The Tragic Ending of Alfred Hayes

 The Tragic Ending of Alfred Hayes 

 This is the tragic story of my paternal granduncle, Claud "Alfred" Hayes. 

 Alfred was born on August 3, 1911, which coincidentally, I was born exactly 55-years after him on August 3, 1966. Alfred was the first-born son of Colonel Brittain "Britt" Hayes and Olive Penelope "Nellie" Evans Hayes of Grainger County, TN. He had four brothers and four sisters, one of whom was my grandmother, Bessie Mae Hayes Chesney. 

 The Hayes family lived in Lea Springs near Brice's Bridge in Grainger County (Blaine). Although Alfred's father, Britt, was a farmer by trade, he also sold lumber to a sawmill in Trentville (Straw Plains area) to earn extra money for his family. Eighteen-year-old Alfred worked alongside his father and was looking forward to Christmas which was coming up in just four days. The extra money they would get from the sawmill would come in handy. 

 On Saturday morning, December 21, 1929, the weather had dropped to 30 degrees. There was freezing rain and snow flurries falling. Alfred and his father got up early to drive to work at the sawmill. They drove from their home in Lea Springs to McBee's ferry at the Holston River. This is where things get interesting. Upon arrival, Britt got out of the car and Alfred drove onto the ferry. The Knoxville Journal reported that the Hayes Ford had stalled, and Britt had gotten out to push the car while Alfred started it and drove. For reasons still unknown to this day, the large Ford suddenly began speeding out of control down the full length of the ferry and crashed through the retaining chains at the edge of the boat. The car plunged over the edge and quickly disappeared into the icy cold Holston River. Alfred's father, Britt, who witnessed the whole ordeal from the ferry landing, began running toward the edge where the car had gone over. Other ferry passengers had to restrain him as he tried jumping off the boat into the nineteen-foot-deep water in hopes of saving his son. Witnesses said they saw Alfred appear to the surface at one point but then was suddenly sucked back under by the swift undercurrent. 

 Sheriff's deputies and searchers were immediately dispatched to try and retrieve Alfred's body. The search continued the rest of the day and into the night. Outside temperatures continued dropping into the mid-teens, then blizzard-like conditions set in bringing with it nearly a half foot of blinding snow making it impossible for the searchers to see. The search had to be called off until the weather improved. 

 Even though it was Christmas, for the next six days family and friends continued searching to no avail. Some friends of the Hayes family that lived in Mascot, pitched in together and raised $50 to offer as a reward for anyone who could locate Alfred's body. Finally, around noon on Friday December 27, seven days from when he had drowned, Alfred's body was found. Mack Zachary reported he had found him on the bottom of the river covered in sand about 300 yards downstream from where he was last seen. 

We may never know the true reason it happened. It was a tragic ending to a life that was just getting started. Alfred's death left a large hole in the lives of his family and his story continues to be passed down from generation to generation.

Written by Byron S. Chesney on October 23, 2022