Lake George is a cold lake.
Just like the Titanic I'll bet that most went into hypothermia, then
drowned as their underlying health problems of 'old age' kicked-in. As
the bodie's 'core' becomes colder and colder there is some protection
mechanism vs. cardiac arrest; its when the body 're-warms' is when
cardiac arrest from ventricular fibrillation becomes extremely
dangerous. Older folks dont have very good 'heat regulation' and with
the onset of hypothermia one loses their ability to control hands, feet
and other voluntary muscles - and their ability to hang-on to an
overturned boat or pfd's that may have floated by.
The wakes on L. George can be monsterous.

In article , Gogarty
wrote:

Weird.

I would bet that those people who died did not drown but suffered cardiac
arrest upon being plunged suddenly into cold water. Less than 70 F. is
cold.