Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1860-07-26
MLERSBURG, COUNTY OHIO THURSDAY,

coming tnrouSh the gloom, with blood
red hue TO every eye, while the roar of hel
escaping steam came stunningly upon eve
ry ear.
"My God! We are done for nowr' cried
the voyager. "What, another ring fol
speed! Surely, that little daredevil can,
have seen the vessels below!"
But the eyes of Ada Ridout had seen
and Compounded all at glance. She
knew that the commander of the steamer
below the rapids had not expected that any
one would dare to descend them on such a
night, and had accordingly consented to
take in tow a couple of schooners which
had been disabled in descending, and was
Just making fast to them. The three ves-
sells were therefore huddled, not exactly in
the channel, but close beside it, so near
that the slightest swerve of the Rockville
would destroy them and herself.
Miss Ridout had realized all the facts in
in one brief instant, and again rang the
bell for more speed. Like some fabulous
monster that mighty thing of fire and Of
noise glowed and thundered down the mar
row channel, amid the first puffs of the
coming snow storm, the wild strife of the
waters, the excited exclamations of her pas
sengers and crew, and the still more ag-
enized cries proceeding from the decks of
the helpless vessels below.
On one side were the tall and Jagged
chills, rearing themselves high above the
sunken rocks which formed the shore of
the river, while on the other lay those
helpless vessels, every moment surging out
from the shore towards the channel, be-
tween the two appearing narrow and
boiling tide of water, as the only avenue
of the steamers escape from an instant
and fearful destruction.
On swept the Brockville, like some huge
bird, strongly and steadily in its terrible
speed, for there was not only pilots
knowledge but woman's heroism presid-
ing at the wheel. Down the foaming chute,
with flashing and roaring almost un-
earthly in its wildness, sped the endanger-
ed steamer, and soon she was within her
length of the clustered vessels below, now
in an awful silence waiting their doom.
"Port" came in smothered cry from
one of them, raking glance showed that a
collision of the steamers was inevitable, at
the end of that dangerous passage, so
much had the freighter surged into the
channel. "You are running US down."
Not word escaped the maiden's lips,
as she measured the distance between the
rocks on one side, and the freighter on the
other, and took an exact middle course be-
tween them. A moment cf anxious sus-
pense succeeded, an interval of freezing
silence, and then, seemingly volcanic
of life amid all that strife and
motion around her, the Brockvile, with a
single wild crash, sped past the stranger,
carrying away its larboard wheelbouse aud
part of the wheel, but with no especial in
Jury to either of the bulls.
A wild cry of wonder, of admiration
and joy, arose from more than two hun
lred throats, as the maiden pilot rang for
he engines to cease working, the huge
abric trembling for moment in the sur
yes, then passing into the clear water be-
ow the rapids, becoming perfectly safe!
"Three times three for the maid of the
aapids!" cried the voyager, dancing joy
uly around the deck, and the cheers were
yiven with will.
And then as all eyes were turned to-
wards the stranger steamer, boat was
een pushing of: frem her, bearing two
nen who came aboard the Brockville The
irst was Walter Norwood, the lover of our
heroine, and the other ber father, both of
vhum had been prevented from joining her
IS intended by reasons we need not record.
A week after this happy reunion, in one
# those fine old mansions on Bayard
Street, Montreal, there was joyous union
f fates and fortunes which endures to this
ay. The portrait of the maid of the
rapids hangs in the Academic des Arts.
n that city, but it is not more likely to
'erpetuate her heroism than the grateful
emembrance of those scores of souls whom
he rescued from destruction on that aw-
ul night when she became fatal bone of
onfantion to tho RIvAJ PIrors