Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 11, 1994 TAG: 9405110126
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DIANE STRUZZI STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The 22-year-old from Longdale Furnace had just spent the last three hours walking the banks of the James River hoping to find James Boitnott, the 38-year-old Ferrum man who was swept downstream when his boat capsized Saturday afternoon.
Wills found nothing but a couple of snakes in the thick brush.
Leaning against the cement railing of the Glen Wilton bridge, the James River lapping below, Wills said he had volunteered in the hope of bringing some peace of mind to Boitnott's family.
"I just figured I could help," Wills said, on his way home to catch some rest before he started the night shift at a nearby rubber plant.
On Tuesday, as the search entered its fourth day, Wills and more than 50 other rescue workers continued to scour the river and its banks.
"We haven't had any clues or debris that would lead us [anywhere]," said Tom Wine, the state game warden who is supervising the rescue effort.
"We're classifying this as a possible drowning," he said. "But after four days ... we've notified all of the area hospitals, and no one in the community has seen him."
Late Tuesday, the command center continued to bustle. Set up on the river bank at a borrowed farmhouse on Virginia 633, the center served as Wine's office and a place for Boitnott's family to wait.
A police boat floated down the river, carefully negotiating the fast current. Overhead, a state police helicopter searched several miles of the river. Wine said sometimes the pilots can see the river bottom better than the divers.
"We're doing everything we can," Wine said. "We'll keep going until we use up all our resources or the weather changes on us."
Saturday's fishing adventure along the James River was a first for James Boitnott and his 6-year-old son, Wine said. They tooled around in their flat-bottom boat, with two of Boitnott's brothers in a nearby craft. They hoped to catch some redeye or smallmouth bass.
Around 2:30 p.m., Wine believes, Boitnott dropped anchor about a mile upstream from the Glen Wilton bridge. The boat overturned, throwing him and his son overboard.
When the river is shallow, its waters often are tranquil. But when the water level rises, as it has since the spring runoff and the recent rains, the current can become fierce and swift, Wine said.
Boitnott's brothers rescued their nephew, who was being swept downstream. But they were unable to find Boitnott near his capsized boat. Boitnott was not wearing a life jacket; his son was.
"The life jacket made a big difference; it's pretty much what saved his son," Wine said.
From the outset, nearby residents came to help the authorities, Wine said.
"Usually when you have a tragedy, the good comes out in people," he added. "In small communities, people band together. Here, they're taking off from their jobs to help."
Around 7:30 Tuesday night, the search was called off for the day. There was at least one false alarm: a piece of plastic caught among some twigs.
Rescue workers expect to continue their search for Boitnott today.
by CNB