In November of 1897, a Mrs. Seaman and her daughters, Katie and Mary, were driving across a bridge spanning the hydraulic canal north of Middletown when the horse suddenly became frightened.

Unfortunately, the horse fell into the canal, pulling with it the spring wagon containing the three women. They all plunged into the fifteen feet of water below, screaming and flailing. The commotion brought help to the scene but not in time for Mary and Katie. Mrs. Seaman was revived at the scene after a long period and taken to the hospital. She was not told of her daughters’ deaths until she recovered.

Source: Two Ohio Women Drowned, The New York Times, November 26, 1897