The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-09-07
Find Body Cd Ed Rea-
gan After All Night
Searching
Continued from page u

day morning that Reagan, fishing in
the dark, may have made a mis-
step on the narrow ledge and slipped
into 20 feet of water Acquaint
ances said he was unable to swim.
SEEN PARKING CAR
Harry Turner, local manager of
the Page Dairy plant is believed to
have been the last person to see
Regan as he was parking his car
along Jefferson street a short dist
ance east of the Riley Greek bridge.
Turner who was enroute to the West
ern Union telegraph tower said that
Regan appeared to be taking some
thing out of the car, presumably
fishing tackle. DR.. M. r. Bixel,
Bluffton physician also saw Reagan
as he was parking the car at the
quarry about 4:45 p. m.
Reagan who was employed at the
pumping plant of the Buckeye Pipe
Line company near Mt. Cory was on
two weeks vacation, one of which
was spent at Michigan lake where
he had become interested in fishing.
The family returned home Sunday
and Regain told his wife Tuesday
afternoon that he intended going to
the National quarry that evening.
He took his wife to a downtown
beauty parlor shortly after a o'clock
and then returned home to get his
fishing tackle.
QUARRY CLOSED TO FISHING
Altho the quarry has been closed
to fishermen since the outbreak of
the war, local anglers have been fire.
quenting the place which is known
as a good fishing spot.
On discovering that Reagan was
missing, his wife summoned DR.. B.
w. Travis, a neighbor, who in turn
notified Mayor w. A. Howe. Howe
summoned the sheriff's office which
sent deputies here equipped with
graphing hooks and boats and port
able searchlights were obtained from
the Central Ohio Light & Power
generating plant located at the far
end of the quarry.
Dragging the quarry began at
/ 80 a. m. Wednesday and contin-
ued until 5 a. m. when the hooks
were lost and other hooks obtained
from the Findlay police department
by E. d. Erwin, assistant general
manager of the power company. Err
win and Louis Wissler both of Find
lay were here Wednesday aiding in
directing the search for the body.
Wissler is in charge of public rela-
tions for the company.
CROWDS GATHER
Word of the tragedy spread quick
ly thru the town Wednesday morn
ing and knots of silent spectators
gathered on the banks of the quarry
while cars lined the roadside along
Jefferson street north of the Riley
creek bridge.
| Recovery of the body admittedly
was difficult as the water ranges
in depth from 20 feet to more thar
twice that depth. The quarry is a
% acre expanse of water, formerly
operated by the Bluffton Stone com.
pany.
Following a fire in 1929 which de-
stroyed the stone company's plant
the quarry was abandoned and al
lowed to fill with water. 1t was
purchased about seven years later
by the Central Ohio Light & Power
company which subsequently erected
large electric generating plant al
the north side of the quarry and
uses the water for cooling purposes
| Before the war the quarry was
stocked with fish by the Bluffton
Community Sportsmen's club and un-
der an agreement with the power in.
terests the Sportsmen's club super
vised fishing.
Following outbreak Of the war
however, entrance to the power plant
and its grounds, including the quar-
ry was forbidden for security reas-
ons.
The Reagan family has resided in
Bluffton for the past nine years,
coming here from Lima when he was