The search continues for a Jamestown, N.Y., man who has been missing since his kayak overturned on the Allegheny River last Saturday.
Jacob William Maynard, 32, Jamestown, has been missing since approximately 5:30 p.m. Saturday when friends lost sight of him while kayaking on the river near Starbrick in Conewango Township.
Conewango Township Police said on Wednesday that, following search efforts on Monday, emergency medical services water rescuers from Starbrick and Glade volunteer fire departments raised concerns about trees that had fallen into the river near Mead Island. The trees, said police, could act as natural "strainers" causing someone to be trapped under the water.
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Photo by Jacob Perryman
Beneath the surface
The usually placid waters of the Allegheny River can hold hidden dangers. Emergency personnel from around the area are still searching for a Jamestown, N.Y., man who disappeared after his kayak flipped over on May 19.
Volunteers from the two fire departments, township police and workers from John Anderson Construction of Warren removed the trees by approximately 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. They were joined by Warren City firefighters and the search continued until dark.
According to the township police, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was contacted as part of efforts to remove the trees and, if necessary, had agreed to decrease the outflow at the Kinzua Dam to lower the river's level.
According to Police Chief Jerry Falconer, the search for Maynard is ongoing and has not been suspended due to high water levels, as at least one online report indicated. Falconer said, according to flow rate data from the Corps of Engineers, the water level has actually gone down since the search began.
According to the Corps, outflow at the dam at the start of the search was 1,900 cubic feet per second; the rate was down to 1,500 cubic feet per second by Tuesday. Water flow on the Conewango Creek was estimated to be an average of 500 cubic feet per second.
Falconer urged all people on the water to wear approved personal floatation devices at all times.