Two Men Drown July 1943  

July 14, 1943

An intensive search is being conducted without success for the bodies of two men who were drowned in Lake Maxinkuckee SUnday afternoon when theri boat was capsized by the heavy waves.

The vitcims are Herbert Shaffer, age 33, of Frankfort, who was employed in Logansport and his brother-in-law, Howard Waddell, 28, of Logansport. Stephen SHaffer, son of the ' former, was reccued by Charles Zook, of Logansport, and a Long Point cottager, who was fishing some distance away and heard the boy's cries for help.

The two families were spending the day at the lake and had rented a small boat with a heavy outboard motoer, it is stated. Both men are heavy and it is believed that the boat was capsized by the heavy waves.

It is stated that the men tried to swim to shore when the saw only the prow of the poat protoruding from the water, the father taking the bow with him. When he was unable to continue, the uncle toook the lad, but his strength gave out too, and he sank. The boy then swam to the boat and clung to the small part that was above water until hel arrived.

The tragedy occured on the east side of the lake off the Flanagan cottage in about 80 feet of water, which makes the search for the bodies difficult.

Culver Police and firemen, boats and men from the Academy and volunteers started dragging at once for the bodies. They were latter joined by the county sherriff's force, auxillary police from Plymouth and state police.

On Monday and Tuesday groups from Logansoprt joined in the search.

Tuesday afternoon a Civil Air Patrol Pplane from Rochester came to try to locate the bodies from the air, but the sky clouded up, forcing the pilot to give up the plan. The plane is renewing the search today.

These are the first drownings in the lake in several years - - Culver Citizen

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July 21 - CItizen

Lake Still Holds Two Victims of Drowning As Search Continues

The search for the bodies of Herbert SHaffer of Franfort and Howard Wadell of Logansport who were drowned in Lake Maxinkuckee Sunday July 11, when their boat capsized, has been fruitless to date, but the search is being continued daily and it is expected that the bodies will come to the surface thei week.

An airplane from the C.A.P. at ROchester had made numerous trips over the lake, the Academy has had its square-rigger out each day with lookouts perched high in the rigging, speedboats hace patrolled the lake and outboards have joined in the hunt.

RUmors have been frequent that one of the victims had been found. One person even declared she saw the body being carried awat. Twice the airplane thought it had seen a body and a speedboat reported a similar find, but in each no body was to be found whe searchers reached the areas.

To keep the record straight it should be explianed that the men did not secure an outboard motor at the same place they rented the boat. It is stated that they brought their own motor with them.

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Search for his body is to be resumed with renewed effort.

Thursday, July 22, 1943 Rochester Sentinel ---Culver , July 22. -- The body of Herbert SHAFFER, 34, Logansport business man who was drowned July 10 in Lake Maxinkuckee, was recovered at 7:10 o'clock last night after it was sighted about 100 feet off the east shore of the lake.

The body had drifted about a half mile from where the drowning occurred. The recovery came after eleven days of searching for the body. Howard WADDELL, 28, of Logansport, who also drowned when the two men's boat was upset by the waves from a passing motorboat, is still missing.

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28 July 1943 - Citizen

Herbert Shaffer, One of DOrowning Victims, Recovered from Lake

One of the two men drowned in Lake Maxinkuckee, SUnday, July 11, has been found, but that of the other, Howard Wadell, of Lofansport, remains in the water.

It is felt that it is a certainty that his body will come to the surface fore the week is over, since this is the 18th day.

The body of Herbert Shaffer, age 34, of Geatingsville, near Frankfort, was recovered from th lake at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday, July 21, about 300 feet off shore near the Maxinkuckee Landing.

The body was sighted by two unidentified men from the Rogers cottage while they operated an outboard motor

Marshall Verl McFeely and State Policeman RObert WIlson brought the bofy to land and identified him by his wallet. His wrist watch had stopped at 2:20. The body was in a good state of preservation at the time it was recovered from the lake.

Mr. Shaffer had been a credit manager of the Goodrich store at Logansport. He is survived by the widow, Mrs. Esther Robinson Shaffer, three sons, and his father Eldon Shaffer, of Geatingsville.

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1 AUg 1943 - Citizen

Body of H. Wadell Remains In Lake, Breaking Local Record

At press time the bocy of Howard Wadell of Logansport, one of the two men drowned in Lake Maxinkuckee, Sunday, July 11, has not been found, although that of the other victim of the tradgedy came to the survade July 21.

All local records for a body remaining in the lake after a drowning wee broken when Wadell's remains had not its appearance after the 21st day, the lenght of tima a Mr. Brown was in the lake severl years ago.

Measures are bing considered, if permission can be secured from the state to try to bring the body of Wadell to the surface at once....

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Monday, August 9, 1943 Rochester Sentinel --- Logansport, Aug. 9. -- Funeral services were held this afternoon for Howard WADDELL, 28, whose body was recovered from Lake Maxinkuckee at 2:45 p.m. Saturday, 27 days after he and a companion, Herbert SHAFER, were drowned.

Repeated dynamiting of the lake probably dislodged the body and brought it to the surface. Dynamiting was begun Friday after every other effort to locate the body had failed. It took six more days to locate Waddell than any other drowning victim in the history of Maxinkuckee.

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22 AUg 1943 - Citizen

Dynamiting Brings Up Waddell's Body

The body of Howard Waddell, ager 28, of Logansport, who was drowned in Lake Maxinkuckee, Sunday, July 11, along with his brother-in-law, Herbert Shaffer, was recovered Saturday at 2:45 p.m. Shaffer's body was brought ashore July 21.

The remains of Waddell popped to the surface newar where ROy Ragsdell and C. C. Waite were fishing, which was in the area where it had been judged Waddell and Shaffer had gone down.

The body was in much better condition than had been anticipated since it had been in the water such a long time. It is believed that the body must have been near a cold spring that detarded deterioration.

Late Friday afternoon six dynamite charges were exploded at a depth of 70 feet in the area where the two men had drowned as a move to agitate the water and bring the body to the surface.

A preperation was put in the lake first to drive the fish away from that vicinity so that they would not be killed by the explosions. The work was done under the direction of Harrel F. Mosbaugh, director of the Division of Fish and Game of the INdiana Department of Conservation. At the time Mr. Mosbaugh stated that the body would make its appearance between 12 and 36 hours later.

Considerable credit goes to the Culver Military Academy for furnishing men and boats during the entire time the search for the drowned men was being conducted, and for assisting in getting the Conservation Department to handle the dynamiting.