50 Years Ago: 3 Binghamton Firefighters Died at Rockbottom Dam

Three Binghamton firefighters drowned in the raging Susquehanna River 50 years ago.

Members of the city fire department will gather at the Rockbottom Dam memorial site on Monday to honor the memory of Chief John Cox, Captain Donald McGeever and Firefighter John Russell.

The department has invited area residents to attend a ceremony to pay tribute "to the courage and sacrifice of these three men who gave their lives in service to our city."

The sequence of events that resulted in the tragic loss of three city firefighters started around 6:30 on a Sunday evening. It was September 28, 1975. A man who was working at the nearby Crowley dairy plant spotted two people launching a rubber raft into the flood-swollen river.

The man rushed to report the dangerous situation but before his call went through, two men who had been on the raft were hurled into the water near the dam.

A Binghamton Fire Department boat was sent to the scene and three firefighters tried to pull the men out of the river. But the firefighters were thrown into the swirling water when the boat capsized.

Two firefighters and the men who had been on the raft eventually made it out of the river. But Russell could not be rescued and he drowned.

Firefighters returned to the dam the following morning to attempt to recover Russell's body from the water. Cox, McGeever and a third firefighter were thrown into the river when the boat they were in capsized.

The three were pulled from water and rushed to nearby Binghamton General Hospital. Cox and McGeever were pronounced dead at the hospital. The other firefighter - Lieutenant Robert Dale - was seriously injured but he survived.

The memorial ceremony for the firefighters who died in the line of duty 50 years ago will begin at 10 a.m. Monday. The memorial is located on Conklin Avenue, east of the Exchange Street Bridge.

LISTEN: Veteran reporter Steve Craig recalled the 1975 tragedy during a live interview on WNBF Radio on September 29, 2025.

THE TRAGIC SCENE: Video of some of what happened at the Rockbottom Dam in Binghamton on September 29, 1975.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.