1857

Melancholy Casualty.—We regret to learn that a young man named Patrick Wallon, whose family reside in Yonkers, was drowned on Wednesday evening, under the following circumstances.  He was employed on the Schooner Sylvester Gesner, Captain Garrison, which was coming down from Albany.  The schooner was nearly opposite Haverstraw village, going about ten miles an hour when he was unfortunately knocked overboard by the fore boom.  The man at the helm instantly gave the alarm, and the schooner was put about, but she was under such headway that she must have been at least a mile distant before a boat could be lowered.  The cries of the drowning man could still be heard, and the boat was rowed to him fast as possible.  At length he was seen and his shipmate had approached within two rods of him, and was endeavoring to encourage him to struggle a moment longer, when he gave up and sunk.  Thus the unfortunate man perished, the bitterness of his fate increased by the fact, that rescue was before his eyes, and almost within his grasp.  He must have struggled for nearly half an hour after being knocked overboard and it is wonderful that in the icy water, roughened by a strong wind he should have lived so long. 
    Rockland County Journal (Nyack, N. Y.), December 5, 1857
1857-12-05d -- Rockland County Journal (Nyack, N. Y.)

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