Fred W. Dircks 1891-1909

DIRCKS

Posted By: Sharon Elijah (email)
Date: 12/16/2016 at 08:44:09

6 August 1909 - The Lowden News

Fred W. Dircks, One of Lowden's Nicest Lads, Was Drowned in the Wapsipinicon River Sunday, 10 a.m.

A beautiful day was last Sunday, bright and clear, not too excessively hot as had been a day or two prior, but it was good and warm. Old and young longed for an outing, and a great many from this town and neighboring country went to spend the day at the Wapsie, in private picnics and fishing parties.

There was among them also a party of young folks from a little over a mile south of Lowden, including also a few from Lowden. In this party were Fred W. Dircks and his cousin, Fred L. Rodenbeck. These young men came home here some time ago to spend the summer's vacation with their people, they being students of the college of Elmhurst, Ill., where they have already attended for two years. With these young men were their brothers and sisters, in Sunday's party, namely the Misses Erna and Elsa Rodenbeck, and Emil Dircks and wife, Carl Dircks and the Messes Caroline and Eliza Dircks, (their sister Miss Luanna having stayed home that day). It was a bright, healthful and cheerful party, all was sunshine and happiness when they started for the river. They located on the banks of the Wapsi, right north of Henry Struck's place west of Toronto, and at once baited their hooks for fishing.

A telephone message from Henry Struck's announcing that Fred W. Dircks had drowned, but that his body had not as yet been found, caused a terrible excitement in town here. The lad's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred H. Dircks, attended church at the time, and word was conveyed to them as mildly as possible. The grief stricken parents were taken to the place of the accident, automobiles and many buggies were loaded with sympathizing friends and neighbors, including many young men who all went in a hurry to help search for the body of the unfortunate youth.

The facts about this terrible accident were gathered by us from some of the parties who were there. We learned that Fred W. Dircks could swim some and that Fred Rodenbeck is also able to swim a little. Soon after they got to the river, these two had changed their clothes, ready to go in wading and swimming. In the mean time Fred Dircks' fish pole dropped into the water and floated down the river. "Let's go in after it!" Young Dircks says to Rodenbeck and suiting his actions to the words, waded into the water, and Rodenbeck went in also. When only a few feet from the shore Fred Dircks suddenly went down, and disappeared under the water, but he did not say anything. It was at first thought by the others that he had "ducked" under on purpose in his playful mode, but his young relatives quickly were convinced different; they however saw the unfortunate lad appear above the water once, after he had went under first. Emil Dircks had rushed into the water to help his brother, but Emil can not swim, and so could not venture into the deep hole in which Fred had went down, but Emil held his fish pole to Fred at the time the latter came up for the one time, with his head above the water; and although the pole was within easy reach of Fred, he did not grab for it, but without any word nor outcry, he again disappeared from view of his awfully excited young relatives. A cramp must have shackled his muscles and limbs, the river had claimed him, as if it were another toll for the good it does in other matters to mankind. The price paid this time was tremendously high however, for it was a dear youthful life, which held the best of promises for good in this world, had it only not departed so soon.

Fred Rodenbeck had by the time that those on the bank screamed for help, swom quite a distance into the river, but he himself labored under difficulty, he could not manage to return to his unfortunate cousin and friend. Young Rodenbeck barely managed to reach the opposite shore of the river, where it took quite a while for him to regain composure.

Another party of Lowden friends, which had among its number better swimmers, were only about four or five hundred feet from the scene of the accident. They at first, when they heard the screaming, thought that the Dircks-Rodenbeck party had caught a big fish and were jubilant, but louder and louder screams and cries convinced the other Lowden parties that something terrible must have happened and they hurried to the place of the accident. Good swimmers of this party plunged in for to rescue the boy; but it was found that there was a strong under current in this deep place of the river, that it was snaggy; and that it was a hole about thirty feet wide and fifteen or twenty feet deep, and none of the party were able to get to the bottom. The strongest efforts of a number of men in trying to find the drowned boy proved futile until Mr. Pipes of Toronto brought the corpse up from the bottom of the river to the surface with a spearhook; this occurred one and a half hours after the lad had first went under.

Long before this time the parents of the unfortunate boy and many others from Lowden and vicinity were at the place of the accident, so that a large crowd witnessed the bringing up of young Dircks' body out of the water. The scene of that moment was described to us by an eye witness, as heart-rending. The appearance of the dead man above the water and the manifestations of deepest grief of his relatives were so effective, that tears were in the eyes of all. Strong men wept, including total strangers.

Fred W. Dircks was born at their farm home about a mile south of Lowden on December 16th, 1891, and so was at the age of 17 years, 7 months and 16 days, at the time of his death. He leaves to mourn his untimely demise his sorrowing parents, two brothers, three sisters, all named hereintofore, and also one couple of grandparents, namely, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Dircks, Sr. The whole community sympathizes with the bereaved family in this their sad bereaved.

Deceased, as said before, was a student of the Elmhurst college. Prior to this college course he attended for a while the Lowden public school. Before that he had attended the public school in the country and also the Evangelical parochial school at Lowden and was confirmed in the Evangelical church here. He was a highly gifted lad and a splendid scholar. He was a favorite with his sisters, brothers and parents, as also with his schoolmates, and was well liked by all who knew him.

At the funeral, which was held here Tuesday afternoon, his former teacher who also confirmed him, namely Rev. Werning, preached the sermon which was most impressive. Prof. Irion, director of the Elmhurst college was present, representing the college. He also delivered a short address at the funeral and tendered sympathy to the bereaved family. The pallbearers were young men former schoolmates of young Dircks at the Evangelical school, namely Willie Platte, Paul Wilkening, Herman Pauls, Carl Kampmann, Chas. Strackbein and Louis Miller. While four young ladies who attended the Lowden public school together with Fred Dircks, namely the Misses Irene Jurgensen, Ethel Reid, Margaret Kimball and Ruth Petersen carried the largest of the vast amount of beautiful floral tributes.

The funeral services were held in the Evangelical church. The large church was full of people and large crowds who could not get inside were at the front door and on both sides of the church. The writer, who was also outside was fortunate to get at a window opposite the pulpit and so got to hear every word of the ministers and the beautiful singing of the choir. All had opportunity to see for the last time the departed boy. It appeared to be a never ending procession that moved slowly along the casket and out of the church, and finally when all were out of the church they went and laid the lad to rest in the Van Horn cemetery. Peace be with his ashes.