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From: <>
Subject: Re: Re: [IP] Detlor Sisters perish by drowning
Date: Tue, 13 May 2003 21:39:54 -0400


this is a sad story taken from the "History of the County Lennox and Addington.

pg 148:

In 1819, occurred the saddest event that ever befell that part of the county. All nature seems to smile on that bright Sabbath morning of August 20th, as eighteen young people jubilant with the spirit of the season, seated themselves in a flat-bottomed boat at Casey's Point, and the young men plied the oars as they turned the prow towards the opposite shore to attend quarterly meeting in the Losee chapel. With innocent jests and snatches of sacred songs they moved merrily over the surface of the bay until, as they neared the landing place, the boat began to leak and in the confusioon which followed , capsized, plunging all the passengers into the water. The service was in progress, and the officiating clergyman had just given utterance to the prayer that "it might be a day long to be remembered" when the congregation was starled by screams of terror, and rushing from the church saw the unfortunate victims struggling for thier lives. Every effort was made to save them fro!
m thier perilous position, but of the eighteen, who a few minutes before were overflowing with the happiness of youth, only nine were saved.
On the following day nine coffins were ranged side by side in front of the chapel, and the Reverend Mr. Puffer, taking as his text "I know that my Redeemer liveth," endeavoured to preach a funeral serman; but was so overcome with emotion in the presence of a large congregation, who could not restrain thier tears, that he was unable to finish his discourse. In the old grave-yard near by may still be seen the last resting-place of the drowned. It is needless to say that the disaster was long remembered; and the sympathy of the district went out to the stricken families, among them being some of the best known in the county.
Of the dead there were two Germans, two Detlors, one Bogart, one Roblin, one Clark, one Madden, and one Cole.
Without commenting upon its literary merits I reproduce a poem published in a Napanee paper thirty-six years after the sad occurence.
Come all ye young people of every degree,
Read o'er these lines which are penned down by me;
and while you are reading these lines which are true.
Remember this warning is also for you.

In the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and nineteen,
On the twentieth of August on Sunday I mean,
The place where it happened I also wrote down
the loss may be told of in Adolphustown.

These people were in health and all in thier prime
All modestly clothed in apparel so fine,
To Church they were going their God to adore
They to reach the said place, had a Bay to cross o'er.

The boat being small and thier number eighteen,
To go o'er together they all ventured in.
they launced away, singing a sweet exercise,
The moments near by them were hid from thier eyes.

The voice of Jehovah speaks unto us all,
To always be ready and come at His call,
And while you are reading these mournful lines o'er,
Death may be sent for you and enter your door.

The boat being leaky the water came in,
To bail with thier hats they too late did begin,
They looked at each other, beginning to weep,
the boat filled with water and sunk in the deep.

Their friends on the shore, to help flew with speed,
And eight of thier number from the water was freed
there were brothers ands sisters, and parents also
Soon heard the sad story with filled them with woe.

A siene was prepared to draw them to land,
Thier friends with loud weeping all round them did stand,
Such scenes of lamenting I ne'er saw before;
The loss was so fatal that none could restore.

There was John and Jane German, Peter Bogart also,
There was Mary and Jane Detlor in the water below,
There was Matilda Roblin and Betsy McCoy,
Betsy Clark, Huldah Madden and the late Mary Cole.

To unchangeable regions thier spirits had fled,
And left thier poor bodies inactive and dead.
They solemnly were borne into the Church yard
Thier graves in rotation for them were prepared.

On the Monday following thier coffins were made
And into the same thier dead bodies were laid.
their friends with loud weeping on the shore did stand,
Thier bodies preparing to enter the sand.

The sermon dilivered on that mournful scene
By one, Isaac Puffer from Job, the nineteenth,
Although these dead bodies the worms may destroy
They will see God in glory nd fullness of joy.

The serman being o'er and brought to a close
With a few words of comfort addressed unto those.
Whose hearts were quite broken and filled with grief
And in a few moments those bodies must leave.

And now we must leave them beneath the cold ground,
Till Gabriel's trumpet shall give the last sound.
Arise ye that sleepeth, arise from the tomb,
And come forth to judgement to heear thy just doom.

this is rather long, but I wanted to get the poem in as it names the children who died.
It must have been a terrible loss for the community.

Judy from Ontario


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