Divers find tree stump, not recreation vehicle
JAY – Paul Rollins and Phil Palmore donned dry suits and dive equipment above the shore of the Androscoggin River. The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Dive Team was tipped that there was possibly an all-terrain vehicle in the river near the Riley Road bridge. It was suspected it had been stolen from that county.
There was a break in the weather Saturday, snow had stopped and the forecasted sleet hadn’t arrived.
A round chunk of frozen snow could be seen in the water about 75 feet from shore.
It was supposedly the wheels to an all-terrain vehicle, said county Deputy Arnold Ridley, overseer of the dive team and diver.
International Paper had been asked to lower the river with its dam system.
Back-up diver Dennis Laverdiere donned a wet suit. Ground crewman Barry Morris secured safety ropes and the area. His wife, team nurse Sandra Morris, stood nearby taking notes.
Ridley spoke to a tow truck operator and helpers.
They had set up a line farther down shore to pull an all-terrain vehicle toward shore.
“What we’re going to do is put two divers in that are harnessed up and tethered,” Ridley said.
Ridley estimated water temperature at 35 degrees to 36 degrees at best. The plan was for divers to go upstream to compensate for the current and come back toward the target.
Rollins and Palmore were almost ready. The two did checks to make sure each other had their suits and gear on properly.
In a freshwater dive, Ridley said, divers would wear on average between 26 to 32 pounds of weight depending on the person’s buoyancy and the suit they wore.
This was a routine mission for the team. They do about six or seven a year to search for anything from guns to bodies. They train monthly.
The team has a 100 percent recovery rate.
Rollins and Palmore made their way to Ridley who did another check on their gear. Then the pair walked down the icy slope toward the river.
Ropes were attached to harnesses. Rollins was the first one in. Palmore followed. Dive team members held the ropes on shore. Rollins swam his way along the shore down to get the towrope. He would have the hardest time fighting the current.
Palmore stood up in the water halfway to what they thought were wheels. He walked the rest of the way. Line tenders held tight to prevent the men from going down river. Palmore yelled toward shore that all he could see was a tree stump. It wasn’t the ATV they’d been led to believe. The divers were pulled toward shore.
“That’s too bad,” Ridley said. “It would have been a nice recovery. If there were an ATV in the river, it would have been there for a reason. You never know.”
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