River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-06-28
Professor Fretcher Drowned
One of the Normal Teachers Loses His
Life while Canoeing in the Chippewa
River OF Holcombe, Wisconsin.

most capable and honored teachers
In the state, was drowned in the
Chippewa River Saturday about
noon and the news of the accident
gave the city such a shock as it has
not received for many year.
Professor Fletcher and Professor
Hoag, teacher of the manual train
ing in the Normal, had built for
themselves a canoe and on Satur-
day, June l6, they started by rail
to Cable intending to make run Of
few days on the upper Chippewa
and after reaching Eau Claire come
home by rail.
Sunday they spent with DR..
Toby's people at Cable and on Mon
day started to make their unfortu-
nate run, after crossing the portage
to the head waters of the Chippewa.
They progressed safely down the
river and at noon of the Esd they
reached the dam at Little Falls, or
Holcombe. The first is the river
name for the place. the old name,
while the other is the railroad name.
The dam at this point is purely
logging dam, and controls practic-
ally absolutely the quantity of wa
ter in the river below it all the wa y
to it's mouth. 1t is nearly a quar-
ter of mile across the dam and
the dam is Is or 20 feet high. 1t
holds back a veritable lake of wa
ter. Below the dam the river turns
sharply to the right into a narrow
channel and goes down over rocky
fall, giving the Falls and Rapids.
Just at the head of the falls is what
in low water is little island, rocky
and rough. At low water the island
is perhaps ten rods in diameter, at
high water it is out of sight. At
that time a crew of men was driving
logs at Jims Falls, 20 miles down
river and five of the gates of the
dam were open, one-third of them,
to give a good flow of water.
When the boat reached the dam
Prof. Hoag went to the house ofthe
foreman for advice. He was told
not to try to run the rapids. He
went below the dam to look at the
river, and decided to follow the adj
vice. He went back to Prof. Fletch
er, told him they would not attempt
the rapids, but would pull the boat
through the dam, paddle to point
of land on the right bank, and car
ry around the rapids.
This looked perfectly feasible
and in fact was feasible, but it is
probable that they underestimate
the current. Prof. Fletcher swung
the boat toward the shore, then
stopped padding The strong cur
rent caught it broadside and swept
it toward the rapids. The first rock
of the rapids was too close to avoid
and with sweep they Strengthened
the boat and took the rock. The
boat went over splendidly, but was
drawn back by the back current,
filled with water, and both men
went out. The island was about
20 rods down. Both men made it;
Prof. Fletcher first. Prof. Hoag
saw him rise in the water, walk
along toward shore, his head, arm
and shoulders above water, turn
and look back, evidently TO see
where he, Hoag, was, then turn and
apparently reach for the canoe,
which was few feet to his left.
Either he thought they were per-
fectly safe and had only to get the
canoe to go on, or he slipped on the
treacherous rocks and was carried
away. In either case he was swept
around the island, over the falls,
and propably never seen again
alive, though Prof. Hoag thinks
he saw his head in the water
below the falls. Mr.. Hoag reached
the island, ran across it, thought
he saw Mr.. Fletcher, forced his
way across the treacherous current
in the very heart of the rapids, and
took up the search. But nothing
could be seen. He gave the alarm.
The gates of the dam were closed.
The people turned out splendidly,
but it was of no avail.
Prof. Ames and Chris Wiger, ac-
companied by Charles and Edward
Fletcher, brothers of the deceased,
went Immediately to the scene of the
disaster, where they were afterward
joined by Allen Toby and others of
Prof. Fletcher's relatives. After
three days of searching the body
was found by Roy Enger, seven
teen-year old boy, who was fishing
in an eddy of the river just below