Evening star., 1940-06-13
Two Families Arrive Here From War Zone;
Girls Console Selves With Ice Cream
$50 Toxi Fare
One Of Experiences
Of Flight

Two American mothers and their
children found sanctuary today from
the war inferno of Europe in and
near Washington.
Mrs. Effie Bowie Melchoir, 80, and
her 12-year-old daughter, Efie
Grynn, were recuperating near Up
per Marlboro from their escape,
which included q $50 taxi ride from
Dinard, France, to Dieppe, on the
French coast.
Mrs. Ruth Williams and three
young daughters-Jacqueline, Ruth
and Anne-were resting at the home
Of Mrs. Williams father, Charles
M. Finney, a Washington advertis-
ing man, at TAB Rock Greek Church
road NV. Mother and young chill
dren were wondering how things
Jared with father and husband,
Jack Sneed Williams, an engineer
attached to the American Embassy
in Paris.
Enjoying Ice Cream.
Meanwhile, the three girls con-
soled themselves with heaping dishes
Of American ice cream.
Both Of the fugitive families ar
rived on the S. S. Manhattan in
New York Monday, along with some
1000 other American refugees.
The Melchiors are staying at
Beechwood, the home of Mrs. Mel
chior's mother, Mrs. Irving Bowie.
Mrs. Melchior went to Europe
with her husband. Frederick Mel
chior, who represents a large Amer
lean aircraft concern and who was
assigned to the firms Paris branch
With three hours notice and with
war about to break out, the family
left Paris by train for Dinard, where
they remained for 10 days, trying
TO get a train to the coastal town
Of Dieppe preparatory to taking a
boat for Sweden. Finally, the fam
lily managed to engage a taxi in
which they drove all day at a cost
Of $50.
Take Devious Route.
In the meantime. Mrs. Bowie, who
had come to Paris to spend six
months and remained three weeks.
was dropped at LIE Havre, where she
boarded a boat for home. The
Mehchiors spent 10 days at Dippe
and were picked up by a Swedish
steamer which took them through
the mine fields of the English Chan
mel, through the dangers of the
North Sea and the Skagerrak, where
they finally landed at Goteborg and
made their way to Malmo, where
they took up residence. Here they
remained until May "a, when they
were advised to leave Sweden by the
State Department.
This time they crossed from a lit
tie Swedish port of Traleborg, where
they took a ferry across the Baltic
Sea to Germany. The Melchiors
made their way to Berlin, where
they spent one night before leaving
for Genoa. Italy, whefe they
planned to take a boat to America.
In Berlin, Mrs. Melchior said, you
would hardly know a war was being
fought She said the cafes and
restaurants were filled to capacity
and that one saw very few men
in uniform.
The following morning the FAM
lily took train to Munich, spending
one night there and arriving in
Genoa the next night, on May 27.
The Williams family had been liv-
ing in Paris for seven years.
The children we're placed in school
there and soon learned to speak
French like natives. They lived on
the sixth floor of a big apartment
house.not far from the Eiffel Tower.
When the war broke out they
learned to respond to air raid sirens
by hurrying to bomb proof shelters.
At first it all seemed an interest
ing adventure, but the girls got
bored when no air raids followed
the alarms. They studied or played
games while waiting for the danger
to pass.
Just before we left Paris" Anne