Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1856-11-04
y M1.le-3 Love for her Children.

The Chicago Democratic Press contains
the following narrative of Mrs. Chalmers,
who was among the few ladies saved from
the Niagara. -Four of her children were
saved AMI left at Port Washington.
NJ $. Cali.n Il says wher the fire
broke 6it she MES ,sntsitie she steerage
tabia on the main deck, with her hus-
band ard chill She saw the stern
Loaf lowered and Observing In it a wo-
man she ~, ", she thought # the boat
reached the saere, and she did not, that
woman would lie Ike nc1her TO a chill
dren, 50 she commenced throwing her
smaller children iisto 1t, intending to keep
the baby by her. because she could easier
support 1t In the water than the otherS.-
She had thrown two IN the boat when 1t
showed of. Sac had one il her hands
70 throw bu. Il was TOO late 10 throw SO
large ole to the boat, accordingly she
seized the baby, surprising she had
strength 10 throw il to the rc1reatlng boat.
She had not. however; the baby fell into
the water Il foot from The lolt; she scream
ed to the woman ia the boat 10 save Ii,
and had the satisfaction OF seeing her
reach out, grasp it and draw ii into the boat
She thea directed her efforts to the FIVE
children about her She pushed the old
est boy of twelve years iuto the water,
with directions 10 swim after the small
boat and cliag to it if they woull not take
him III. Sne believes he did actually
reach it, but Is not certain. She then put
her oldest child, girl of fourteen, into
the water in hopes that she would cling to
something. She has heard since arriving
here that girl OF that age was rescued
and thinks, perhaps, 1t was this one. She
then had three small children remaining.
Her husband g)t into the water and she
passed them 10 INN aad he placed them
on one o. tn Capsiz i boats floating near.
tn n she 60 dovn herself BY means of
a rope. Ol reaching the water she saw
The waves had washed two of the chll-
dren e.t the small boat, but she managed
20 catch them both with one arm and hold
them up, and clinging TO the rope with
the other hand, and maintaining her hold
anid all the desperate struggles around
her. At last the rope burned off above
and she sank down, down, down, with
others who had been cIinging to the same
rope. When she came up again she had
lost one child, however, she managed to
throw ter disen-aged arm over stich,
and hang TO it with the remaining child
Ia the other
She then looked for the child she had
lost, but although many heads were around
her, and some of them children's heads,
they were all 50 bcgrimmed with the oil
and ashes and SCOT Oh the surface of the
water, that she could not Distinguish their
features, and they sunk one after another
without her being able to recognize her
own. She directed all her efforts to save
The one IN her arms, and she feels conf
dent that she could have done so, but some
man, she.t be was an old man, pull :
ed her arm OF from the sick which sup
ported her, Lat she regained her hold,
and her hand was again pulled off Gnl
herself pushed away " the man. Then
she sunk down, down, down again, hut
sha still struggled TO rise, but the last
child VAS gone, though She thought until
she reached the surface and saw to the
contrary, that she had It still in her arms
Now She was alone OF The water with
out support, and she had hoatcd some dis
tancr away from the steamer, but she saw
her husband on the capsized boat holding
one Of the children. That sight inspired
iiSi AlttI II tSIi tO'tlt - Liaio Siit htltN
not that MON ut that the little one he
held IN his arms was already lIfelcss. but
II was even SO. At that instant plank
struck her breast, sac threw her arms
around II and tried to reach her husband,
but could not propel herself in the water
she felt her strength now rapidly falling,
and she was alone she saw the schooner
and the steamer Traveller, but saw also
that they We're far, far away; she knew
she could not not hold on 10 her buoy un-
III they came up, tut she remembered
having heard that persons in drowning
always shut their teeth firm, therefore she
Sei..sd her dress al the bottom in front.
brought II up around the plank and put it
between her teeth, so that il held the plank
across her breast, and, aud finding that
this would support her, she calmly settled
back to await tse result. A.,cr this she
remembered nothing more. She was
picked up by the Traveller, and she was
restored 10 consciousness, and had the
/ happiness OF finding her husband al her
s.de. But her children, where were they /?