Four Lose Lives in Shoals Creek

Belmont Tri-County News - Belmont, MS

Thursday, March 3, 1938

Florence, Ala, Feb. 28. – Tragedy overtook a motorboat trip on Shoals Creek, 10 miles from here yesterday afternoon when two women and two men were drowned.

At noon today only one body had been recovered, that of Miss Bertha Graham, 24, of Belmont, Miss.  Her body was found floating in 18 inches of water in Shoals Creek, east of Florence.

A group of rescue workers discovered the motor boat.

Other victims were Morris Estes, 28, son-in-law of Mayor J.A. Dunlap of Cullman; Edward Kinney, 26, son of E.C. Kinney, Cullman merchant, and Mrs. Mary Austin, about 20, of Corinth, Miss.

The group went motorboat riding yesterday and were last seen about 2:30 p.m.

The two men had gone on the fishing trip with Winfield Leeth and Oscar Dunlap.  Leeth and Dunlap had started down the creek in one boat and Estes and Kinney went upstream in another.

The two women got in the boat with the two Cullman men after they separated from Leeth and Dunlap, Coroner W.R. Chisholm said.

When Leeth and Dunlap returned to the spot from where all four had started Estes and Kinney were missing.  They waited until dark for their return and then organized a searching party.

A search was made throughout the night.  This morning the body was found washed up on the creek bank.  Both young men were married. --- Birmingham Post

The bodies of Estes and Kinney were later recovered.

The remains of Miss Bertha Graham were brought to Belmont Monday and funeral services were conducted Tuesday by Elder R.L. Shook.  Interment in Joel Cemetery.

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23 June 2006