A quiet boat ride on the Mississippi River turned into a terrible family tragedy near Le Claire, Iowa, in August 1914.
Thomas Thomas lived with his family on a farm about two miles above town, close enough to the river that the water was part of their daily landscape. On the day of the accident, he took three of his daughters and two young grandchildren out in a rowboat.
It should have been a simple outing, but then the boat drifted into shallow water.
Dorothy Thomas, 21, wanted to step out and wade along a submerged sandbar. The water was only a few inches deep in places, and it must have looked harmless from the boat.
Her father finally allowed her to climb out.
Within moments, Dorothy vanished beneath the surface. She had stepped into a deep hole hidden beside the sandbar.
Her sisters, 11-year-old Katherine and 17-year-old Elizabeth, immediately tried to save her. One after another, the girls were pulled into danger. Their father rushed in after them, and the four struggled together in the river, each trying desperately to save the others.
But the current was too strong.
As the family fought for their lives, the two grandchildren remained in the boat. One of them, 7-year-old Harry Burgess, fell into the river and nearly drowned as well. His sister, 10-year-old Mary, managed to grab him by the shirt and hold his head above water until help arrived.
From the farmhouse window, Mrs. Thomas witnessed the entire tragedy unfold.
Father and His Three Daughters Drown in River
LE CLAIRE, Iowa. — Thomas Thomas, residing about two miles above Le Claire, Iowa, and his three daughters, Dorothy, aged 21, Katherine, aged 11, and Elizabeth, aged 17, were drowned in the Mississippi River opposite the Thomas farm home.
Thomas and his daughters, together with his grandchildren, Harry Burgess, aged 7, and Mary Burgess, aged 10, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, went for a boat ride.
When the rowboat got into shallow water, the eldest daughter insisted on getting out and wading. She finally prevailed on her father to allow her to leave the boat and she proceeded to walk around on a sand bar which was submerged by but several inches of water.
Of a sudden, before other members of the party realized what had happened, she disappeared underneath the surface of the water, having inadvertently stepped into a deep hole.
Seeing their sister’s danger, the other two daughters got out of the boat and struggled to rescue the unfortunate Dorothy, who by this time was well nigh exhausted. In their attempt to save their sister the two girls went down almost immediately simultaneously, leaving the father frantic.
The parent immediately rushed to the aid of his daughters and then ensued a desperate struggle with all four people attempting to save each other. But the battle against the treacherous current was of no avail, and father and three daughters went to their death.
Boy Is Rescued
While witnessing the struggle the grandson lost his balance and fell over the side of the boat, into the river and for a time it seemed that the boy was also to perish as his relatives had.
The lad’s sister, however, retained her presence of mind and clutched her brother by the shirt and held him above water until fishermen arrived and relieved her of her burden.
Shortly after the tragedy, Mrs. Thomas was found in a fainting condition at a window of the home facing the river and it is presumed that she witnessed the whole affair.
The body of Dorothy, the eldest daughter, was recovered 15 minutes after the drowning, but the bodies of her two sisters and of her father were not found until late at night, that of the father being the last to be removed from the river.
Source: Rock Island Argus. Rock Island, Ill. August 21, 1914.
