Lake
Geneva, Wisconsin
Boating Accident & Drowning
July
7, 1895
Lost in Lake Geneva
Six Persons Drowned by the Capsizing of a Steam
Launch
Lake Geneva, Wis., July 8 - The steam launch
Dispatch went down in the storm that raged here
Sunday afternoon.
Those drowned were:
HOGAN, FATHER, Harvard, Ill.
HOGAN, MISS,
Harvard, Ill.
PRESTON, JOHN
in charge of the boat.
UNKNOWN, three people not identified yet.
The three unknown people were supposed at first
to be Dr. Franz,
his wife and daughters of Elgin, Ill. A later
report from Elgin shows the
Franzs are at
home and safe and the identity of the victims of
the disaster is not yet fixed.
The little party had chartered the boat shortly
after 3 o’clock and it had steamed about in the
swarm of pleasure craft that dotted the lake. At
4 o’clock threatening clouds began to gather and
most of the boats began making for shore. The
launch did not heed the warning and within a few
minutes, when it was opposite Lake Side park,
the storm broke in fury.
The boat seemed staggered by the sudden shock of
wind and changed its course several times, as if
at the mercy of the elements. It finally righted
itself and continued up the lake. When nearly
opposite Crane’s there seemed to be a
misunderstanding or disagreement again.
The course of the boat was changed for Crane’s
pier apparently, when the boat was again headed
up the lake. It had gone only a few hundred feet
when the boat was swamped by the immense waves,
which the heavy wind had raised.
As soon as possible after the storm had passed
the steamer Majestic started out in search of
the boat and the bodies. After cruising around
in the locality the crew found the body of
Miss Hogan
floating near the shore a short distance from
the summer residence of
Herbert A. Beidley. Miss Hogan
wore a fashionable dress with large puff
sleeves, and these sleeves were found to be full
of air, and, together with a satchel she had in
her hand, caused the body to float. No trace of
the other bodies has been found, although the
cap of the engineer was picked up near where the
body of the woman was found.
The launch was about 30 feet in length, built of
oak, brass trimmed and upholstered with plush.
It was brought here by
Mr. Ide of Springfield, Ill., who
used it as a private yacht. It had no deck, and
when last seen the parties had the storm
curtains down, which would naturally hinder the
escape of the bodies if they remained in the
boat till it went down.
Centralia Enterprise and Tribune,
Centralia, WI 13 Jul 1895
Recovered More
Bodies
Victims of the Dispatch Found in Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva, Wis., July 17. - Diver
Nelson again
took up the search yesterday for the remaining
bodies lost with the Dispatch. An hour’s work
brought up the body of
CAPT. PRESTON. Another trip to the
bottom and Nelson found the little
HOGAN child.
This was the last body recovered, although the
diver claims he saw the body of
MRS. HOGAN,
but could not get it without a new grappling
hook, which he is having made. Nelson will try
and recover Mrs. Hogan’s
body today.
Centralia Enterprise and Tribune, Centralia, WI
20 Jul 1895
Articles transcribed by
Kay. Thank you,
Kay!
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