Wellington.- Two runaway boys from the Children’s Shelter at Belleville who tried to cross Lake Ontario on a raft, are safe here last night at eight o’clock, after a dramatic rescue from Lake Ontario in which their two rescuers risked their lives to bring them back to land across a half-mile of shifting, treacherous ice floes.

The boys, Charles Weaver, 12, and Henry Vardy, 16, had constructed a flimsy raft from fence rails and according to their statement, attempted to cross Lake Ontario, with raw carrots and ears of corn as supplies. Embarking at 5 o’clock Tuesday afternoon, the boys started from a point two miles west of Wellington. They had walked from Belleville. Caught in floe ice they drifted helplessly until sighted at 3.30 Wednesday afternoon by Gerald Gibson and John Steen, who fired a shotgun to attract their attention.

The heroic rescuers were Messrs. Gillis Ingram and Dayton Murphy who with boat and ladders embarked on their perilous trip and succeeded in bringing in the marooned youths after a heroic four-hour struggle with drifting ice. Anxious villagers lined the shore, flashing automobile lights an effort to aid the rescue party. A huge spotlight cast a guiding light.

Rushed to the office of Dr. Thompson, the victims were given hot refreshments.

Henry Vardy, 16, the elder of the two boys, maintained splendid poise and showed exceptional coolness during the ordeal, according to G. R. Ingram.

Vardy, when questioned, stated they had not eaten food since Sunday night.

“We left Belleville on Sunday,” he said, “and walked to Mt. View where we got a lift as far as Hillerest. We had no food except some raw carrots and some ears of corn. We made up our minds to get to the States some way and we decided to cross the lake. We made a raft out of some fence rails and wire and used some pieces of board as paddles. We got out about a mile when we felt the raft going backwards. I couldn’t make it go ahead so we just let it drift. I was glad to see the plane flying over us and am glad to be here.”

Vardy, a short, stocky youth, seemed utterly unperturbed when relating his experiences, and displayed a coolness worthy of a man of mature years. He seemed very little the worse for his experiences, with the exception of his feet and legs which were soaking wet.

Weaver, 12 years of age, and small for his years, seemed glad to be rescued and flashed white teeth in a large grin, as a cup of hot milk was handed to him and a news photographer snapped his picture. He had suffered from exposure and was almost in a state of collapse when rescued. He had fallen overboard a few minutes previous to his rescue and this sapped what vitality he had left. He soon recovered, however, after a brisk rubdown and some much needed food.

A plane in charge of Flight Lieut. Hicks came from Trenton Airport and flew over the raft several times. Bundles of clothing and food were made up and dropped. One bundle missed the raft as did a bottle of liquor. The planes were summoned by Frank Harris, J.P., who also rigged up the giant spotlight which guided the rescuers back to land after darkness had set in. A huge crowd thronged the shore-line.

The trip of Ingram and Murphy was a hazardous one. They crossed the giant ice banks along the shore, progressed from drifting floe to floe with their 16-foot boat, using a ladder as a bridge between the floes. A misstep and tragedy might have happened. The return journey with the boys was the hardest. Their stories will appear in the Loyalist.