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two drown as boat goes over steel dam in QCA

QChawks

QChawks

HB King
Feb 11, 2013
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sad story, the last part is strange though. normally there is a buoy across the river, assuming to protect boats from going over and giving them something to cling too, but for some reason it wasn't there yesterday
______________________________________________________

Two people were killed in a boating accident Sunday near the steel dam in Milan when the boat they were in failed to start and went over the dam.

Rock Island County Coroner Brian Gustafson said Alondra I. Acosta, 21, of Kewanee, died from injuries received in the accident that involved four people.

The Johnson County medical examiner's office said a second victim, Alexander Ravelingeen, 16, of Kewanee, also died. He was initially transported to UnityPoint-Trinity Rock Island, then transferred to University of Iowa hospitals.


Two others were in the boat. One had minor injuries and one had no visible injuries when treated Sunday.


The accident happened at approximately 1:30 p.m, Sunday. A call to rescuers Sunday was placed at 11th Street and 50th Avenue, near Vandruff Island, Rock Island, just off an island that splits the Rock River. The boat was on the south side of the river dam, and had gone over the steel dam in Milan.

"From the report we have, they were doing some intermittent fishing,'' Tony Petriekis, conservation officer with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said of the four who were in the boat.


Sgt. Petriekis added that last time the four stopped to fish and then attempted to start the boat, they were approximately one-quarter-mile upstream from the roller dam.

"They would fish, start up the boat and move to another spot, stop and fish some more,'' Sgt. Petriekis added. "Each time they were able to start the motor on the boat. This time they could not and began drifting and could not stop. Just a nightmare.''

There is a sign on the north side of the steel dam indicating danger. Usually, orange buoys run the width of the Rock River before the dam. Those buoys were resting against the south shore of the river just in front of the rollers on Monday.

Sgt. Petriekis said the DNR is not responsible for stringing the orange safety buoys across the river.

"I don't know where that falls,'' he said.

https://qctimes.com/news/updated-ke...e41152d.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1
 
That's a situation where you drop the anchor until you can get the mechanical issue figured out. Been there myself on the Missouri River. No dams or any other dangers like that, just didn't want to end up floating past Omaha.

If you don't have an anchor on your boat you should get one.
 
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QChawks said:
it's a good question, I know the current is pretty strong just ahead of the dam the so perhaps they tried and it wouldn't hold

I believe the two that survived were able to hold on to a large down tree stuck on the dam
Click to expand...

That is wild. Every river movie ever made has this scene. It never occurred to me why there’s always a tree down, but it must be a safety thing
 
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That dam is so dangerous because it’s very low and you can’t see it from upstream until you are right on top if it and it look quite harmless.

It kills someone about every 2-3 years.
69232360.jpg
 
torbee said:
That dam is so dangerous because it’s very low and you can’t see it from upstream until you are right on top if it and it look quite harmless.

It kills someone about every 2-3 years.
69232360.jpg
Click to expand...
So this is a dumb question but what is the purpose of a low dam that submerged is in water like that?
 
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Tenacious E said:
So this is a dumb question but what is the purpose of a low dam that submerged is in water like that?
Click to expand...
I think it was the site of a mill or something back in the day. There are a bunch of low dams on the Rock River like that.

Edit: good guess on my part! From the RICO historical society:


Rock River Near 11th Street

Although the postcard labels this the Water Power Dam, most of us call it the Sears Dam, sometimes the Sears Power Dam. It’s located in the Rock River just east of the Route 67 bridge from Rock Island to Milan and its name is a legacy of David B. Sears, dam builder and town builder extraordinaire. Mr. Sears was a visionary when it came to dams – he was determined that rivers should work, and he did his best to tap their massive power.

But Sears only saw the dammed river as direct mechanical power that would be used at its source. It took Samuel S. Davis and another 40 years to realize the full potential of a river, to convert the mechanical power of flowing water into electrical power that could be transmitted on thin copper wires throughout the community.

Thanks to Rock Islander Dick Iverson for sharing this postcard with us. Now, for the rest of the story.

David Benton Sears (1804-1884) came to Moline in 1836. Only a year later, with two partners, he began building a dam in the Mississippi river side channel known as Sylvan Slough, between the east end of the Rock Island (Arsenal Island) and the Moline shore. That dam, too, was known as the Sears Dam. Mr. Sears built a multipurpose mill on Illinois shore in 1838. It sawed wood, ground flour and carded wool.

Later, in 1843, he and his partners purchased more land and ultimately platted what became Moline. Before that, he had platted Rock Island Village on the eastern end of Arsenal Island. It had a steamboat landing, chair factory, warehouses, stable, and flour mill. Sears is credited for enticing John Deere and his partners to come here from Grand Detour by promising him free waterpower for his plow factory from the Sears dam. These accomplishments would have been enough for most men, but not for David B. Sears.

Once the U.S. government decided to build an arsenal and take over the entire island, Sears was forced to sell his land and dam. He was more fortunate than some other residents there who were only squatters, as he was well paid for his 35 acres. So now what should David B. Sears do? Well he’s a dam builder, remember, and there’s more than one river to dam.

Sears ended up on the Rock River, getting permission from the state to build four dams near its mouth. One of his dams was a few hundred feet upriver from the postcard dam, another was between the eastern end of Vandruff’s island and the Milan shore (now the Steel dam area), and the two others were small dams between the islands near Vandruff’s. The dams allowed Sears to direct the water where he could use it, into the canal (millrace) he had built next to the westernmost dam. As the newspaper put it, “(This) fine stream is prohibited from going to waste and is obligated to do its part toward advancing civilization.”

By 1868, Sears’ 12 foot high, $200,000 dam was finished and his five-story flour mill on the island just south of the millrace was nearly complete. The foundations of that mill, which burned around 1890 (reported dates vary), can be seen under the bridge in the postcard. In 1873, he opened a cotton factory on the north shore of the river that employed up to 100 workers, making everything from cloth to carpet warp. That building is still standing and was recently converted to senior housing.

Nearby and on Vandruff’s Island others planned and built papermills, sawmills, woolen mills, and more, and it was noted that 1 ½ miles of riverfront was suitable for mills. Each mill needed its own waterwheel. The power from the rotating shaft of the waterwheel could then be taken where needed in the mill using giant belts, pulleys, or gears. David B. Sears also platted the town of “Sears,” sometimes called “Searstown,” in 1869 next to his canal on the north bank of the river. Searstown was annexed to the City of Rock Island in 1915.

But now fast forward to October 29, 1907, when the Argus reported that grading and widening of the Sears Canal (the old millrace) had begun in preparation for a huge new electrical power plant under the auspices of Samuel S. Davis. Early in the 20th Century, S. S. Davis owned a great deal of land near Sears.

Rock Island natives S. S. Davis and his brother were visionaries. They saw the power of electricity and as a result brought many public utilities – electricity, gas, even water – to the various Quad Cities. They established a firm that has, through mergers and reorganizations, evolved into our MidAmerican Energy Company.

By this time, most of the old Sears mills had been abandoned. Floods and ice had damaged the old dams. And S. S. Davis, saw the Rock River wasn’t earning its way any longer. Moreover he knew he could use that wasted water flow to generate electricity that he could sell to his Tri-Cities Railway and Light Company. So he got an Act of Congress to permit his new company – the Rock River Navigation and Water Power Company – to build and rebuild dams and to improve the old canal, so he could build a power generating plant on Sears’ old mill island.
 
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torbee said:
I think it was the site of a mill or something back in the day. There are a bunch of low dams on the Rock River like that.

Edit: good guess on my part! From the RICO historical society:


Rock River Near 11th Street

Although the postcard labels this the Water Power Dam, most of us call it the Sears Dam, sometimes the Sears Power Dam. It’s located in the Rock River just east of the Route 67 bridge from Rock Island to Milan and its name is a legacy of David B. Sears, dam builder and town builder extraordinaire. Mr. Sears was a visionary when it came to dams – he was determined that rivers should work, and he did his best to tap their massive power.

But Sears only saw the dammed river as direct mechanical power that would be used at its source. It took Samuel S. Davis and another 40 years to realize the full potential of a river, to convert the mechanical power of flowing water into electrical power that could be transmitted on thin copper wires throughout the community.

Thanks to Rock Islander Dick Iverson for sharing this postcard with us. Now, for the rest of the story.

David Benton Sears (1804-1884) came to Moline in 1836. Only a year later, with two partners, he began building a dam in the Mississippi river side channel known as Sylvan Slough, between the east end of the Rock Island (Arsenal Island) and the Moline shore. That dam, too, was known as the Sears Dam. Mr. Sears built a multipurpose mill on Illinois shore in 1838. It sawed wood, ground flour and carded wool.

Later, in 1843, he and his partners purchased more land and ultimately platted what became Moline. Before that, he had platted Rock Island Village on the eastern end of Arsenal Island. It had a steamboat landing, chair factory, warehouses, stable, and flour mill. Sears is credited for enticing John Deere and his partners to come here from Grand Detour by promising him free waterpower for his plow factory from the Sears dam. These accomplishments would have been enough for most men, but not for David B. Sears.

Once the U.S. government decided to build an arsenal and take over the entire island, Sears was forced to sell his land and dam. He was more fortunate than some other residents there who were only squatters, as he was well paid for his 35 acres. So now what should David B. Sears do? Well he’s a dam builder, remember, and there’s more than one river to dam.

Sears ended up on the Rock River, getting permission from the state to build four dams near its mouth. One of his dams was a few hundred feet upriver from the postcard dam, another was between the eastern end of Vandruff’s island and the Milan shore (now the Steel dam area), and the two others were small dams between the islands near Vandruff’s. The dams allowed Sears to direct the water where he could use it, into the canal (millrace) he had built next to the westernmost dam. As the newspaper put it, “(This) fine stream is prohibited from going to waste and is obligated to do its part toward advancing civilization.”

By 1868, Sears’ 12 foot high, $200,000 dam was finished and his five-story flour mill on the island just south of the millrace was nearly complete. The foundations of that mill, which burned around 1890 (reported dates vary), can be seen under the bridge in the postcard. In 1873, he opened a cotton factory on the north shore of the river that employed up to 100 workers, making everything from cloth to carpet warp. That building is still standing and was recently converted to senior housing.

Nearby and on Vandruff’s Island others planned and built papermills, sawmills, woolen mills, and more, and it was noted that 1 ½ miles of riverfront was suitable for mills. Each mill needed its own waterwheel. The power from the rotating shaft of the waterwheel could then be taken where needed in the mill using giant belts, pulleys, or gears. David B. Sears also platted the town of “Sears,” sometimes called “Searstown,” in 1869 next to his canal on the north bank of the river. Searstown was annexed to the City of Rock Island in 1915.

But now fast forward to October 29, 1907, when the Argus reported that grading and widening of the Sears Canal (the old millrace) had begun in preparation for a huge new electrical power plant under the auspices of Samuel S. Davis. Early in the 20th Century, S. S. Davis owned a great deal of land near Sears.

Rock Island natives S. S. Davis and his brother were visionaries. They saw the power of electricity and as a result brought many public utilities – electricity, gas, even water – to the various Quad Cities. They established a firm that has, through mergers and reorganizations, evolved into our MidAmerican Energy Company.

By this time, most of the old Sears mills had been abandoned. Floods and ice had damaged the old dams. And S. S. Davis, saw the Rock River wasn’t earning its way any longer. Moreover he knew he could use that wasted water flow to generate electricity that he could sell to his Tri-Cities Railway and Light Company. So he got an Act of Congress to permit his new company – the Rock River Navigation and Water Power Company – to build and rebuild dams and to improve the old canal, so he could build a power generating plant on Sears’ old mill island.
Click to expand...
The better question is why has a dam that serves no purpose not been removed yet? Better for the environment, better for fishing, safer for boaters.
 
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C'mon! And miss out on waiting a half hour for a table and another half hour for the food? I am old school, dammit.
 
So, somebody goes over and gets stuck in the rolling water just past the dam and eventually drowns. That's what happens, correct? What a horrible way to go. :(
 
torbee said:
That dam is so dangerous because it’s very low and you can’t see it from upstream until you are right on top if it and it look quite harmless.

It kills someone about every 2-3 years.
69232360.jpg
Click to expand...

Aahaah, that could explain it...but if you were fishing that river it would seem you should know that there is a dam nearby??
 
I fish there often in the fall and spring for walleye and sauger. The water is actually only a couple feet deep 20 yards or so outside of the where the water spills in. The water is crazy strong there though. It holds logs for months sometimes inside of current. In the summer dudes stand all through the water catching monster flathead. There used to be a steel cable above the dam to catch boats, hopefully they replace that.

torbee said:
The better question is why has a dam that serves no purpose not been removed yet? Better for the environment, better for fishing, safer for boaters.
Click to expand...

Fishing around there is great.
 
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Moral said:
I fish there often in the fall and spring for walleye and sauger. The water is actually only a couple feet deep 20 yards or so outside of the where the water spills in. The water is crazy strong there though. It holds logs for months sometimes inside of current. In the summer dudes stand all through the water catching monster flathead. There used to be a steel cable above the dam to catch boats, hopefully they replace that.



Fishing around there is great.
Click to expand...
Catch many gills around there?
 
Mississippi and Rock Rivers scared the piss out of me when I was growing up in the QC. Every couple years or so, you would get one or more of the following:

1. Family in a boat getting carried over a small dam.
2. Family (usually a D'port West-End family) lose a child/family member to a drowning at Buffalo beach. Person was usually wading in waist-deep water, and then would either get swept away or the person would step into the channel.
3. Family living down by Credit Island would be interviewed by the news and would describe their shock and amazement when their home would get flooded in the Spring.
 
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DaveSnedeker said:
Mississippi and Rock Rivers scared the piss out of me when I was growing up in the QC. Every couple years or so, you would get one or more of the following:

1. Family in a boat getting carried over a small dam.
2. Family (usually a D'port West-End family) lose a child/family member to a drowning at Buffalo beach. Person was usually wading in waist-deep water, and then would either get swept away or the person would step into the channel.
3. Family living down by Credit Island would be interviewed by the news and would describe their shock and amazement when their home would get flooded in the Spring.
Click to expand...
Spring doesn’t truly arrive in the Quad Cities until the first body is pulled from the river. Sad, but true.
 
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torbee said:
That dam is so dangerous because it’s very low and you can’t see it from upstream until you are right on top if it and it look quite harmless.

It kills someone about every 2-3 years.
69232360.jpg
Click to expand...
Wow I agree that looks not that bad. The local rednecks here would go over that on purpose.
 
Last edited:
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This thread made me think of this video from a couple years ago. Except I don’t think they went over. I think they got too close on the down side.

 
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