Today in Wheeling History: February 17--George Riddle, a Linsly Institute cadet, drowned while looking for his hat as he was skating on the Ohio River (1905).
On February 17, 1905, 17-year-old George A. Riddle, a student at Linsly Institute in Wheeling, West Virginia, drowned while ice skating on the Ohio River near the mouth of Wheeling Creek in Wheeling. Riddle was skating with friends when his hat blew off. As he skated downstream to retrieve it, he fell through an air hole in the ice and drowned. His body was not immediately recovered, despite extensive search efforts using dynamite and dragging the river, as well as a $50 reward offered by his father William T. Riddle, who lived at 923 Main Street (now the location of the West Virginia Snakes Club). Over three months later, on May 12, 1905, Riddle's decomposed body was found still wearing his Linsly uniform and skates near Boggs Island downriver. The coroner ruled it an accidental drowning. Riddle's funeral was held on May 13, 1905, and he was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Wheeling.
To learn more: (http://tinyurl.com/yck44et9) (http://tinyurl.com/4szhe9fh) (http://tinyurl.com/57ff8ev6) (http://tinyurl.com/2f3kc4uc) (http://tinyurl.com/4ra9usau) (http://tinyurl.com/mrffabfv) (http://tinyurl.com/45sn5etm) (http://tinyurl.com/2p2d9jfw)
Photo credits: Wheeling Intelligencer, Wheeling Daily Register, Find a Grave, Google Maps
On February 17, 1905, 17-year-old George A. Riddle, a student at Linsly Institute in Wheeling, West Virginia, drowned while ice skating on the Ohio River near the mouth of Wheeling Creek in Wheeling. Riddle was skating with friends when his hat blew off. As he skated downstream to retrieve it, he fell through an air hole in the ice and drowned. His body was not immediately recovered, despite extensive search efforts using dynamite and dragging the river, as well as a $50 reward offered by his father William T. Riddle, who lived at 923 Main Street (now the location of the West Virginia Snakes Club). Over three months later, on May 12, 1905, Riddle's decomposed body was found still wearing his Linsly uniform and skates near Boggs Island downriver. The coroner ruled it an accidental drowning. Riddle's funeral was held on May 13, 1905, and he was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Wheeling.
To learn more: (http://tinyurl.com/yck44et9) (http://tinyurl.com/4szhe9fh) (http://tinyurl.com/57ff8ev6) (http://tinyurl.com/2f3kc4uc) (http://tinyurl.com/4ra9usau) (http://tinyurl.com/mrffabfv) (http://tinyurl.com/45sn5etm) (http://tinyurl.com/2p2d9jfw)
Photo credits: Wheeling Intelligencer, Wheeling Daily Register, Find a Grave, Google Maps
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