Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-29
County Engineer Rom1nel
Of Oskaloosa, browns n
the Des Moines River
ONE MAN RESCUED IN
A THRILLING MANNER
Boy Braves Swollen Stream,
and Throws Rope to !
Worker in Tree

oskaioosa, Feb. 2s.-Ths -
Molnss river, choksd for 4 ~.
tanes Of elk mllss by Z huge ~
gorge, rose foot last night AMI
today went above the high watsr
mark set In the big Hood 81 10oe
The river 10 At the highest pes<4
ever reached and grave Ssass kaso
been expressed.
The Mahaska county supesvje-
ors with scores Of other workers
are In the flooded district bvs
haNe been powerless 70 ailsvia1o
the situation, Dynamite has heoN
found Ineffective In brsaIsins u
the huge gorge. The porous en-.
dillon OF the Ice 10 said 70 pssNoGe
any shatterlno through ths -
Of high explosives.
Des Molnes, Feb. 2s.-At the
request Of the Commercial club u
oskaloosa, Gov. Clarke today
sent w. T. Peterson, an swsinsse
Of the Chicago, Rock Island 9 ~
clHc railroad, 70 oslkaioosa % -
what measures the state can talee
to prevent disastroxs flosd u
the Des Molnss rivsr at ti,at peiNk
Rddyville. Feb. 2S.-(special) ~
huge ice gorge, which has formed 81
the Des Moines river above hers. M
taken the life of one man, threatened
those OF two others and promises to ia
great property damage II an immed.
late solution IL not found to the prob.
lem of loosenins the pack, which ex.
tends for eight miles.
A. h. Rommel, county engineer 81
Mahaska county, was drowned about
O'Clock Saturday afternoon, when the
boat, In which he was riding was Car.
sized by the sudden loosening AZ Z
large piece of ice. The fatal accident
happened near the Eveland bridko,
Mr.. Rommel could not swim and hia
heavy fur Ovorcoat held him down.
All Blown In Water.
There were three others IN the party
and all were blown into the watoe
when the crash of the powder blow
Ice struck them. One. Thomas D.
ny, was rescued Immediately and thl
other two wore marooned N "a
island in the river for several houS
One of them spent part of the night -
The top of tree, to which he had
climbed, and the other wandered hao1|
and forth on the island until o:3&
o'clock Sunday morning.
Charles Thomas OF Beacon. the uan1
who spent seven hours in the top ~
q tree on tho island was the Woa1I
sufferer Of the two. When thrown 1ntd
the water he grabbed the 0verhAnginl
branches and worked himself ups i1t1
the fork of the three to keep out of IN
Icy waters. There he stayed until II
o'clock Saturday night when he Wns
rescued. The experience was aWfn1
He is resting fairly easy today ct ~
home, to which he was taken 61ndAy
afternoon.
Wanders on island.
John Ruggenberg Of Oskaloosa. 49,
the second member Of the party whl
spent the night hours on the island
He wandered back and forth to keOJ
himself from freezing and. although
within twenty feet Of his re1cuerA
could not be reached on account of tn
river. Finally about three hours aftel
daybreak Sunday morning. he sWel
taken across to the mainland and dbrG
moved to his home where today NJ q
little the worse for his experiences.
1s-Year Old Lad Hero.
Thomas rescue by an 1S-year On
youth, Ray Ellis, furnished thu. meal
part Of the whole experiences
How he took the man, half frozen ~
nearly lifeless from the tree II r.
markable when it is considered h0N
nearly impossible 1t was to reach hin
on account of the swollen channel
filed with great cakes OF ice bolnl
hurled onward by the swift current
The boy lodged his boat against tWS
other inundated trees, to keep II from
being swept downward by the c,lFr0n
and repeatedly threw rope t0warl
Thomas until he finally landed It Ne,
enough SO that the virtually helpleGl
man could make 1t fast to Z branch q
the tree. Then Ellis secured his m
to one Of the other trees and Thomal
slid down.