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Lloyd Clair Harrah

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Lloyd Clair Harrah

Birth	:	9 Mar 1928 Montour, Tama County, Iowa, USA
Death	:	3 May 1952 Tama County, Iowa, USA
Burial	:	Maple Hill Cemetery, Montour, Tama County, USA
Coordinate	:	41.9756012, -92.7069016
Description	:	Lloyd Harrah, Montour, Drowned Saturday Night In Vain Attempt To Save Father-In-Law From River A little after 7:30 Saturday night, a party of four men began to set bank lines on the side of the Iowa River, about three quarters of a mile east of the Ridge Road bridge, northeast of Montour. Eight of the lines had been set when Ed Niederhauser, 49, Dillon, slipped on the muddy banks of the river and dropped into the swift flowing current. Niederhauser wore rubber boots which filled rapidly and pulled him into the blackness of the water. His son-in-law, Lloyd Harrah, 24,... Read More	Lloyd Harrah, Montour, Drowned Saturday Night In Vain Attempt To Save Father-In-Law From River A little after 7:30 Saturday night, a party of four men began to set bank lines on the side of the Iowa River, about three quarters of a mile east of the Ridge Road bridge, northeast of Montour. Eight of the lines had been set when Ed Niederhauser, 49, Dillon, slipped on the muddy banks of the river and dropped into the swift flowing current. Niederhauser wore rubber boots which filled rapidly and pulled him into the blackness of the water. His son-in-law, Lloyd Harrah, 24, Montour, saw his plight and plunged into the river. It was a vain effort. In his struggle to stay afloat Niederhauser pulled Harrah down with him. Bernard Swanson, 35, Marshalltown, plunged into the river and got his hands on one of the men but the swift current pulled them apart and only Swanson was fortunate enough to reach slower current and the safety of shore. Swanson and Niederhauser's 16 year old son, Merle, ran barefoot to the ridge road where they got a ride to Montour. They called the sheriff's office and the Marshalltown police department from Avery's store. They were unable to use the car they drove to the river because the elder Niederhauser had the keys in his pocket. The search for the bodies of the two men brought men and equipment from all over Tama County and central Iowa. Frist on the scene was Arlo Hinegardner, who operates Sportsman's Lake about three miles north of where the drownings took place. He brought two boats and began the search that was to last more than 16 hours before Harrah's body was found, almost at the exact place where he dove into the water in a heroic effort to save his father-in-law. The volunteer rescue squad from Gladbrook, which operates the boats and grappling equipment used at Union Lake, arrived about 10 p. m. It was their equipment which was used to locate both bodies. A boat from the Marshalltown police department also was used during the long search, as well as a boat belonging to Bill Ellis of Montour. The search was difficult. The current of the stream, which is still high from the spring rains, was swift and treacherous. It was impossible to keep the boats in position for the dragging and the current often toyed with the grappling hooks. Working with only the thin light of flashlights made the progress of the search slow. Then Paul Weaver, for whom Harrah had worked for several years, at the Joe Wenke quarry, arrived with flood lights and a generator. These lights flooded the river for several hundred feet and speeded up the search. The spot where the two men had gone down is estimated at between 15 and 25 feet in depth, with a rock bottom. Niederhauser's body was found about 11:30 p. m. more than 100 yards downstream from where he slipped and fell into the water. All night long the search continued. The crowd, which was estimated at as high as 400 began to go home after midnight. Mrs. Hinegardner brought coffee and sandwiches for the crews of men who were working ceaselessly to find Harrah's body. While she was pouring coffee someone stole her purse and three dollars. It was a slow and tedious process, dragging and redragging the river, trying to outguess the treacherous current. A few minutes after noon Grossnickle and Ralph Lewis, Garwin, located Harrah's body in the deep water only a few feet from where he was last seen by Swanson. Harrah's body was also taken to Marshalltown. The Sunday crowd, which had gathered to watch the effort to recover the body went home. All through the afternoon and during the next day there were still cars of curious people who came to see where the men had drowned. He graduated from the Montour high school in 1945 and served in the navy from 1946 to 1948. He was employed by Joe Wenke and then went to work for the Fisher Governor company at Marshalltown. He is survived by his widow, the former Donna Niederhauser, a daughter, Deborah Kay, his parents, a brother, Max, and three sisters, Mrs. Kenneth Freiberg, Mrs. Marion Berger and Mrs. Rex Finley. The Toledo Chronicle, Toledo, Tama County, Iowa, Thursday, May 8, 1952

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Lloyd Clair Harrah's memorial?
Lloyd Clair Harrah's memorial is located at: Maple Hill Cemetery, Montour, Tama County, USA.
When did Lloyd Clair Harrah death?
Lloyd Clair Harrah death on 3 May 1952 in Tama County, Iowa, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Lloyd Clair Harrah's memorial?
Latitude: 41.9756012
Longitude: -92.7069016

Family Members:

Parent

Clarke Lincoln Harrah

(1901 - 1972)

Mabel Margaret Downs Harrah

(1907 - 1981)

Siblings

Max Lincoln “Skip” Harrah

(1935 - 1992)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Maple Hill Cemetery
Montour, Tama County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9756012, -92.7069016

2. Rouse Cemetery
Montour, Tama County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9967003, -92.6875000

3. Butlerville Cemetery
Tama, Tama County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9973000, -92.7300000

4. McIntosh Cemetery
Tama, Tama County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9868890, -92.6453060

5. West Cemetery
Tama County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9749985, -92.6306000

6. Stavanger Friends Cemetery
Le Grand, Marshall County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9673500, -92.7858000

7. Meskwaki Cemetery
Tama, Tama County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9730988, -92.6256027

8. Strand Lutheran Cemetery
Dunbar, Marshall County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9420433, -92.7793467

9. Friends Cemetery
Le Grand, Marshall County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0062000, -92.7856000

10. Turner Cemetery
Garwin, Tama County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0355988, -92.6691971

11. Pleasant Hill Cemetery
Le Grand, Marshall County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0210991, -92.7758026

12. Croskrey Cemetery
Tama, Tama County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9401000, -92.6242500

13. Mattingly Cemetery
Garwin, Tama County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0527000, -92.6984000

14. Dobson Cemetery
Garwin, Tama County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0527344, -92.7479553

15. Dodson Cemetery
Tama County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0527992, -92.7478027

16. Korns Cemetery
Tama County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8918991, -92.6941986

17. Trinity Lutheran Cemetery
Dillon, Marshall County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9650002, -92.8227997

18. Saint Patricks Cemetery
Tama, Tama County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9789009, -92.5757980

19. Woodlawn Cemetery
Toledo, Tama County, USA
Coordinate: 41.9866982, -92.5699997

20. Maple Grove Cemetery
Tama, Tama County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8913994, -92.6268997

21. Bowles Cemetery
Green Mountain, Marshall County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0493147, -92.8053903

22. Rock Creek Cemetery
Tama County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0793991, -92.7283020

23. Rock Valley Cemetery
Le Grand, Marshall County, USA
Coordinate: 42.0078011, -92.8452988

24. Prairie View Cemetery
Gilman, Marshall County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8871710, -92.7961460