For 60-year-old Harold Ordway and his family, a Sunday night boating outing on the Des Moines river turned into a nightmare,
Ordway, his wife Ruth, their son Gary and Gary’s wife Linda were enjoying themselves in a 16-foot power boat about 9:20 p.m. when the trouble started.
Chuck Madison, 44, and his son, Greg, 14, both of Ankeny were paddling nearby in two 15-foot kayaks which were lashed together.
Kayaks Capsize
Suddenly, the kayaks capsized and the Madisons were tossed into the water just north of the Sycamore Park Bridge.
The Ordways came to the rescue, but then their boat overturned and they too were thrown into the river.
An unidentified man along the shore jumped into the river and helped rescue the capsized boaters — everyone except Harold Ordway. Ordway, who is not able to swim, could not be reached.
Ordway grabbed the capsized kayaks and hung on.
Polk County sheriff’s officers said Ordway’s son then borrowed a boat from a fisherman on shore and tried to rescue his father. That attempt failed — the old rowboat was without oars.
Gary managed to get the boat back to the bank and followed his father downstream by running along the bank.
Use Police Boat
Meanwhile Des Moines and Polk County Police joined in the rescue attempts. A Des Moines police boat started upstream in an attempt to head Ordway off. It was joined by a private boat also steered by a policeman.
The Polk County sheriff’s office sent cars to the Interstate 80 bridge and to Lower Beaver road with lines in case Ordway drifted close to shore.
Ordway drifted by but he was too far away to lasso. “We just kind of watched helplessly," said sheriff’s deputy Bruce Carpenter.
Ordway finally was able to grab a branch on the bank and his son pulled him from the water a half-mile downstream an hour after his ordeal began.
Ordway was not injured, and his family took him home to dry out.
Published in The Des Moines Register, (Des Moines, IA), Monday, June 16, 19693
Harold L.
1907 - 1985
Ruth M.
1922 - 19731
Given Name: Harold
Middle Name:
Surname: Ordway
Name Suffix:
Birth Date: 04 Oct 1907
State: Iowa
Last Place of Residence: Polk, Iowa
Previous Residence Postal Code: 50310
Event Date: Sep 1985
Citing this Record: "United States Social Security Death Index"
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JT9B-13X : 19 May 20142