Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, March 26, 1921
Two Little Boys Drown in Calame Pond at Melville
Two little boys, playmates, were drowned in the Calame pond at Melville this morning by reason of a frail raft on which they were playing, sinking under them. The boys were Wilbur Johndrowe, the 9 year old son of Mrs. Minnie Johndrowe, and Robert Loft, the 11 year old son of Henry Loft. The Johndrowe boy's father is dead, and the Loft boy's mother is dead. The Loft boy had been reared by his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Loft. With the two boys who lost their lives was Wesley Calame, a 12 year old son of Harvey Calame. He alone was saved, swimming ashore. It is supposed that the frail raft, consisting of two logs with some boards nailed on it, was overburdened by the weight of the boys and sinking caused the boys to leave it in terror. The Johndrowe boy and the Loft boy went down together. When the Calame boy got ashore he ran to his home and told his father and help was summoned, the pond dragged and the boys' bodies taken out. Every effort was made to revive them, but it was too late. Dr. G. Worden was summoned from Alton to supervise the effects at resuscitation. The Calame pond where the drowning occurred is not a large one, and had the boys been expert swimmers and not become terrified, they could doubtless have made their way to the shore as the Calame boy did. After the men arrived to help get the bodies of the two boys out of the water, the raft that had been the cause of the double tragedy was floating on the surface of the water, it having come back to the surface after it was relieved of the weight of the three boys. No definite arrangements for the funerals had been made this afternoon, but it is expected that a double funeral will take place Monday at 11 o'clock at Melville.
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, March 28, 1921
There was a double funeral this morning in the Congregational church at Melville when the bodies of two victims of the drowning accident of Saturday, Robert Lofts and Wilbur Johndrowe, were laid away in Melville cemetery. The two little caskets of the playmates who went to their death while playing on a frail raft on the Calame pond Saturday, were set side by side in front of the pulpit in the church and thither wended almost the entire population of the neighborhood this morning, to attend the services in the church at Melville. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. John F. Green, the present pastor of the Melville and Godfrey Congregational church, assisted by Rev. F. Herman Brown, the former pastor and predecessor of Rev. Green. The members of the families of the boys were sorely stricken with grief over the drowning. The father of the Lofts boy was so affected that he fainted several times in the church at the time for the services. A coroner's inquest over the bodies of the two boys resulted in a verdict of accidental drowning being found by the jury. There were many beautiful floral offerings sent by sympathizing friends. The two lads had been well liked in their neighborhood and there was intense sorrow throughout the community over the double drowning. Albert Volmer, William Brinkman, Wesley Calame and August Volmer were the pallbearers for the Johndrow boy, and Elmer Stringer, Edgar Langley, J. Volmer and Lester Lofts for the Loft boy. The newly made graves were covered with beautiful flowers, tokens of sympathy from relatives and friends of the bereaved mother and father.
∼son of Henry Albert Lofts and Anna Mamie McDonald
Two Little Boys Drown in Calame Pond at Melville
Two little boys, playmates, were drowned in the Calame pond at Melville this morning by reason of a frail raft on which they were playing, sinking under them. The boys were Wilbur Johndrowe, the 9 year old son of Mrs. Minnie Johndrowe, and Robert Loft, the 11 year old son of Henry Loft. The Johndrowe boy's father is dead, and the Loft boy's mother is dead. The Loft boy had been reared by his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Loft. With the two boys who lost their lives was Wesley Calame, a 12 year old son of Harvey Calame. He alone was saved, swimming ashore. It is supposed that the frail raft, consisting of two logs with some boards nailed on it, was overburdened by the weight of the boys and sinking caused the boys to leave it in terror. The Johndrowe boy and the Loft boy went down together. When the Calame boy got ashore he ran to his home and told his father and help was summoned, the pond dragged and the boys' bodies taken out. Every effort was made to revive them, but it was too late. Dr. G. Worden was summoned from Alton to supervise the effects at resuscitation. The Calame pond where the drowning occurred is not a large one, and had the boys been expert swimmers and not become terrified, they could doubtless have made their way to the shore as the Calame boy did. After the men arrived to help get the bodies of the two boys out of the water, the raft that had been the cause of the double tragedy was floating on the surface of the water, it having come back to the surface after it was relieved of the weight of the three boys. No definite arrangements for the funerals had been made this afternoon, but it is expected that a double funeral will take place Monday at 11 o'clock at Melville.
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, March 28, 1921
There was a double funeral this morning in the Congregational church at Melville when the bodies of two victims of the drowning accident of Saturday, Robert Lofts and Wilbur Johndrowe, were laid away in Melville cemetery. The two little caskets of the playmates who went to their death while playing on a frail raft on the Calame pond Saturday, were set side by side in front of the pulpit in the church and thither wended almost the entire population of the neighborhood this morning, to attend the services in the church at Melville. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. John F. Green, the present pastor of the Melville and Godfrey Congregational church, assisted by Rev. F. Herman Brown, the former pastor and predecessor of Rev. Green. The members of the families of the boys were sorely stricken with grief over the drowning. The father of the Lofts boy was so affected that he fainted several times in the church at the time for the services. A coroner's inquest over the bodies of the two boys resulted in a verdict of accidental drowning being found by the jury. There were many beautiful floral offerings sent by sympathizing friends. The two lads had been well liked in their neighborhood and there was intense sorrow throughout the community over the double drowning. Albert Volmer, William Brinkman, Wesley Calame and August Volmer were the pallbearers for the Johndrow boy, and Elmer Stringer, Edgar Langley, J. Volmer and Lester Lofts for the Loft boy. The newly made graves were covered with beautiful flowers, tokens of sympathy from relatives and friends of the bereaved mother and father.
∼son of Henry Albert Lofts and Anna Mamie McDonald
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, March 26, 1921
Two Little Boys Drown in Calame Pond at Melville
Two little boys, playmates, were drowned in the Calame pond at Melville this morning by reason of a frail raft on which they were playing, sinking under them. The boys were Wilbur Johndrowe, the 9 year old son of Mrs. Minnie Johndrowe, and Robert Loft, the 11 year old son of Henry Loft. The Johndrowe boy's father is dead, and the Loft boy's mother is dead. The Loft boy had been reared by his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Loft. With the two boys who lost their lives was Wesley Calame, a 12 year old son of Harvey Calame. He alone was saved, swimming ashore. It is supposed that the frail raft, consisting of two logs with some boards nailed on it, was overburdened by the weight of the boys and sinking caused the boys to leave it in terror. The Johndrowe boy and the Loft boy went down together. When the Calame boy got ashore he ran to his home and told his father and help was summoned, the pond dragged and the boys' bodies taken out. Every effort was made to revive them, but it was too late. Dr. G. Worden was summoned from Alton to supervise the effects at resuscitation. The Calame pond where the drowning occurred is not a large one, and had the boys been expert swimmers and not become terrified, they could doubtless have made their way to the shore as the Calame boy did. After the men arrived to help get the bodies of the two boys out of the water, the raft that had been the cause of the double tragedy was floating on the surface of the water, it having come back to the surface after it was relieved of the weight of the three boys. No definite arrangements for the funerals had been made this afternoon, but it is expected that a double funeral will take place Monday at 11 o'clock at Melville.
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, March 28, 1921
There was a double funeral this morning in the Congregational church at Melville when the bodies of two victims of the drowning accident of Saturday, Robert Lofts and Wilbur Johndrowe, were laid away in Melville cemetery. The two little caskets of the playmates who went to their death while playing on a frail raft on the Calame pond Saturday, were set side by side in front of the pulpit in the church and thither wended almost the entire population of the neighborhood this morning, to attend the services in the church at Melville. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. John F. Green, the present pastor of the Melville and Godfrey Congregational church, assisted by Rev. F. Herman Brown, the former pastor and predecessor of Rev. Green. The members of the families of the boys were sorely stricken with grief over the drowning. The father of the Lofts boy was so affected that he fainted several times in the church at the time for the services. A coroner's inquest over the bodies of the two boys resulted in a verdict of accidental drowning being found by the jury. There were many beautiful floral offerings sent by sympathizing friends. The two lads had been well liked in their neighborhood and there was intense sorrow throughout the community over the double drowning. Albert Volmer, William Brinkman, Wesley Calame and August Volmer were the pallbearers for the Johndrow boy, and Elmer Stringer, Edgar Langley, J. Volmer and Lester Lofts for the Loft boy. The newly made graves were covered with beautiful flowers, tokens of sympathy from relatives and friends of the bereaved mother and father.
∼son of Henry Albert Lofts and Anna Mamie McDonald
Two Little Boys Drown in Calame Pond at Melville
Two little boys, playmates, were drowned in the Calame pond at Melville this morning by reason of a frail raft on which they were playing, sinking under them. The boys were Wilbur Johndrowe, the 9 year old son of Mrs. Minnie Johndrowe, and Robert Loft, the 11 year old son of Henry Loft. The Johndrowe boy's father is dead, and the Loft boy's mother is dead. The Loft boy had been reared by his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Loft. With the two boys who lost their lives was Wesley Calame, a 12 year old son of Harvey Calame. He alone was saved, swimming ashore. It is supposed that the frail raft, consisting of two logs with some boards nailed on it, was overburdened by the weight of the boys and sinking caused the boys to leave it in terror. The Johndrowe boy and the Loft boy went down together. When the Calame boy got ashore he ran to his home and told his father and help was summoned, the pond dragged and the boys' bodies taken out. Every effort was made to revive them, but it was too late. Dr. G. Worden was summoned from Alton to supervise the effects at resuscitation. The Calame pond where the drowning occurred is not a large one, and had the boys been expert swimmers and not become terrified, they could doubtless have made their way to the shore as the Calame boy did. After the men arrived to help get the bodies of the two boys out of the water, the raft that had been the cause of the double tragedy was floating on the surface of the water, it having come back to the surface after it was relieved of the weight of the three boys. No definite arrangements for the funerals had been made this afternoon, but it is expected that a double funeral will take place Monday at 11 o'clock at Melville.
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, March 28, 1921
There was a double funeral this morning in the Congregational church at Melville when the bodies of two victims of the drowning accident of Saturday, Robert Lofts and Wilbur Johndrowe, were laid away in Melville cemetery. The two little caskets of the playmates who went to their death while playing on a frail raft on the Calame pond Saturday, were set side by side in front of the pulpit in the church and thither wended almost the entire population of the neighborhood this morning, to attend the services in the church at Melville. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. John F. Green, the present pastor of the Melville and Godfrey Congregational church, assisted by Rev. F. Herman Brown, the former pastor and predecessor of Rev. Green. The members of the families of the boys were sorely stricken with grief over the drowning. The father of the Lofts boy was so affected that he fainted several times in the church at the time for the services. A coroner's inquest over the bodies of the two boys resulted in a verdict of accidental drowning being found by the jury. There were many beautiful floral offerings sent by sympathizing friends. The two lads had been well liked in their neighborhood and there was intense sorrow throughout the community over the double drowning. Albert Volmer, William Brinkman, Wesley Calame and August Volmer were the pallbearers for the Johndrow boy, and Elmer Stringer, Edgar Langley, J. Volmer and Lester Lofts for the Loft boy. The newly made graves were covered with beautiful flowers, tokens of sympathy from relatives and friends of the bereaved mother and father.
∼son of Henry Albert Lofts and Anna Mamie McDonald
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