o'clock, P. M. three young gentlemen of our village, Edwin T. Chaney, aged 18, brother of professor Chaney of the University, Charles Henry Thompson, aged 16, son of the late Judge Thompson, and Robert Conolly aged 18 son of Mr John Conolly, embarked in a small sailboat to take an excursion in the Bay. When about two miles from the wharves, and nearly the same distance north of Juniper island, a squall of wind struck the boat and capsized it, notwithstanding the judicious precaution, that had been resorted to immediately previous, of taking a double-reef in the sail. This occurred about 3 o'clock P. M. The young men clung to the gunwale of the boat, and were drifted in the direction of Juniper Island, the hope of reaching which constituted for a time, their encouragement and support. But in this hope they were disappointed! The wind which was very strong from the north-west, and was accompanied by a chilling rain, drove them past the Island, and about equi-distant between it and the "Rock." It was now getting dark, and the rain had been beating them, and the wind and waves paralyzing their strength and unnerving their spirits, for some hours. Young Thompson was the first to fail. Through exhaustion, and, doubtless, an utter extinction of hope, he became delirious and between 8 & 9 o'clock died! in the arms of Conolly! From this moment young Chaney began to lose heart and hope. Lashing the body of Thompson firmly to the shrouds, Conolly with a self possession and generous courage almost unparalleled, exerted himself to animate the failing efforts, and cheer the spirit, of his remaining companion. Amid the almost impenetrable darkness, without a hope of help from any human arm, and half the time completely submerged in the waves they thus drifted till after 10 o'clock, when the boat struck a rock some 20 or 30 yards from the shore, on the west side of Shelburn Point and from five to six miles from where she capsized! The concussion broke the mast, and the boat immediately righted. At this time Chaney had become delirious, and resisted every effort of his heroic and self forgetting friend, Conolly to detach him from his desperate hold upon the boat, and finally throwing himself into the boat, he Died almost within reach of the shore! Conolly, thus fearfully left ALONE, succeeded in reaching the shore, and literally crawled to a barn, where he remained till day light, "faithful and fearless" to the end, he obtained assistance to secure and remove the bodies of his companions, which were found in, and lashed to, precisely as he had left them. They were brought to the village on Friday, and Sunday committed to the grave.