Death of 10 year old on Housatonic River in CT
Mickie
class 1 and flat water beyond the Gaylorsville bridge.
It is below the class 4 Bulls Bridge section. I do not know what the
water level was at the time.
The article is from Sunday's News-Times; I do not have any further
information on this.
My sincere condolences to the family and her friends.
-----------------------------------------------
10-year-old dies during canoe trip
Sherman family gets caught in rapids on Housatonic
By Joseph Spector
THE NEWS-TIMES
NEW MILFORD A 10-year-old Sherman girl died yesterday when a canoe she
and her family
were riding got caught in strong rapids on the Housatonic River, pinning
the sixth grader between
the canoe and a rock, police said.
Tara Beutler, of Jericho Road North, was pronounced dead at about 8 p.m.
at New Milford
Hospital following five hours of doctors trying to save her life.
Tara, her parents and her 8-year-old sister, Montana, planned to enjoy
the warm fall day on the
scenic river, but met mighty rapids as they traveled through the
Gaylordsville section of town, police
said.
The 17-foot canoe got caught on a rock, twisted sideways and then
started to fill with water, said
Sgt. Raul Camejo, an officer with the state Department of Environmental
Protection, which is
handling the investigation.
Tara's parents, Bruce and Margaret, and Montana were able to break from
the rapids' wrath, but
Tara could not get ashore at about 2:15 p.m., Camejo said.
Bruce Beutler made several attempts to rescue his daughter, but the
strength of the current stifled
each effort.
"The father attempted a few times to save her, but he was unable to get
her," Camejo said.
After his efforts failed, a family member rushed to adjacent Route 7 and
flagged down a car to call
for help, Camejo said.
Tara, a tall, thin student at Sherman School, was called "the shining
star of the school," by her
principal Dan Murphy last night.
Murphy described her a bright, beautiful girl a girl who was popular, a
dancer, a participant in the
school's talent contest. Her 11th birthday would have been Oct. 27.
"It's a tragedy," Murphy said. "I don't know of any other way to explain
it."
It was unknown last night whether Tara was wearing a life jacket. The
DEP is investigating. An
autopsy to determine the cause of death is expected to be completed
today.
Tara's parents and sister were also taken to New Milford Hospital, but
were released.
The family is active in town, Murphy said. Bruce Beutler serves on the
town's school Building
Committee that is looking at expanding the Sherman School. Margaret
Beutler has been a substitute
teacher there, Murphy said, and Montana is a third grader at the school.
"It's a beautiful family," he said.
Lee Hendrix, chief of Gaylordsville Fire Department, said rescue teams
responded to the scene
quickly, partly because it occurred about a quarter-mile from the
Gaylordsville Fire Department,
which was happened to be holding an open house.
Fire officials used rescue equipment to reach Tara, but only after two
firemen also were swept
away by the current, Hendrix said.
"They are a tricky set of rapids," said Hendrix, describing how the
water level was high yesterday.
Murphy said he plans to hold a meeting with faculty this morning and
have counseling available to
students. He said in his 29 years at the school, it is the only death of
a child he can remember.
"I'm sure it's going to a very difficult day and a difficult time for
all of us at the Sherman School,"
Murphy said.
News-Times reporter John Pirro also contributed to this story.
paddlrat
Mickie <mic...@ct1.nai.net> wrote:
> I believe this section is class 2ish under normal flows and then
becomes
> class 1 and flat water beyond the Gaylorsville bridge.
> It is below the class 4 Bulls Bridge section. I do not know what the
> water level was at the time.
> The article is from Sunday's News-Times; I do not have any further
> information on this.
>
> My sincere condolences to the family and her friends.
Tom Sisk
paddlrat
living proof that rats can swim!
(aka ets...@bellnospamsouth.net)
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
riverman
paddlrat wrote:
> In article <37FA0C24...@ct1.nai.net>,
> Mickie <mic...@ct1.nai.net> wrote:
> > I believe this section is class 2ish under normal flows and then
> becomes
> > class 1 and flat water beyond the Gaylorsville bridge.
> > It is below the class 4 Bulls Bridge section. I do not know what the
> > water level was at the time.
> > The article is from Sunday's News-Times; I do not have any further
> > information on this.
> >
> > My sincere condolences to the family and her friends.
>
> This just breaks my heart. I am so sorry to hear about this.
Oh man, me too. It seems cosmically wrong for this to happen, whatever
the details. My deepest and most sincere condolences to the family,
school, friends and neighbors. And a reaffirmation of the joy of kids and
the joy of boats to everyone on the NG...
riverman
DBerry OB
the days to come.
Debra
Mickie
http://www.newstimes.com/news/today/lcc.htm
The article is below.
I am trying to find out more specific information, including the water
level in feet (which I can translate and understand for that section)
and specifically where she drowned.
The Ten Mile River that they ran starts in NY, narrow and easy. It
starts to build up in difficulty, first some class 1 ripples, then some
short class 2 rapids. Before it enters the Housatonic there is a class
2+/3 heavier and bigger, but short rapid, maybe 100 yards. There's some
more technical class 2, 2+, low 3 (all depending upon level which I
don't know at this writing). When it enters the Housatonic, below the
Bulls Bridge section, the river is twice the width and big water. At
higher flows it would be continuous 3, 3+ and technical in a few places.
From the article it sounds as if the death occurred near the end of run,
near the Gaylorsville bridge. The usual take-out is before this;
however from the road it looks rocky and class 3ish, diminishing to 2
below the bridge.
Again I will try to find out more information and post it. I've only run
Ten Mile once and parked and played on the Housatonic about 3 times so I
am really not familiar enough to give you any specifics.
Mickie
--------------------------------------------
School staff, students mourn loss of Tara
By Joseph Spector
THE NEWS-TIMES
SHERMAN Children cried. So did teachers. Students and staff hugged. They
held hands, talked, listened and tried to console one another.
Yesterday was the saddest day anyone at Sherman School could remember.
"It was a day when we all had the same feeling," said Sara Matzkin, the
school psychologist.
Emptiness, sorrow and dejection were some of the words used as the
school coped with the loss of 10-year-old Tara Beutler.
Tara, an energetic sixth-grader nicknamed "Beaut" by classmates, died
Sunday after a canoe she and her family were riding in flipped in rapids
on the Housatonic River at about 2:15 p.m.
Tara became pinned between the canoe and a rock, authorities said.
The first hour and a half of school was spent discussing the death of
the popular, gifted-and-talented student, who liked to ride horses and
dance.
"She always had a positive thing to say about whatever we were doing,"
said Mike Pascento, Tara's fifth-grade teacher.
Entire grades got together, held hands in a circle and had a moment of
silence. Others wrote their thoughts in notebooks, then read them aloud.
Faculty met privately before school began.
"It was probably one of the most difficult days we've had at the Sherman
School," said Principal Dan Murphy, who with Sherman Fire Chief Bob
Accosta went to every classroom to tell students what happened.
Police yesterday said Tara's leg got caught in the canoe when it tipped
and she couldn't free herself. She
was wearing a life jacket, police said.
Her parents, Bruce and Margaret, and her 8-year-old sister, Montana,
were either ejected or jumped from
the canoe, said Officer Mark Shaw of the state Department of
Environmental Protection, which is handling
the investigation.
Shaw said Tara was held under water because of the strong current. Her
death has been ruled a drowning, he said.
Doctors concluded Tara did not sustain serious injury from hitting the
rocks, Shaw said. An autopsy will not be performed.
"The strength of the water just held her there," Shaw said. "The current
is very strong in that section of the river."
The family could not be reached for comment yesterday. It was unknown
when funeral services will be held. Holy Trinity Church hosted a prayer
service yesterday morning.
Frank Poirot, a Northeast Utilities spokesman, said the river was moving
swiftly Sunday. The company,
which uses the river to generate electricity, estimated the flow in that
area at 1,500 cubic feet per second.
Comparatively, before Tropical Storm Floyd last month, the river flow
was about 200 cubic feet per second, he said.
"It was enough flow to get the water going over the rocks and enough to
make the rapids tricky," Poirot said.
Poirot said turbines at the company's Bulls Bridge plant in northern New
Milford were shut down during the rescue effort to limit water flow. The
plant, however, has little long-term control on river flow, he said.
The Beutlers' canoe trip started at Webatuck Village in Wingdale, N.Y.,
on the Ten Mile River, Shaw said.
The river runs into the Housatonic.
Shaw said the family had portaged around other rapids during their
roughly four-mile trip, but "this set of rapids they decided to pass
through."
He estimated the rapids were class 3 or 4. Class 6 is the most severe.
Lynn Werner, executive director of the Housatonic Valley Association,
said the electric company often posts signs to warn boaters as they
approach dams.
But she said signs typically are not posted as boaters approach
potentially dangerous rapids on the river, which runs from
Massachusetts to Long Island Sound.
"It flows through 29 towns," she said. "It would be unusual for a
free-flowing stretch of river to be marked
by private land owners."
Jennifer Clark, an owner of a West Cornwall store that rents canoes on
the river, said the strength of rapids can often surprise inexperienced
boaters.
"It's one of those things that if you follow all the rules and wear a
life jacket, it still tends to be a dangerous sport," she said. "You
just can't protect against all the variables."
David Obelcz
out to the family.
--
Take the -pants- off to e-mail
David Obelcz
OutdoorPlaces
paddlrat wrote in message <7tdgeh$be1$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
>In article <37FA0C24...@ct1.nai.net>,
> Mickie <mic...@ct1.nai.net> wrote:
>> I believe this section is class 2ish under normal flows and then
>becomes
>> class 1 and flat water beyond the Gaylorsville bridge.
>> It is below the class 4 Bulls Bridge section. I do not know what the
>> water level was at the time.
>> The article is from Sunday's News-Times; I do not have any further
>> information on this.
>>
>> My sincere condolences to the family and her friends.
>This just breaks my heart. I am so sorry to hear about this.
>
Al Braley
paddled the Ten Mile often. I talked to the firemen at the Gaylordsville
station on monday. The accident occurred about 1/4 mile upstream of the
Route 7 bridge at a rapid that I have been told is called "Table Rock",
fireman said it was a class 4. A big flat rock juts out from river left
forming strong eddy behind, jumble of rocks in middle, I consider it a class
2 at high levels, a wash-out at flood. The photo in News-Times might have
been taken from that rock. It is just upstream of a take-out on river left,
on the west side of Route 7, we often take-out downstream of the Rte. 7
bridge on river right. The river level was high, but not flood, I consider
the river to be at a very nice level for intermediate paddlers - no place
for novices. The Gaylordsville gage was not working/reporting at the time.
A very unfortunate tragedy indeed.
Al Braley, AMC NY-NoJ, Canoe Leader
Sue Sexton
says...
>
>My heart just breaks about this. I hope the family finds peace and comfort in
>the days to come.
>
>Debra
I have a ten year old daughter.. I can't imagine that there can be any peace or
comfort... This is horrible. Go home and hold your children (spouses, parents,
siblings, SO's, friends) close and tell them how much they are loved. Every day
with them is a gift.
My heart screams for this family.
riverman
Al Braley wrote:
> I live in Wingdale, near the put in that they probably used, and have
> paddled the Ten Mile often. I talked to the firemen at the Gaylordsville
> station on monday. The accident occurred about 1/4 mile upstream of the
> Route 7 bridge at a rapid that I have been told is called "Table Rock",
> fireman said it was a class 4. A big flat rock juts out from river left
> forming strong eddy behind, jumble of rocks in middle, I consider it a class
> 2 at high levels, a wash-out at flood.
Wow, Al. The firemen rate it a class 4 and you rate it a 2? ( I somehow feel
that your own rating is more accurate because you are a boater, and I don't know
about the firemen.). Where is the miscommunication here, and how often are
ratings *this* discrepant?? Anyone else seen this rapid?
riverman
Peik Borud
riverman <mb...@american.hasharon.k12.il> wrote:
<37FBCFF8...@american.hasharon.k12.il>...
>
> <<<<<snipped>>>>
> Wow, Al. The firemen rate it a class 4 and you rate it a 2? ( I somehow feel
> that your own rating is more accurate because you are a boater, and I don't
know
> about the firemen.).
Hi from Peik:
"Our" river rating system has been made for paddlers.
How can you expect a nonboater to judge this?
Guess those firemen haven't even tried swimming the
river, and of course then they'd need a wet-suit, dry-top,
PFD, paddler-helmet etc. to get a relevant idea of the
river's swimmability.
On the other hand, there just might be a few fireman-paddlers
around somewhere.
--
Peik Borud
Norway
peik(at)online.no
Michiel Verhoef
referred to as class III. However, this particularly class III waterfall had at
least
three 'must have' eddies following each other. In my book that's no class III
anymore...
So I guess it all depends on how familiar you are with the situation how one
rates rivers..
Cheers,
Michiel
riverman wrote:
> Al Braley wrote:
>
> > I live in Wingdale, near the put in that they probably used, and have
> > paddled the Ten Mile often. I talked to the firemen at the Gaylordsville
> > station on monday. The accident occurred about 1/4 mile upstream of the
> > Route 7 bridge at a rapid that I have been told is called "Table Rock",
> > fireman said it was a class 4. A big flat rock juts out from river left
> > forming strong eddy behind, jumble of rocks in middle, I consider it a class
> > 2 at high levels, a wash-out at flood.
>
> Wow, Al. The firemen rate it a class 4 and you rate it a 2? ( I somehow feel
> that your own rating is more accurate because you are a boater, and I don't know
larry gross
<michiel...@wkap.nl> wrote:
>Well, in NZ someone showed me a line down a 7 meter waterfall which he
>referred to as class III. However, this particularly class III waterfall had at
>least
>three 'must have' eddies following each other. In my book that's no class III
>anymore...
this blows me away and in some respects IMHO is the crux of the
argument. A 21 foot drop rated as a Class III if you 'make the lines'
is exactly what I see in some of the threads although it is not near
as stark in contast as this post.
Technical Difficulty is very different from risk. Even a straight
forward 21 foot drop can do grievious harm to you.. it's no
different than jumping off a 21 foot cliff and aiming for a 'friendly'
spot below. Most folks won't do it unless they 'know' for a fact
that the water is deep enough without rocks. BUT.. put them
in a boat with some experience on difficult drops.. and they
can convince themselves that their skill and experience will
keep them away from the 'bad spots'. How can any of us
be so sure? A small blunder, a gust of wind, a unseen rock,
a misque on a paddle stroke, a funny current that we do not expect.