BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - Low-head dam drowning on Yakima River, WA State

wrote:
"riverman" wrote:

Think about that carefully for a second. Crawl on the bottom? With all that
current and turbulence? This is the problem when hypotheticals become
anecdotal. Does anyone know of anyone who has 'crawled along the bottom of
the river'

I seem to recall that a person got stuck in Charlie's Hole (where
Scott Bristow was killed in 98) on the Great Falls section of the
Potomac, and crawled out along the bottom. From what I heard (which
may be urban legend) the bottom of the hole is a boulder pile with
water flowing thru the boulders so it is not exactly like a low head
dam.

The hole looks a bit like a hand with the palm pointed up, the water
flows between the fingers, with the left and right rocks next to the
hole being the thumb and little finger. Any wood sticking between the
fingers turns it into a very effective sieve.

From having stood on the edge of the rock next to Charlie's hole
(trying to look for Scott's body), I remember that it was so violent (at
that water level) that I seriously doubt that anyone could crawl out
against that current.
That's just my opinion...

IIRC someone went for a swim that morning (or the day before) before
Scott died, and he managed to get out alive. Don't remember what he did
to get out though.

--
Wilko van den Bergh wilkoa t)dse(d o tnl
Eindhoven The Netherlands Europe
---Look at the possibilities, don't worry about the limitations.---
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