Officials unsure if depth of water led to deaths


07:26 AM CDT on Friday, June 18, 2004

By LAURIE FOX, JEFF MOSIER and MICHAEL E. YOUNG / The Dallas Morning News

FORT WORTH – Water in the pool where an adult and three children drowned Wednesday at the city's Water Gardens was deeper than it should have been, a city official said Thursday, but he couldn't say whether that was the key factor in the deaths.

The water should have been about 3 feet deep, said Richard Zavala, director of the Parks and Community Services Department.

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But the water was about 9 feet deep Wednesday when rescue crews recovered the bodies of Myron Dukes, 39, of Chicago, his children Christopher, 13, and Lauren, 8, and Juantrice Deadmon, 11.

Mr. Zavala said it's still unclear how deep it was when Lauren Dukes slipped and fell in, with the others following trying to rescue her.

Algae growing at the edges of the pool indicated water levels considerably higher than 3 feet, though.

Police Chief Ralph Mendoza called the drownings a tragic accident.

"This is not the result of someone violating the law and going swimming," Chief Mendoza said. "This looks as though it was an accident."

Cheryl Johnson, a Fort Worth homicide detective, said the preliminary investigation indicates that Lauren fell into the water accidentally.

Juantrice tried to help her but also fell in. Then Myron and Christopher Dukes jumped in to save the two girls.

All four victims attended Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago and had come to Fort Worth for the 98th annual National Baptist Sunday School and Baptist Training Union Congress, meeting at Fort Worth's Convention Hall.

The deaths occurred in the "active" pool at the Water Gardens, 38 feet below ground level and near the powerful pumps that circulate water through the 5-acre park.

Several police officers on bicycles were the first to arrive, about three minutes after the call for assistance came at 6:45 p.m. The officers quickly dived into the pool to attempt a rescue but later said the combination of water draining into the pool and the force of the pumps created a powerful suction that was almost impossible to fight.

The 150- and 100-horsepower pumps circulate 10,500 gallons of water a minute.

Firefighters broke into the pump station that controls water flow and turned off the active pool, which allowed them to recover the bodies.

Mr. Zavala said investigators hadn't determined whether the depth of the water or the force of the suction led to the four deaths.


Trying to beat the heat


Officers and firefighters found more than 100 people gathered by the Water Gardens' pools, most of them children trying to find relief on a hot evening. Many had gone to the Water Gardens because the pool at the Ramada Plaza hotel serving the convention had been closed for cleaning, said Emma Route of Sweet Rest Baptist Church in Franklinton, La. Witnesses said one of the girls who drowned was wearing a swimsuit.

The pool at nearby Radisson Plaza Hotel Fort Worth was also closed Wednesday for chlorine treatment after heavy use, a manager said. Pools at other downtown hotels were open Wednesday.

Ms. Route said there was little adult supervision at the time of the accident.

"This unfortunate tragedy will force greater and more diligent supervision of the children," she said. "I think they will keep closer watch on the kids and not have them running loose."

Chief Mendoza said officers regularly patrol the Water Gardens, just south of the city's new Convention Center expansion and warn visitors to stay away from the turbulent pools.

"We've always had to have extra controls here to keep people from swimming or wading," he said.

The Water Gardens, designed by New York architect Philip Johnson and given to the city in 1974 by the Amon Carter Foundation, feature a series of pools, fountains, waterfalls and greenery. Wednesday's were the first drownings there, officials said.

The City Council had been asked in recent months to add guardrails at the Water Gardens, but Mr. Zavala said the only problems before Wednesday had been people falling down and suffering bumps and scrapes. There have been no problems with people falling into the pool, he said.

Investigations after previous incidents never led to recommendations to install railings or other safety features around the pools.

The Water Gardens are closed indefinitely until the police investigation is completed, officials said. Police officials asked for anyone who witnessed the incident or with video of the Water Gardens from Wednesday to call them.

Mayor Mike Moncrief told members of the Antioch church, religious leaders and the rest of the 15,000 people attending the Baptist congress that "we are very, very sorry for your loss."

"Today our city spreads its wings to enfold and comfort you," he said. "Today, our city grieves."

News of the four deaths came at the end of the convention's prayer services Wednesday evening.

"We've never experienced anything like this," said the Rev. Janie Sterling of Nashville, Tenn., a member of the convention staff. "Dr. T.B. Boyd III [president of the congress] interrupted services to tell people there had been a tragedy and told the people that the father had jumped into the water to save the children and a friend of the family also jumped in to help and all four had lost their lives."

The grieving continued Thursday, when more than 700 people gathered at the Water Gardens for a prayer vigil.

American Airlines flew survivors from the two families back to Chicago on Thursday afternoon.

Mr. Moncrief said it was far too early to discuss whether the city might be sued.

"Frankly, I'm not thinking about lawsuits," he said. "I'm thinking of those lives that were lost in our city."


Changes likely


But there's little doubt the city will have to address safety concerns involving the Water Gardens, which were featured in the 1976 science-fiction movie Logan's Run and have been a popular attraction in Fort Worth since they opened.

Doug Harman, head of the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau, said a decade ago: "You probably wouldn't even design something like that park today, given the liability problems."

Mr. Harman said this week that when the Water Gardens were built, designers weren't as concerned about safety issues, and possible litigation, as they are now.

"If it were being designed now, there would have to be more of a dialogue" about safety, he said.

Mort Anoushiravani, administrator of the Portland, Ore., water bureau and supervisor of that city's 19 fountains, said a project like the Water Gardens wouldn't be approved in Portland without significant modifications.

Portland allows a maximum of 12 inches of standing water and requires signs that warn residents of risks and grates to cover water circulation systems.

Grates installed a few inches below the water surface could have prevented the powerful suction rescuers found in Fort Worth and potentially saved four lives without affecting the gardens' aesthetics.

"You don't have to build a big ugly fence around it," he said. "There are things you can do to balance the beauty and safety."

Jeff Mosier and Laurie Fox reported from Fort Worth and Michael E. Young from Dallas. Staff writers Ira Hadnot in Fort Worth and Scott Farwell in Dallas contributed to this story.