The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-10-19
WORE THAN 100000 WOMEN SET TO VOTE ON NO
Survivors Tell of Night Of Horror
In Lake Erie ShipWreck
Woman Among l9
Who Lost Lives
In Tragedy

CLEVELAND, oct. 19 Q.N.SO.
Deeds of heroism were recounted
today by seven grim-faced men,
survivors of a night of horror on
two overturned lifeboats in storm
tossed Lake Erie, after sinking of
the sand Merchant, 25O-foot Ca
madam vessel, with loss Of 10
lives.
All the survivors, Captain Nc
Clelland and Siv of his men, will
recover, physicians said. In a seri-
Gus condition was Martin White,
second engineer, father of 20-year-
old Harry White, a deckhand, one
of the victims. White and Crane
operator William Clifford and Fred
Morse remained in a hospital
under treatment for shock and ex-
posture.
The three other survivors were
Crane Operator Herman Dault,
only surviving member of the trio
of brothers who shipped on the
Sand Merchant, Jack Mouse, deck
engineer, and John 1deSon, a deck
hand.
Woman Is Victim
Among the dead was one wom-
an, Mrs. Florence Drinkwater. She
persisted with her husband, first
mate, Bernard Drinkwater, who
had taken his wife along for "one
last boat ride before the cold
weather.
Captain McClelland, Dault and
Ideson we're picked up by the
freighter Thunderbay Quarray,
and the others by the Bessemer
and Marquette car ferry, at 8
a. m. Sunday, 10 hours after the
San Merchant went down 18 miles
off Cleveland Harbor at the
height of the bitter storm that
dashed the lake.
During the long night that the
two small lifeboats tossed and
pitched in the waves, they drifted
steadily towards shore and we're
only five miles from Cleveland
when sighted and the men picked
up.
His voice shaking as he told of
the four members of his crew who
couldn't hold on any longer"
and sank to their death before his
eyes, Catain McClelland told how
Dault and IdeSon repeatedly
pulled him back on the lifeboat
when high waves washed him
away. He said over and over:
Il owe my life to these two
boys here"
Dault and Ideson gave each other
credit for heroism too. When the
sand Merchant went down and
the suction capsized the two small
crafts, husky 20-year-old Ideson
pulled Dault out of the water rto
the lifeboat.
Many hours later, just before
the rescue, Dault kept young
IdeSon awake by abusing him
and swearing at him" when the
younger man became numb and
started to go to sleep.
Prayed On Ship Deck
Mouse choked as he told how
LIS UWO SOA4ApdIAAO4lS 11d4 OAN Nd4A-
non and Peter Daigle, firemen,
called good-by to him, released
their holds and sank after hours
of clinging to the second life
boat.
Meuse told of kneeling in
prayer on the deck of the Sand
Merchant with Amos Dault, one
of the three brothers, the only
one of whom was to escape
death. The other brother who
died was Joseph Dault, pump
engineer.
All members Of the crew were
from Canada. The vessel which
was carrying a load of sand from
Point Pelee to Cleveland, was
owned by the National Sand and
Materials Company of Toronto,
Ontario.
Coast Guard vessels which yes
terday combed the vicinity where
the Sand Merchant sank, but
sighted only bits of wreckage, put
out today to resume search for
bodies of the victims.
Coast GuardSmen believed for
L l.