Four Children Drown in Lake  

Monday, January 13, 1947 - Rochester Sentinel

Stella Simmons
Betty Smith
Winston Turner and
Paul Robertson
Culver , Ind., Jan. 13. - Four children drowned Saturday night in Lake Maxinkuckee after falling through a hole in the ice.

The dead are Stella SIMMONS, 15, and Betty SMITH, 13, both of Culver , and Winston TURNER, 14, and Paul ROBERTSON, 13, both of Chicago. Elnora TURNER, 10, sister of Winston, also fell into the open water but p ulled herself over the edge of the ice. The four children who drowned slid under the ice and had no chance to escape.

Culver firemen led by Chief Dave BURNS stretched ladders across the ice and recovered the bodies with gaff hooks. Artificial restoration failed to revive the children.

Burke said the boys and girls apparently had started out on a skating party and fell into the open stretch of water while testing the ice.

All the children attended school in Culver and lived at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd SMITH, parents of Betty Smith.

This story is also recorded in the 15 January 1947 issue of the Culver Citizen. They were taking a short cut across to the Academy to see a picture show. They were in eight feet of water about 100 to 200 feet from the shore by the Indian Trails. Eleanor Turner was pushed out of the water onto the ice by her brother escaping the fate of the others. Their names and ages as stated in Culver Citizen were: Winston Haywood Turner, 15; Betty Jane Smith, 13, Estella Marie Simmons, 16 and Paul R. Robertson, 12.

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The Culver Citizen
Wedensday, 15 January 1947

Four Children Dorwn in Lake
Culver 's Worst Tragedy
Occurred on Saturday when Ice broke

The entire community was stunned Saturday night when four children of school age were drowned when they fell through the ice on Lake Maxinkuckee, the trragedy being the worse in Culver 's history and surpassing the death of three memembers of the Bogardus family when their automobile crashed into a frieght train at Burr Oak.

The dead children are: Estella Simmons, Paul Robertson, Betty Smith and Winston Turner. A fifth child, ELeanor Turner, age 12 escaped when her brother, helped her out of the water onto the ice and she crawled to shore.

The five children were on their way to a picture shoe at the Culver Military Academy and the lone survivior states that the boys wanted to take a short cut by walking across the ice. The girls wanted to follow the shoreline, but started across the lake upon the insistence of the boys. They reached a point 200 feet from shore in front of the former Lakeview Hotel, which is located between the town park and the Maxinkuckee Inn, when the ice gave away, making ahole about ten feet in diameter. The four children were drowned in about eight feet of water.

The Turner girl encounted Charles Weiger at the railroad, more than a quarter of a mile away, and with the assistance of Harry Young Jr. they rushed her to Marshall Donald Mikesell, who had the fire siren sounded and took the thoroughly chilled and shocked girl to her home.
It is believed that the accident occured shortly before 7:00 p.m. and it was about 8:20 when all the bodies had been recovered by Mikesel; Fire Chief, David Burns; Harold Shaw and Frank Walaitis, with a mumber of others helping. It was obvious that after the bodies had been in the cold water for that period of time that artificial respiration would be of no avail.

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One of Five Children Survive Fall Through Ice

Culver , Ind., Jan. 13.—(iNS) - Ten-year-old Elnora Turner of Chicago is alive tbday, thanks to the heroism of her brother, Winston, 14, who died saving her.

Elnora was the only survivor of a group of five children who fell through the ice ojf Lake Maxinkuckee at Culver .

The little girl, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Winston Turner, said she and her brother andthree companions were crossing the ice Saturday night tb go to a movie at Culver Military Academy.

Elnora said they all fell through together and added: "Winston boosted mi onto the edge of the ice and then he went under."

The girl dragged herself to the roadside, where she summoned help.

Other victims, besides the Turner boy, were Paul Robertson, 12, Chicago; Betty Smith, 13, and Stella SImmons, 15, both of Culver . 13 Jan 1947 Tipton Tribune