2 Drown Sunday at Rock Creek Lake

FROAH, DELK, STEPP

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 12/14/2009 at 13:16:20

Newton Daily News (Newton, Iowa) April 19, 1954

TRAGEDY IS FIRST AT NEW LAKE

Easter's beauty was marred by tragedy in Jasper county Sunday when two Kellogg men drowned in a boating accident at Rock Creek lake. They are the first drowning victims claimed by the waters of the new lake in northeast Jasper county.

Dead are Charles Froah, 68, and William Delk, 56, both employees of the One Minute Washer Co. in Kellogg.

A third companion, Menvil Stepp, 40, also of Kellogg, was rescued after hanging onto the overturned boat for 15 minutes.

The accident occurred about 4:45 p.m. Sunday when, Stepp told highway patrolmen, one of the men got too far to one side of the outboard motor powered boat, and the boat upset, dumping the three into the water.

Stepp said he called to the men to hold onto the boat, and that Froah did have hold of it, and that he (Stepp) grabbed for Delk.

Stepp added that the boat tipped over just at the second that he got hold of Delk, and he lost the man as the craft rolled on over. He said he looked around and both the boat and his companions were gone.

When the boat did come back to the surface, upside down, Stepp managed to hang on to it. The accident happened on the east side of Rock Creek lake about three-quarters of a mile north of the concession stand, and about 75 feet off shore.

Louis Neuhring, lake custodian, said the water is about 15 feet deep at that point. Neuhring said that the accident was discovered by Mr. and Mrs. Max Dodge, Route 1, Newton, who were on the lake in their cruiser.

Mrs. Dodge said they were making one last trip on the lake before they went home to do chores, and she told her husband there was something floating in the water. When they got to the overturned boat, Stepp was hanging on to it, and was so weak he could not cry out for help.

The two Dodges had to pull Stepp into their boat.

They then looked around the area for the other two men, but found only a cap floating in the water. It was estimated that Stepp had been in the water for 15 minutes.

Mr. and Mrs. Dodge went for help, got Neuhring who immediately went to the scene while his wife called for aid. Help came from the Kellogg fire department, the Jasper county sheriff as well as the sheriffs' offices at Poweshiek and Tama counties, from Baxter, Grinnell, the highway patrol and Newton's fire and police departments.

The Dodge boat and a cruiser owned by Claude Richard of Newton searched the area. The overturned boat was towed ashore by Jack Ringgenberg of Newton.

Froah's body was found under the boat at 5:50 p.m. Officers at the scene said he apprently got caught under the boat when it tipped over and sank out of sight.

Dragging operations were started for Delk's body, and it was not recovered until about 9:15 p.m. The body was found by four Baxter firemen--Arlo Hindgardner, Douglas Deutsch, Lee Cross and Clifford Downs--using equipment furnished by Sheriff Russ Kern of Tama county.

Sheriff Ray Barber of Jasper county was there with his equipment, and he said today that his office is going to obtain additional dragging equipment for emergencies now that Rock Creek Lake is being used so much. There is no such equipment at the lake furnished by the State Conservation Commission.

Scores of people assisted at the scene of the tragedy. In addition to those mentioned were Sheriff Bill Welch of Poweshiek county, the Grinnell police department, which furnished a walkie-talkie radio for communications from the shore to a boat; the Kellogg fire department which was there with life-saving gear including a respirator; Highway Patrolmen Max Schmeling, Andre Carstensen and Glen McDole, Gene Hlavka, game warden, and many others.

The Kellogg American Legion took coffee and sandwiches to the rescue workers during the long evening.

Neuhring said the boat, which was being used just for a little pleasure trip on the lake, was not equipped with life preservers or with seat cushions which could be used for preservers. He also said that earlier in the afternoon he had warned people in two other boats about using too large a motor on the lake and for having a boat overloaded.