Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1854-06-21

"God bless the noble boy!' said Mr.. Dennison,
as the captain told of the little fellows fidelity,
and the exclamation was echoed back by a do
zen business men of Cleveland, who happened to
be in the Office at the time.
Within two hours more efficient commander
with eigIt fearless fellows, who agreed to stay
by the vessel till they got her into port somehow,
set out from Clevelandgto board her; but when
they arrived abreast Of where she had been frozen
In, the ice was broken up towithin five miles of
land, and the schooner was gone,
Three, weeks passed and all remained uncer-
tain with regard 10 the fate Of the Western Ira
der, or her brave boy commander, when she was
heard of again on the Canada side, some fifty
miles westward of her former position. But be-
fore relief could be sent to her, there came vio-
lent gale from the westward, which broke up the
ice, ana was borne down the lake embedded in
field Of ice of more than hundred acres.
Next she was seen off Erie, a hundred miles
to the westward of Buffalo, with spy glasses, they
could even see the boy standing on her deck, but
it was almost night--to board her was impossible
and at daylight she bad disappeared. sB
As there was but a small stock of provisions
ON board when she left Cleveland, people won
dered how the boy had subsisted all that time, and
predicted his death by starvation provided the
schooner should live out the fierce winter gales
Several times after her appearance off Erie, the
Western Trader was seen in various parts Of the
lake, but always too far off to make out anything
about her destiny, only that there was always a
smoke seen coming out of her cabin stove.
| At last one Sunday afternoon in the month of
April, about week after the western part Of the
| lake was clear of ice, a schooner under just the
head of her fore-sal was seen ten miles outside
the harbor of Cleveland, and as she came brave
ly in between the piers, thousands Of people on
the shore and ranged along the wharyes recog-
nized her as the Western Trader. and the brave
]lYe fellow at, her helm, as Frank Merrill, the
winter rover of the lake, returned in safety from
bis dreary ice-voynge. ri " ra,ay
Such ,welcom as England would accord tc
Sir John Frankln, should he escape from the ice
ribbed Arctic prison, and return to his native
] land and was given by the citizens of CLEVELAND
to the ice-yoyager, Frank Merrill. aa,t
People wondered at first how he had subssted
but when they saw his wcll-condtioned face, hi,
liberal supply of boltcd and porchcd corn, anc
the way he had cut away the sehooner's rail
windlass and the joiner work Of her cabin for fue
they wondered no longer. a>a."
1 The young commander Of the winter cruise
got his twelve dollars per month, besides many
!, Rhandsome present from those who admired hi
courage and fidelity and when the Western Ira
der was completely repaired, bill of sae for th(
one half Of her was placed in Mrs. Merrill
hands for her son, by Mr., Joseph Drnnison.
Long before summer over, there was n;
Mrs. Merrill in Cleveland, und those who inquir
4 I'd at her former residence, were directed to
beautiful mansion on the bank Of the lake som
: two miles from town. where they are sure to FIN
the rich Mrs. Dennison, just as courteous an
= happy 10 meet them as ever the poor widow Mrr
ril had been. "1>
Frank Merrill is at the present time one OF tn
, most gentlemany as we'll as popular steambo'
y captains on Lake Erie. And one of the mobiles
traits of his character is, that he still loves, RI
spects and makes his home with his mothe
e while Mr.. Dennison he cuIls father and loves hi
: quite as we'll as h could do il he really were h
father,-Fay of our Union. .s ,.