A Professor Drowned

His Boat Overturned At The Highlands Drawbridge

The Drawtender Did Not Open the Draw and the Current Carried the Boat Into the Bridge

Morris C. Sutphen of Morristown, instructor of Latin in Johns Hopkins university at Baltimore, was drowned in the river at the Highlands on Saturday night. He was on a visit to the family of Frank J. Mather, who live in Mrs. C. G. Reed's cottage at Locust Point.

About six o'clock on Saturday night he started on a sail down the river with Rufus Mather and two other friends. As they approached the Highlands drawbridge they signaled to the bridgetender to open the draw. The signal was either unheard or unheeded, for the draw did not open. The tide was running down swiftly, and the current was so strong that the boat could not be put about. It crashed into the draw, the mast struck the bridge and the boat was overturned.

Sutphen was a good swimmer and he struck out for the shore. In mid channel he was overcome by the strong current and had to give up. His comrades clung to the overturned boat and were saved. They saw Sutphen sink but they were powerless to assist him. The body was not recovered until the next day.

The three men on the boat were rescued by Charles Peterson and the boat was given to him as a reward. The boat was worth about $200, but the owners said they would never care to sail in it again.

Sutphin(sic) was 31 years old and was unmarried.

Source: Red Bank Register, Wednesday, Sep 4, 1901

Some additional excellent resources for your research are:

• New Jersey Census, 1772-1890 - Ancestry.com

• Calendar of New Jersey Wills, 1670-1760 - Ancestry.com

• Interment.net - NJ ~ New Jersey Cemetery Transcriptions on the net.

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