Update: Site of fatal canoe accident considered dangerous
5:17 PM Mon, Nov 10, 2008 | Permalink
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The two were identified this afternoon by police as William King IV, of 52 Crowell St., and William King III, who was taken to Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released. The arches are part of a structure that spans the Blackstone and carries a pedestrian and bike path. Cumberland police Sgt. Mark England said today that it appears the two were planning to canoe through the arches, or tubes -- a practice known as "shooting the tubes." The two were heading into one of the tubes when the canoe got hung up on a log and tipped over, according to Valley Falls Fire Chief Brian Jackvony, whose department is nearby. The father fell out of the canoe, and was swept out through the tube. However, the boy's leg became entangled in a rope used to tie up the canoe to land and the canoe became wedged after it capsized. The situation was exacerbated by a strong current swollen by rainfall from the night before. The water was still rushing at around noon today; Jackvony told a reporter at the scene that it was about the same level as yesterday, though not unusually high. Jackvony today said he knew that the two had both canoed through the tubes before. William King III told a Journal reporter today that he and his son, a freshman at Community College of Rhode Island who graduated from Cumberland High School last spring, did much together. They recently went to hear British rock legends The Who play in Boston. They liked to go snowboarding and, if they came across a double-diamond trail -- designation for most difficult at a ski spot -- they would take it. But, he said, he thinks the area is dangerous and that people probably should not be allowed to go through in canoes or other types of craft. He said he and his son had started their journey around 10 a.m., heading from Albion Falls to where the river enters Heritage Park at Cumberland Town Hall. Just before the arches, he said, their canoe had been pushed into a turn by the current, then sideways against the structure. As the water built up, the canoe went over. King said he ended up going through one of the tubes; his son, another. In its online Blackstone River and Canal Guide, the National Park Service cautions that paddling through the arches is not recommended for anyone. Instead, it says, paddlers should portage around the area. An online map marks the site with "!CAUTION!" But, according to Jan Reitsma, executive director of the area called the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, unlike a major national park, the park service does not own such heritage areas and cannot put an outright ban on passing through. Pratt Dam itself is owned by the town of Cumberland, according to the state Department of Environmental Management. Rescue workers yesterday said it took nearly four hours to retrieve the teen's body. A crane was lowered into the river to stem the flow enough to allow recovery, they said. After recovery, the teen was pronounced dead at the scene.
For such heritage areas, the park service partners with local and state government as well as nonprofits to promote stewardship of cultural, historical and environmental resources and to improve safety, he said. "We've always warned people that, especially in a location like that, it's better not to take any risk," he said. Reitsma said his understanding is that people sometimes do pass through the area of the river in question and that those who do need to be quite experienced. "The whole thing with the Blackstone River," he said, is it is "not an easy river. The currents are very unpredictable. Conditions change from one day to the next." Robert Billington, president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, called the Pratt Dam area "probably one of the most dangerous on the Blackstone River." Joe Sherlock, an instructor and member of the Rhode Island Canoe/Kayak Association and Friends of the Blackstone River, said most of the time canoeists and kayakers go around the dam through the canal or get off the river, go up the embankment, and re-entering on the other side of the bridge. There is a portage point right before the tubes, Pawlitschek said. Sherlock said he's taken groups to the area with the Blackstone Valley Paddle Club but has never allowed anyone to go through the tubes. "The Blackstone River is a great paddling destination, but you need to be aware of the dangers that go along with paddling an industrial river," Sherlock said. Sherlock and Mark Pawlitschek, co-owner of Blackstone Valley Outfitters, said some dams on the river are marked with buoys to alert canoists or kayakers. The Pratt Dam is not, they said. Billington said private owners are typically the ones who install the buoys. "It is safe to canoe. You just have to know where the dams are and where the portage points are," said Pawlitschek. Still, Pawlitschek said, "when we do get a lot of rain, the river rises and the current does get strong." "Sometimes you can't even get through the tubes because the water is so high," he said. He recommended people get off the canoe or kayak before getting into the tubes because the area tends to get overfilled with debris. Pawlitschek, who said he's gone through the tubes "quite a few times," said, "You definitely need to be experienced." 
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If there weren't a hint of danger, it wouldn't be fun, right?
According to a paddling chum of mine, that site is popular with the high-testosterone crowd. The REAL challenge, though is to shoot the gorge at the Pawtucket falls.
It's sad, but there are still probably fewer teen deaths from canoeing than driving a car.
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I would like to say i wish the family the best in this time of need and my prayers go out to them PEACE
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Why don't they just cover the opening with chicken wire? Sure, they would have to clear out debris from time to time, but it would make a great job for the danger-loving crowd.
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I frequently fish in that area and have seen both canoes and kayaks go through those tunnels countless times. It IS DANGEROUS there, and unpredictable as mentioned. As the article says, get out of the river and go around.
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God bless your family. What a tradgedy a father and son out to spend some quality time together and for such a accident to happen.
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