Individual Details
Ernest Beaudry
(26 Dec 1914 - 21 Apr 1930)
HSO, 24 Apr 1930, p1
Ernest Beaudry is Drowning Victim; Clarence Miller is Saved
Popular Hudson Student Drowns When Canoe Tips
Ernest Beaudry, 15-year-old sophomore in the Hudson High school lost his life by drowning in the waters of Lake Mallelieu here Monday afternoon when the canoe in which he and a companion, Clarence Miller, 18, were sailing on the Willow River pond, capsized in a brisk gust of wind. Ernest is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Beaudry, 1016 Tenth St.
The canoe capsized about in the middle of the big body of water just above the Sanitarium Point. Both boys came to the surface after the spill, but the Beaudry lad was unable to cling to the upturned canoe. The Miller boy, however, grabbed the side of the light craft and despite the numbing effects of the icy waters managed to hang on until he was rescued a half hour later by Jerome Trudell and Albin Anderson, both of whom hurried from their homes to the lake when informed of the accident, which took place about 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
It was about 5 o'clock, or three hours later, when Mr. Trudell and Theodore Odenwald, one of the searching parties dragging the lake bottom, brought the body of the Beaudry boy to the surface. Dr. Carl Bradford was on the scense as the body was recovered and every possible emergency effort at resuscitation was made but to no avail, after which the body was taken to the O'Connell funeral home parlors.
The tragic drowning was a severe shock not only to members of the Beaudry family but to all of Ernest's friends and schoolmates. He was one of the most popular boys in high school and took an active part in athletics and school affairs. He was a member of the 1929 football squad.
Mrs. Beaudry, the boy's mother, was in a state of near collapse after the accident. Only a few hours earlier in the morning, Ernest had assisted his mother with some of the duties about the house, there being no school on Monday. In the afternoon, Ernest and his friend, Clarence Miller, decided to spend a few hours in canoe sailing on the lake. They had only been on the lake a few minutes when the boat turned over.
James Sveen, who resides near the lake, saw the canoe capsize and the two lads thrown into the lake. Being an old man he was unable to help but notified the nearby Anderson family. As Albin Anderson left for the lake, his sister called the Archie Trudell home and Jerome Trudell, barefooted, left to aid in the rescue. Jerome and Albin reached the lake shore at about the same time. They lost little time in securing a boat and rowing out to the over-turned canoe, which by that time had been carried by the wind to within 150 feet of the shore. They reached the canoe in time to save Clarence Miller, who was dragged into the boat and who told them approximately where the canoe had tipped over and where the Beaudry boy had gone down. His description of the spot was half way across the lake, or two blocks from shore.
Miller was practically exxhausted when rescued and so numb that he could barely stand up. With the assistance of other boys who had arrived on the scene by this time he was taken home and bundled into bed and at last reports was recuperating satisfactoril from the shock suffered by the long exposure in the chilly water.
Trudell and Anderson remained at the lake to immediately take up the search for the Beaudry boy's body. Volunteers were sent to the city hal to get grabbing hooks and ropes to work with. No equipment of this kind was to be found and in desperation, Ray Hall, local commercial fisherman, was sought in the hopes he might give some assistance. Mr. Hall was found at his home and quickly gathered a clam bar and hooks which were set at work while Mr. Hall went back and got additional bars and clamming hooks. The apparatus furnished by Mr. Hall did the work for after combing the lake bottom for some time the hooks handled by Trudell and Theo. Odenwald finally located the body in about ten feet of water. The small clam hooks had caught the boy's coat in two places.
Besides Mr. Trudell, Mr. Anderson and Mr. Hall, others who assisted in the dragging operations included Vincent Trudell, Dr. Carl Bradford, Sherwin Solheim, Rube Staberg, Bob Starr and others whose names were not learned. Everybody was eager to help but the big difficulty was in getting sufficient boats and equipment. All of the volunteer workers deserve fine praise, especially the rescuers Jerome Trudell and Albin Anderson.
After the body was recovered, an old lungmotor was brought to the scene and an attempt was made to use it even though the body had been in the water about three hours. Part of the rubber equipment on the lungmotor was defective and the instrument could not be used. Artificial respiration methods were resorted to but evidently the body had been in the water too long.
A few hours after the drowning, Clarence Miller, at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. O. A. Miller, corner Tenth and Oak street, gave his version of the accident. "After rigging a sail on the canoe, which was owned by Mr. Sawyer," said Clarence, "we thought we would sail on the lake for a while. We were about in the center of the pond when the boat dipped to one side. We tried to hold it but over it went. Both Ernest and I came up after the spill. I knew Ernest could swim only a few strokes and tried to help him. Two times I got ahold of him and told him to hang onto the canoe. All the time I talked to him, he never said one word. He never even made an effort to call for help and seemed helpless. I can't understand it and it may be the shock affected him. At any rate he failed to hang onto the canoe and when he went down, I waited for him to come up to the surface again, but he never came up a second time. I was helpless to do anything as the northwest wind carried the canoe and me slowly toward shore. It seems as though help would never come and I knew that I could not hang on until the canoe drifted to shore. I was about all in when Jerome and Albin finally reached me."
It was difficult for Clarence and his companions to realize that their friend, Ernest Beaudry, had gone, and the entire neighborhood was steeped in sorrow over the accident.
Besides his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Beaudry, Ernest is survived by three brothers and two sisters. They are John, Philip, Eugene and Miss Frances of Hudson, and Mrs. L. L. Butterfield of Centralia, Wash.
Funeral services will be held at St. Patrick's Catholic church at 9 o'clock this morning (Thursday), Rev. Fr. Peter Rice officiating. Interment will be made in the local Catholic cemetery.
Ernest Beaudry was born in Hudson on December 26, 1914. He attended the parochial school here, later entering the High School.
Ernest Beaudry is Drowning Victim; Clarence Miller is Saved
Popular Hudson Student Drowns When Canoe Tips
Ernest Beaudry, 15-year-old sophomore in the Hudson High school lost his life by drowning in the waters of Lake Mallelieu here Monday afternoon when the canoe in which he and a companion, Clarence Miller, 18, were sailing on the Willow River pond, capsized in a brisk gust of wind. Ernest is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Beaudry, 1016 Tenth St.
The canoe capsized about in the middle of the big body of water just above the Sanitarium Point. Both boys came to the surface after the spill, but the Beaudry lad was unable to cling to the upturned canoe. The Miller boy, however, grabbed the side of the light craft and despite the numbing effects of the icy waters managed to hang on until he was rescued a half hour later by Jerome Trudell and Albin Anderson, both of whom hurried from their homes to the lake when informed of the accident, which took place about 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
It was about 5 o'clock, or three hours later, when Mr. Trudell and Theodore Odenwald, one of the searching parties dragging the lake bottom, brought the body of the Beaudry boy to the surface. Dr. Carl Bradford was on the scense as the body was recovered and every possible emergency effort at resuscitation was made but to no avail, after which the body was taken to the O'Connell funeral home parlors.
The tragic drowning was a severe shock not only to members of the Beaudry family but to all of Ernest's friends and schoolmates. He was one of the most popular boys in high school and took an active part in athletics and school affairs. He was a member of the 1929 football squad.
Mrs. Beaudry, the boy's mother, was in a state of near collapse after the accident. Only a few hours earlier in the morning, Ernest had assisted his mother with some of the duties about the house, there being no school on Monday. In the afternoon, Ernest and his friend, Clarence Miller, decided to spend a few hours in canoe sailing on the lake. They had only been on the lake a few minutes when the boat turned over.
James Sveen, who resides near the lake, saw the canoe capsize and the two lads thrown into the lake. Being an old man he was unable to help but notified the nearby Anderson family. As Albin Anderson left for the lake, his sister called the Archie Trudell home and Jerome Trudell, barefooted, left to aid in the rescue. Jerome and Albin reached the lake shore at about the same time. They lost little time in securing a boat and rowing out to the over-turned canoe, which by that time had been carried by the wind to within 150 feet of the shore. They reached the canoe in time to save Clarence Miller, who was dragged into the boat and who told them approximately where the canoe had tipped over and where the Beaudry boy had gone down. His description of the spot was half way across the lake, or two blocks from shore.
Miller was practically exxhausted when rescued and so numb that he could barely stand up. With the assistance of other boys who had arrived on the scene by this time he was taken home and bundled into bed and at last reports was recuperating satisfactoril from the shock suffered by the long exposure in the chilly water.
Trudell and Anderson remained at the lake to immediately take up the search for the Beaudry boy's body. Volunteers were sent to the city hal to get grabbing hooks and ropes to work with. No equipment of this kind was to be found and in desperation, Ray Hall, local commercial fisherman, was sought in the hopes he might give some assistance. Mr. Hall was found at his home and quickly gathered a clam bar and hooks which were set at work while Mr. Hall went back and got additional bars and clamming hooks. The apparatus furnished by Mr. Hall did the work for after combing the lake bottom for some time the hooks handled by Trudell and Theo. Odenwald finally located the body in about ten feet of water. The small clam hooks had caught the boy's coat in two places.
Besides Mr. Trudell, Mr. Anderson and Mr. Hall, others who assisted in the dragging operations included Vincent Trudell, Dr. Carl Bradford, Sherwin Solheim, Rube Staberg, Bob Starr and others whose names were not learned. Everybody was eager to help but the big difficulty was in getting sufficient boats and equipment. All of the volunteer workers deserve fine praise, especially the rescuers Jerome Trudell and Albin Anderson.
After the body was recovered, an old lungmotor was brought to the scene and an attempt was made to use it even though the body had been in the water about three hours. Part of the rubber equipment on the lungmotor was defective and the instrument could not be used. Artificial respiration methods were resorted to but evidently the body had been in the water too long.
A few hours after the drowning, Clarence Miller, at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. O. A. Miller, corner Tenth and Oak street, gave his version of the accident. "After rigging a sail on the canoe, which was owned by Mr. Sawyer," said Clarence, "we thought we would sail on the lake for a while. We were about in the center of the pond when the boat dipped to one side. We tried to hold it but over it went. Both Ernest and I came up after the spill. I knew Ernest could swim only a few strokes and tried to help him. Two times I got ahold of him and told him to hang onto the canoe. All the time I talked to him, he never said one word. He never even made an effort to call for help and seemed helpless. I can't understand it and it may be the shock affected him. At any rate he failed to hang onto the canoe and when he went down, I waited for him to come up to the surface again, but he never came up a second time. I was helpless to do anything as the northwest wind carried the canoe and me slowly toward shore. It seems as though help would never come and I knew that I could not hang on until the canoe drifted to shore. I was about all in when Jerome and Albin finally reached me."
It was difficult for Clarence and his companions to realize that their friend, Ernest Beaudry, had gone, and the entire neighborhood was steeped in sorrow over the accident.
Besides his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Beaudry, Ernest is survived by three brothers and two sisters. They are John, Philip, Eugene and Miss Frances of Hudson, and Mrs. L. L. Butterfield of Centralia, Wash.
Funeral services will be held at St. Patrick's Catholic church at 9 o'clock this morning (Thursday), Rev. Fr. Peter Rice officiating. Interment will be made in the local Catholic cemetery.
Ernest Beaudry was born in Hudson on December 26, 1914. He attended the parochial school here, later entering the High School.
Events
| Birth | 26 Dec 1914 | Hudson, St. Croix County, Wisconsin |  | ||
| Death | 21 Apr 1930 | Hudson, St. Croix County, Wisconsin | | ||
| Burial | 24 Apr 1930 | Hudson, St. Croix County, Wisconsin, St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery | |
Families
| Father | Benjamin Benoit Beaudry (1866 - 1953) |
| Mother | Ottilia Friend (1873 - 1949) |
| Sibling | John Robert Beaudry (1905 - 1967) |
| Sibling | Philip B. Beaudry (1908 - 1990) |
| Sibling | Frances Margaret "Fran" Beaudry (1910 - 2007) |
| Sibling | Eugene Anthony "Gene" Beaudry ( - 1985) |
Endnotes
1. Hudson Star-Observer, Hudson, Wis., 24 Apr 1930, p1, Ernest Beaudry is Drowning Victim.
2. Hudson Star-Observer, Hudson, Wis., 24 Apr 1930, p1, Ernest Beaudry is Drowning Victim.
3. Hudson Star-Observer, Hudson, Wis., 24 Apr 1930, p1, Ernest Beaudry is Drowning Victim.
4. Find-A-Grave (www.findagrave.com), Memorial No. 48522133, Ernest Beaudry.