Lankford, Francis, John, Mabel & Mary d. 09/03/1912

LANKFORD, LANGFORD

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 3/30/2013 at 18:02:35

Postville Review, Fri., 6 Sept. 1912.

Sad Drowning at Lansing.

Lansing was the scene of a quadruple drowning about 4:30 Tuesday afternoon, when a Mrs. Langford and her three children found watery graves in the Mississippi river. The family were engaged in clamming, the father and two sons were in camp on an island south of town. The mother and three children started to visit camp on a flat boat and a son started to meet and tow them down with a gasoline launch. As he approached them his tiller rope broke and the two boats collided, the boy in the launch and the mother and two younger children in the boat were thrown into the water by the impact and drowned, the other son nearly losing his life in an attempt to save them. All the bodies have been recovered save that of the mother.

--

Waterloo Times-Tribune, Wed., 4 Sept. 1912. From an Associated Press telegram by-line Lansing, Iowa, Sept. 3.

DROWNED IN UPSET. Mother and Three Children in Boat That Collides With Power Craft.

Mrs. Frank Lankford and her three children, John, 21 years old, Mabel 12 years, and Francis 4 years old, were drowned three miles below here this afternoon when a boat in which they were riding was upset in a collision with a gasoline launch, driven by a younger son.

The women and her three children were thrown into the water and frantically struggled to save themselves. John Lankford, the eldest son, was the only member of the party able to swim. He made valiant efforts to save the lives of his mother and brother and sister, but drowned in the attempt.

He managed to keep the members of the party above water for nearly half an hour, but finally became exhausted in his struggle, and sank when his calls for help were unanswered.

The son in the motor boat was too young to give assistance.

~Submitter is not related.
~Notes: Various newspaper accounts give the surname as either Langford or Lankford. The 1900 and 1910 US Census spells the family surname as Lankford.

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Added by S. Ferrall
Date: 3/31/1023

Lansing, Iowa, Sept. 5 (Special) - Run down by her own son in a launch which he could not control, Mrs. Frank Langford of this city and three of her family were thrown from a flat scow in which they had been fishing and drowned Tuesday afternoon. One daughter was saved by the son, Albert, in the launch, but the others disappeared from view almost at once.

The accident happened in Winneshiek slough, five miles south of here, near a buoy in the river known as "Drowning Buoy" from the number of deaths that have occurred near it.

The dead are:
Mrs. Frank Langford
John Langford, 22
Francis Langford, 4
Mabel Langford, 7

Miss Nellie Langford was pulled into the launch and saved.

The family had been fishing since early in the morning, and arrangements had been made for Albert to come for them in the launch late in the afternoon. When he ran toward them in the motorboat he lost control of the engine and could not stop it in time. The larger boat hit the scow in the middle and sank it immediately, the occupants being thrown out. All but Nellie were too far from the boat to be reached by the son at once, and by the time he had the launch under control and back on the spot where the collision took place, the four had disappeared.

The cries of Albert and Nellie brought assistance from the shore quickly, but it was too late to be of value, the bodies not appearing above the surface again. Grappling hooks brought to the surface the bodies of the three children, but Mrs. Langford's body had not been recovered up to a late hour yesterday.

The town of Lansing is horror-stricken over the tragedy, and nearly the whole population joined in the search for the bodies. The surviving members of the family are almost crazed with grief.

~La Crosse Tribune, Thursday, September 5, 1912
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Added by Richard O'Brien
Date: 3/30/2013

Francis M. Lankford, 1908 - 1912 Sep 03
John E. Langford, 1890 Jun 07-1912 Sep 03
Mabel Langford, 1902 Jun 06-1912 Sep 03
Mary A. Langford, 1873 Mar 31-1912 Sep 03

The family is buried in Old Oak Hill Cemetery, Lansing. They are all in the Woodmansee book but with several errors in dates & surnames.