Massena Girl Drowned In St. Lawrence
Agnes Carville, 17, High School Graduate Last June, Wades to Death

Agnes Mary Carville, 17, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Carville, Massena, was drowned in the St. Lawrence River about 2 o'clock Tuesday afternoon. She was a member of the class of 1935 graduating from Massena High School last June.

Miss Carville and her sister, Ellen Carville, 15, went from their home a short distance east of the Barney Browning farm on the River Road to the bathing beach yesterday afternoon. Both girls could swim a little.

They entered the water and waded out a little ways, Ellen in the lead and when the water was up to about Ellen's shoulders, her sister who was somewhat upstream from her but nearer shore suddenly called out, "I can't keep my feet on bottom" and as the sister hurried to her she seemed, according to the sister, to rapidly go out stream and then to sink from sight. It is thought that she was caught by a heavy undercurrent and swept out over her death.

The water gradually becomes deeper in that spot for about 50 feet before it drops off.

The only witness to the tragedy with the exception of the dead girl's sister were Mrs. Clement J. Ward, of Grove Street, and her two little daughters. Mr. and Mrs. Ward and children had taken their lunch to the grove back of Brownings near the tragedy and after eating Mr. Ward went to sleep under the trees some distance from the scene. When the two girls went in swimming the two Ward children were chatting with them with Mrs. Ward some distance away.

Mrs. Ward, seeing the plight of the girl, rushed to Mr. Ward and woke him, he rushing to the scene but the girl had sank out of sight. The only boat at the scene was locked and he rushed to Brownings for aid.

Harold Nichols, farmer and deputy sheriff residing nearby happened to pass Brownings at the time and went to the scene where he obtained a boat and started searching and within a few minutes several more boats were at the scene. The local police were called and Officer Thomas O'Neil took out the grappling hooks.

In the meantime, news of the tragedy reached the summer colony of Louisville Landing a couple miles west and several of the swimmers came to the scene and assisted in the search. In the party of swimmers were Robert Harris, president of the class of 1935 at Massena High School and Miss Carville's classmate, Earl Dumas, John Barstow of Massena and Robert Bowen, of Miami, FL, who was visiting at the A.J. Westcott cottage in Louisville Landing. Miss Carville's brother, Robert, 19, also came to the scene from the Massena Country Club, where he is a caddy and assisted in the search.

About 4 o'clock Harris and Bowen working with a boat with John Barstow at the oars, located the body and Bowen brought it to the surface.

Dr. Charles E. Elkins of Massena, arrived at the shore where he body had been placed a few minutes after it had been recovered bringing a pulmotor with him, but the young girl had been in the water too long for the pulmotor to be of any use.

Miss Carville is survived by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Siddney Carville, one sister, Ellen, 15, and one brother, Robert, 19.

Ogdensburg Journal
Wednesday, August 21, 1935