News: Startling Incident 1859

HARPER, DUNGAN

Posted By: Melissa Mayhew Grandt (email)
Date: 5/20/2009 at 09:39:52

The Cedar Valley Times, Cedar Rapids (Linn Co.), Iowa, 26 May 1859.

STARTLING INCIDENT.-- On Tuesday last, two children of Mr. WILLIAM HARPER, of Bertram, narrowly escaped drowning.

It seems that while Mr. H. was away from home and his men were at work at some distance from the house, which is on the banks of the Cedar river, two little girls aged respectively six and three years, went to the river, and got into a boat, leaving one end of the rope which was attached to the boat in the hands of a little boy about six years of age. The strong current pulled the rope from the boy's hands and the little girls were carried swiftly down the river. The boy ran to the house and gave the alarm, and Mrs. HARPER and Mrs DUNGAN who happened to be there at the time, rushed down the bank and into the water as far as they could without being carried away by the current, but yet not far enough to reach the boat. Fortunately at that moment the wind blew fresh from the Southwest and drove the boat towards the shore, when Mrs. DUNGAN who was up to her arm pits in the water, caught hold of the boat and brought it safely to shore. The oldest girl said she "tried to use an oar just as the boys did."