Evening star., 1950-06-12
-Four Swept 10 Death,
A Others Saved After
Boat Goes Over Dam
BY she Associoisd Press

PITTSBURGH. June I2.-Tht
raging waters of an Allegheny
River spillway took four lives yes.
terday but rivermen who refused
TO quit rescue efforts in the face
Of terrifying odds pulled foul
others TO safety.
One riverman, Hull Wright, so
died a hero.
He tried desperately to save 81,
persons who rode over an 11-foot
dam in their 25-foot cabin cruiser
IS miles northeast of Pittsburgh
The four who survived a night
of horror were battered anc
beaten. inside and out.
Seven Hours of Failure.
They clung to the cruiser al
II bobbed furiously in the foam
ing. swirling spillway. For sever
hours they watched scores of res
cue attempts fail.
A blimp, seaplane and even
men in rowboat tried to reach
them
Just as it seemed their cruiser
would capsize. they were pulled
to safety by the volunteer crew
of a small river towboat piloted
by veteran skipper who willingly
took his chance with fate. He
won his gamble-and lost his boat
as it overturned in the maelstrom.
There were six on the cruiser
when it missed lock and went
over the dam.
Mr.. Wright and his boss, James
Woffenden. a veteran lockmaster,
went to their rescue in an 18-
foot skiff.
The small craft was smashed
to pieces and Mr.. Woffenden and
Mr.. Wright jumped to the cruiser.
Woman Swept Overheard.
Then, one by one, the four who
perished began going overheard.
Mr.. Woffenden declared:
1T was nightmare I tried
TO get everybody to hang on tight
and wait for help, but it wasn't
long before one of the women
was swept overheard. The next
was Hull. Then another woman
fell in. Finally a man disap-
peared. That left four of U.S."
Authorities listed the lost in ad-
dition to Mr.. Wright, as: Mrs.
William Fisher, %; Mrs. Carol
Kreig, about 80, wife of one OF the
rescued, and William Lahey. jr.,
about Is.
The rescued were Woffenden.
James McHugh. "a, owner of the
cruiser; Charles Reilley, "a, and
Jack Kreig. %.
All but McHugh and Mr.. Lahey
were residents of the Pittsburgh
area. Mr.. McHugh. son of the
head of a Chicago construction
firm. has been employed on a
building project here. Mr.. Lahey,
also from Chicago, worked for the
firm and lived with Mr.. McHugh.
Tells of Tragedy.
i've lost my wife, I've lost my
wife" muttered Mr. Kreig as he
was carried to a stretcher. Then
he cried unashamedly until given
a sedative.
Several hours later, Mr.. Kreig
told from hospital bed of the
midnight tragedy.
1T was a nice cool evening
Saturday and Jim (MctIugh)
asked some of us to go along for
a ride up the river.
I'VE went three or four miles
above the dam when we
started home we were making a
gradual swing toward the locks
when all of a sudden I noticed
a funny looking, smooth wave just
ahead of us.
Il just started to ask somebody
what it was when we hit the dam.
There wasn't time to swing around
or reverse"
The boat went over the dam.
Ii was caught in the surging
undercurrent.
Hit BY UndertOw.
Il went overheard shortly after
We hit Mr.. Kreig said. But I.
took only couple of strokes
when the undertow hit me.
1t dragged me down again.
That went on for a couple of
hours I guess until they (the
others on the cruiseD pulled me
out"
By the time Mr.. Woffenden and
Mr.. Wright got to the boat with
their skiff. Mr.. Kreig was aboard
the top of the partially submerged
cruiser.
Finally, Capt. Emmett Shockley
volunteered to brave the currents
with his 100-foot diesel-powered
sternwheeler towboat, the D. A. B.,
owned by a coal company.
The D. A. B. moved toward the
cruiser-once, twice, three times.
Each time it was pushed back by
the current. Capt. Shockley gave
1t every ounce of power-then
stopped it as gently as a stream
lined diesel train. His volunteer
crew quickly attached the boat
with lines. Eager hands took the
four from the cruiser.
But the current was too much.
1t swung the D. A. B. parallel to