“Soldiers Drowned at Southport,” from the Charlotte Observer, as
reprinted in the Monroe Journal, August 15, 1916, Monroe, N.C.
While surf bathing off the beach at Southport, N.C., Sunday
morning at 10 o’clock, Sergt. W.E. Ardrey and Private Leonard Swain, both of
Charlotte, and Private Fred White of Salisbury, all from the Coast Artillery
camp of the North Carolina National Guard at Fort Caswell, were drowned when
they went beyond their depth.
The three men, accompanied by Privates Alexander, Guthrie,
Howell, McCoy, Treascott and Johnson, all of the Charlotte company, had gone to
the beach early Sunday morning to go bathing.
According to a report from Fort Caswell, the militiamen had
been warned against bathing at that particular place, on account of the depth
of the water and the treacherous tide, which it was stated, flows especially
strong along the beach there.
According to dispatches from Southport, Sergeant Ardrey was
the first to call for help and directly afterward, White and Swain getting in
water over their heads, also called for assistance.
Privates Howell and McCoy, who were nearer to the three men
than other members of the party, started to the assistance of White who seemed
to be unable to make any progress toward shore. They succeeded in bringing him
to where the water was not more than waist deep and left him standing there.
Before other members of the party could get to the
assistance of Swain, he had gone down, but the men were able to reach the spot
where he was last seen to go under, pull him to the surface of the water, and
tow him to shore.
In the meantime, White is thought to have fainted or fallen
unconscious from the effects of his submersion. He disappeared and the tide was
ebbing strong enough to carry him out to deep water again.
Life Savers to Rescue
Privates Bagley of Wilmington and Clute of Raleigh had
succeeded in reaching Ardrey and were endeavoring to swim to the shore.
Other militiamen who had started in a run for the Oak Island
Lafe Saving Station gave the alarm and Captain Brinkman and crew of the life
savers succeeded in getting to the scene in 10 minutes from the statin which is
a mile further down the beach.
The life savers arrived just in time to keep Bagley and
Clute from going under with the body of Ardrey. At the time the rescue party
arrived, they were still struggling to make shore against the strong ebb tide.
Bagley and Clute with the lifeless form the young sergeant
were placed in the boat and carried to the beach where resuscitation work was
begun on Ardrey. After several minutes’ work over him the experts from the life
saving station pronounced him dead.
A search was then instituted for White’s body but up until a
late hour Sunday night it had not been found.
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