Evening star., 1960-09-19
Two Men Are Lost
In Boat Accident
Third Rescued
ByArmy Man
At Little Falls

Flremen and police searched
today for the bodies Of two men
swept into the swjrling Potomac
River below Little Falls Dam
while their families watched
helplessly their Commute bat
tie for survival.
Orville Workman, 90, of BOT
North Howard street, AleXan-
dria, apparent lone survivor of
the tragedy, told today how he
fought against the down-suck-
ing pull of the river until he
finally was rescued.
Not so fortunate were Ray
mond Lambert, 10, of 208 E
street NV, Mr.. Workman's
br 10Th er-in-law, and Army
Sergt. Ireland Johnson, 80, of
1910 North Courthouse road,
Arlington.
Shouting and struggling des-
perately to grasp their 11-foot
f1at-bottom outboard boat,
Sergt. johnson disappeared
after about Is minutes, and Mr..
Lambert was last seen five min
utes later.
Sergeant Is Hero
Mr.. Workman owed his life
to the bravery of another Army
man, Sergt. Howard D. Kiger,
20, of 2224 North Washington
boulevard, owner of the boat.
Sergt. Kiger was fishing on a
Sandbar when he saw the boat
go over the dam and overturn
in the churning, 25-foot-deep
water.
He plunged into the river
fully clad, swan about a mile
to reach the spillway and then
inched his way along the top
Of it to where Mr.. Workman
was fighting for his life.
The latter had been unable
to grasp the boat. He repeatedly
had gone to the bottom, then
kicked his way back up.
"One time the boat hit me
on the side and knocked the
breath out of me-" Mr.. Work.
man said. Il was just thinking
i couldn't be drowned there
I prayed a good prayer, too"
Luckily, Mr.. Workman had
been able to grasp a limb about
6 feet long which Mr.. Lambert
had put in the boat for polling
if necessary. The boats motor
had been acting up"
Handing one end of the limb
to Sergt. Kiger, Mr.. Workman
was pulled out to the spillway
and helped to a nearby island.
There they remained until the
Glen Echo Fire Department put
out a boat. Mr.. Workman was
treated for shock at Suburban
Hospital and released.
The worst part of it." said
a fireman, was that the wives
and families of the men were
on shore and had to see it all"
Hurrying to Shore
The Inflated fishing trip be-
gan when the three men pulled
the boat about a mile above
the falls and put out. AS dark
was coming on, Sergt. johnson,
at the controls, tried to hurry
as quickly as possible to the
Glen Echo shore.
Mr.. Workman said he cut the
rudder sharply toward shore,
too close to the spillway.
The current swept us right
over" he said. In a minute
we were in the water. In that
swift water 1 don't see how
stayed up at all, even though
am an excellent swimmer. I
went down five or six times"
None of the three ever was
able to get a firm hold on the
bobbing boat.
If it had not been for that
stick, and of course. Sergt.
Kiger.~ I guess I would have
gone with the others" Mr..
Workman recalled.
Sergt. johnson was a vet
eran of 13 years in the Army,
and was nearing completion Of
a Fort Eustis (Va.D course as
a helicopter creWman.
! While serving in Germany 13
years ago, he met his future
wife at Bamberg. They we're
married in 1854. Mrs. Johnson
and their 5-year-old daughter.
Carol Ann, were on shore when
the tragedy occurred.
! Mr.. Lambert had been en-
ployed as a recapper by the B.
F. Goodrich Tire Co., 443 I
street NV, where Mr.. Work.
man is plant manager. Mr..
Lambert was born in Ferrells-
burg, w. Va, where his father,
Jesse w. Lambert, still lives.