The Washington times., 1920-06-14
CHILDREN ADR|FT
rs HOURS, RESCUED
Four Little Ones Severely Sun.
burned and Hungry When
Steamer Picks Them Up.

DETROIT, June l4.-After being
adrift In q frail rowbost for 20 hours
In Lake Erie, severely sunsurned and
suffering from hunger, four children
aged between three and eleven, were
picked Up by the passenger steamer
City OF Toledo at 10 o'clock yesterday
morning In the middle channel of the
lake. thirty miles from shore ana
brought to Detroit. =. -.
The children drifted from Lakeside
Mich. at o o'clock Saturday morning,
and while they were far from land
two OF them who fell out OF the boat
were rescued by nipe-yesr-oid Aer-
win Daso. Prayer. in which the i'ooo
passengers Joined In giving thanks
for the safety Of the youngsters was
offered on the steamer. where Mer-
win was hailed as q hero. .
The children are Robert. aged threS
Richard. six, and Merwin, nine SOM
of Mr.. and Mrs. Merwfn Daso. zfW
Ma2lewood avenue, Toledo. and Violet
Sperry, their frst cousin, eleven years
old. who had been living with the
Daso family at Lakeside.
YOUNGEST ASLEEP WHEN FOUND.
When picked up by the City Of To-
ledo, the three older children were
crying. Three-year-old Robert was
sound asleep in the bow of the old
nat-bottomed boat.
Squatting on the second deck of the
steamer, the hero of the adventure
told the passengers just how II hap.
pened. They started out from Lake
side with a broken oar and two sticks,
intending to push themselves slons
the shallow shore. Soon they were a
long distance out, and with wind
blowing they could not get the boat
headed back to Lakeside.
Violet, who has not been accus-
toned to the sun. like her three cou-
sins, was suffering from the sunburn
yesterday afternoon and did "a lot Of
crying" Mervin said. Late in the
afternoon she conceived the bright
idea Of getting out and pushing the
boat.
TOwED GIRL ALONG.
She could not touch bottom, he said.
and he was afraid she was going to
drown When she was unable to
climb back into the boat and the boy
found it impossible to pull her in he
placed a rope around her waist and
tied it to the bottom of the boat.
For a long time 1t looked as though
she would have to trail along in the
water, but Merwin, after trying
again, succeeded in getting her into
the boat. With her clothes soaking
wet, she was about all in," Merwin
told the passengers, and soon she
went to sleep.
Later in the evening Bob" got into
trouble. He insisted in prowling
about the fiat -bottomed craft and fell
overheard. Merwin at once plunged
into the lake, and, keeping one hand
on the boat. caught Bob by his
romper and pulled him back in.
Bob soon went to sleep and Violet
woke up. She proceeded from the
rear to the front of the boat to see
how Bob was getting on and nearly
fell overheard. Merwin insisted that
she turn in" after that.
When the City of Toledo hove in
sight Merwin and Dick, one with the
broken oar and the other with a stick
were trying their best to send the
rowboat along. They were going
with the wind in a northeastern di-
rection and drifting farther into the
lake. Violet was crying that she was
hungry and had been putting water
on her blistered back while Bob curl
ed in sleep in the bow.
1t was not necessary to lower a
boat, and as the steamer drew in
close to the rowboat the passengers
were able to get a good glimpse OF
the children in their suffering.