THOMPSON, Carl 1886-1921

THOMPSON

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 8/6/2011 at 00:18:06

#1:

C. THOMPSON AND
L. DELANEY DROWNED
BY CAPSIZING OF CANOE

Boat Ride On Big Cedar River
Has Fatal Ending;
Toll Since May 1 is 20.

OSAGE, IOWA, May 31 — Carl Thompson, 30 years old, sacrificed his life in an effort to save Lloyd Delaney from drowning here Sunday.

Both men drowned.

Their canoe capsized and Thompson managed to reach shore. Seeing his companion struggling in the water he returned to save him. Neither was a good swimmer and both went down.

Thompson lived at Mitchell. He was married and leaves five children.

Gerald West, who was with Thompson and Delaney, was saved.

The men were boating on the Big Cedar river. This brings the toll of lives lost by drowning In Iowa since May 1 to twenty, eighteen of whom are men and two women.

[Cedar Rapids Gazette, Tuesday, May 31, 1921]
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#2:

Oak Grove Cemetery listing on IaGenWeb shows:

Thompson, Carl Mar. 13, 1886 -- May 29, 1921

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#3:

HIGH WATER OF CEDAR CARRIED FOUR TO DEATH

- Raymond Meyer Fell From Horse North of Stacyville Friday
- Two Drowned At Mitchell
- Carl Thompson and Lloyd Delaney Met Death When Canoe Capsized Sunday
- Gerald West, Other Party In Canoe, Escaped
- Lad of Twelve Drowned Near Orchard.

The high water claimed four victims in Mitchell county the latter part of last week. The first of these was Raymond Meyer, son of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Meyer, who was drowned Friday evening. Raymond was a lad of only seventeen years and was working for Ed Wiesenfehl on the farm about four miles north of Stacyville.

Mr. and Mrs. Wiesenfehl had been called to Stacyville that afternoon by the death of the latter’s father, Math Diederich, and left their children to stay with young Meyer during the night. In the evening Raymond attempted to ford the river on a horse and go after the cattle, the eldest of the Wiesenfehl children, a lad of eight, having gone with him. He said he told Raymond not to try to cross the river, but the latter said he was not afraid.

In some manner the unfortunate boy lost his hold on the horse when he made a lunge and was thrown into the river. The Wiesenfehl lad went home and as the children were all small no alarm was given. Mr. and Mrs. Wiesenfehl returned home during the night, but the children were all asleep at the time and they were not told of the terrible accident until the next morning. Search was made all day Saturday for the body, but it was not found until Sunday morning when a farmer about a mile or so down the river, going across on a horse, discovered the remains of the boy, they having been washed up on the sand by the water, which had gone down considerably by that time.

Another calamity occurred on the Cedar River Sunday afternoon about 2:15 when a canoe in which Carl Thompson and Gerald West of Mitchell and Lloyd Delaney of Osage, capsized about a half mile above the dam at Mitchell. The trio had paddled that far up the river from Mitchell in a small canoe. The river at this point is said to be very treacherous, a drowning or two having occurred there some time ago, and here the small canoe capsized. Lloyd could not swim very little if at all. Gerald says he attempted to save Lloyd and had hold of him once, but that his companion slipped from him and went to a watery grave, as did also Mr. Thompson. Some say they saw footprints on the shore, indicating that Mr. Thompson may have swam ashore and then went back in an attempt to save Lloyd. Gerald says he did not see Thompson after the canoe capsized.

After this Gerald rushed to Mitchell and gave the alarm and it is said there were perhaps almost a thousand people along the river at that point within a short time.

The river was dragged and Lloyd’s body was recovered about 5 o’clock and in less than a half hour Mr. Thompson’s body was found near the point where they had sunk.

Gerald West, who escaped the fate of his companions, is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank West of Mitchell, a young man 23 years of age. Mr. Thompson also lived at Mitchell and conducted the garage there. He was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Chris Thompson of Osage and leaves a wife and five children.

The other unfortunate victim was a son of Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Delaney, who moved to this city only a short time ago from their farm north of town where Lloyd was born. He was twenty years of age and a graduate of Osage high school, having finished the course last year, and was also a member of the high school football team. Funeral services were conducted at the Congregational church at 10 o’clock Monday morning by Rev. Lemon and the remains were interred in Osage cemetery.

The fourth drowning occurred near the bridge over the Cedar about two miles southwest of Orchard, this victim being Carl Jenne, twelve year old son of Mrs. Tony Burg. Mr. and Mrs. Burg and the children had gone to the river from Orchard and in wading the lad stepped suddenly into deep water and was swallowed by the swift current. Search was began for the body as soon as possible, but the body was not found until Tuesday night, at the Haberkorn bend, about two miles below where the lad was drowned. Funeral services will be conducted at the church at Orchard at 2 o’clock this afternoon by Rev. Bertram. The family came to Orchard this spring. Mr. Berg being a beet worker. A full account of this sad case will be found in our Orchard items. It would seen these terrible tragedies would tend to make people more careful when the river is on such a rampage. Universal sympathy goes out to those who are bereaved, though words of comfort and sympathy cannot lighten much the grief of the surviving relatives.

Osage News
Osage, Mitchell County, Iowa
June 26, 1921

[Transcribed by M.O., March 2006 -- Iowa Old Press]