Re: Obit Lookup
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Posted By: Sue Claman (email) In Response To: Obit Lookup (Nancy)
Date: 5/5/2012 at 19:23:11
The Lovilia Press 26 June 1941
Headline Long Brothers Drown in Pond Near Lovilia
pg 1 columns 1-2
The first drowning tragedy here in many years occured Saturday when two Lovilia boys lost their lives in a pond three miles south of here.
The boys were Berl Long, 12 years old, and Jack 14 years, sons of Berl Long, a farmer living southwest of Lovilia. The tragedy was believed to occured sometime before noon Saturday when the two boys went swimming in the Agans pond, which is at least fifteen feet deep in places.
Mr. and Mrs. Long and their two other children had gone to Oskaloosa about 8:30 Saturday morning, and before leaving had warned the boys not to go swimming during their absence. They declined the trip saying they preferred to stay home and take care of their cattle. Both boys had done a large share of the work on the farm this spring and often remained at home while their parents were gone.
The family returned from Oskaloosa about noon, and found no sign of the boys at home, except one of the two horses which the boys had bridled to ride during the day, was found in the farm yard with its bridle missing.
They looked for the boys around the farm but their search was fruitless, so they sat down to eat dinner, expecting the boys to return at any time. While eating, Long thought of the Agans pond, a short distance northeast of their home, and immediately rose from dinner to go there in search of his sons.
He found their clothes lying on the bank and their foot prints leading into the water. The other horse the boys had ridden, still stood where it had been tied.
Feeling sure that his sons were still in the pond, Long went to the home of Mrs. William Mitton, a short distance away, and told her what happened. She telephoned Robert Zimmerman here, and informed him that they believed that two boys had drowned in the pond and asked for him to get help. He immediately notified Dr. F. N. Bay of Albia, county coroner, and then went to the pond with his ambulance.
Zimmerman then returned to Lovilia for a boat to aid in the efforts of finding the bodies. Divers then worked from the boat, clinging to it for rest between dives for the bodies.
The body of Berl Long was the first to be recovered when John, "Snapp" Sebbon struck it with his knee while swimming out to the boat. It was about 2:30 when the first body was found.
The boy was placed into the boat and taken to shore, but Dr. F. N. Bay found that the boy had been in the water too long to revive him. he estimated that the body had been in the pond for four or five hours.
After numerous attempts to recover the body of the older boy failed, divers placed poles in the water, which measured 15 feet, and clung to them to counteract the bouyancy of their bodies and clothing they had to wear because of the large crowd that had gathered to watch rescue efforts.
About an hour and a half later, Darwin Gordon found Jack Long floating just about the bottom of the pond in about fifteen feet of water. The body slipped from his grasp when coming up for air but was again located by Max Ambers. However, Pete Souply finally recovered the body and brought it to the boat.
Although it was reported that neither boy could swim, local Boy Scouts said that the older boy could swim some. Junior had been sick with stomach cramps about four days before, and it was thought he might have had a cramp in the cold water. In an effort to save him, Jack might have gotten excited and in the struggle that followed both boys might have stepped off into the deep water. Of course no one will ever know how it really happened, and we can only guess what happened at the pond that morning.
Both were well known in this community and Jack had planned to enter the Lovilia high school this fall. Berl had completed the seventh grade at the Miller school, where both boys attended during the past term.
The pond was made about three years ago on the Agans farm to be used to water cattle. The dam holding the water back is the large railroad fill. When the Northwestern tracks were pulled several years ago, the road bed at that spot made an ideal dam for a large pond. After the tubing was taken from under the fill, Agans had the hole filled and that made the dam complete, and is now holding back water that is fifteen feet deep in places. it is about 100 feet across and has been popular as a swimming hole for Lovilia boys.
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John Orie Long, called Jack by his friends and family was born August 27, 1927 at Evans, and his brother Berl Junior Long, was born July 19, 1929 at Indianola, Ia. They both departed from this life June 21, 1941, Jack being 14 years old and 10 months and Junior 12 years and 11 months old.
They spent most of their lives in Marion Co., Ia and were living at the time of their death at home 3 miles southwest of Lovilia, Ia.
The boys were well thought of by all who knew them. They, with their happy smiles, will be greatly missed by their many friends and relatives.
They leave to mourn their passing, their father and stepmother, Mr. and Mrs. Berl Long of Lovilia, Ia., their mother Blanch Adams of Oskaloosa, Ia., two brothers and two sisters, also two grandmothers.
Funeral services were held at the Zimmerman funeral home Tuesday afternoon, June 24 at 2 o'clock with the Rev. J. B. Pooley officiating. Burial was made in the Pringle cemetery, east of Bussey.
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