Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-05-08
The Heroine Of Lake Erie.
BY JOHN G. WHITTIER.

The dark, stormy close of November,
1854, found many vessels on Lake Erie,
but the fortunes of one alone have special
interest for us. About that time the
schooner Conductor, owned by John
Mcleod, of the Provincial Parliament, a
resident Of Amherstburg, at the mouth of
the Detroit River, entered the lake from
that river. bound for Port Dalhousie, at
the mouth of the Welland Canal. She was
heavily loaded with grain. Her crew con-
sisted of Captain Hackett-a Highlander
by birth, and skillful and experienced
navigator-and six sailors. At nightfall,
shortly after leaving the head of the lake,
one of those terrific storms with which the
late autumnal navigators of that "Sea of
the Woods are all too familiar overlook
them. The weather was intensely cold for
the season; the air was filed with snow and
sleet; the chilled water made ice rapidly,
encum boring the schooner, and loading
down her decks and rigging. AS the gale
increased, the tops of the waves were shorn
off by the fierce blasts, clouding the
whole atmosphere with frozen spray, or
what the sailors call "spoon drift" rem
dering it impossible to see any object a
few rods distant. Driving helplessly be-
fore the wind, yet in the direction of its
place of destination. the schooner sped
through the darkness. At last near mid
night, running closer than her crew sup
posed to the Canadian shore, she struck
on the outer bar off Long Point Island
beat heavily across it. and sunk in the
deeper water between it and the inner bar.
The bull was entirely submerged the
waves rolling in heavily, and dashing over
the rigging, to which the crew betook
themselves. Lashed there, numb with
cold, drenched by the pitiless waves, and
scourged by the showers of sleet driven
before the wind, they waited for morning.
The slow, dreadful hours wore away, and
at length the dubious and doubtful gray
of morning OF tempest succeeded to the
utter darkness Of night
Abigail Becker CHANGED at that time to
be in her hut with none but her young
children. Her husband was sbsent
on the Canada shore, and she was left
the sole adult occupant of the island,
save the light-keeper at the other
end, some fifteen miles off. Looking
out at daylight on the beach III front of
her door, she saw the shattered boat of the
Conductor, cast up by the waves. Her ex-
perience of storm and disaster on that dan
gerous coast needed nothing more to con-
vince her that somewhere in her neighbor-
peril. She followed the south westerly
trend of the island for little distance
and, peering through the gloom of the
stormy morning, discerned the spars of the
sunken schooner, with what seemed to be
human forms cllnglng to the rigging. The
heart OF the strong woman sunk within her
as she gazed upon those helpless fellow
creatures, SO near, yet 50 unapproachable.
She had no boat, and none co3id have
lived on that wild water. After mo-
ment's reflection, she went back to her
dwelling, put the smaller children III charge
of the eldest, took with her al iron kettle,
tin teapot, and matches, and ret 'rned to
the beach, at the nearest poiut to the YES
sci and, gathering up the logs and drift
wood always abundant on tie coast kiLdled
a great fire, and, constantly walking back
and forth between it and the water, strove
to intimate to the sufferers that they were
at least not beyond human sympathy
rs the wrecked sailors looked shoreward
and saw, through the thick haze of snow
and sleet, the red light Of the fire. and the
tail figure OF the WOMAN passing to and fro
before it, faint hope took the place of the
utter despair, which had prompted them to
let go their hold and drop into the seething
water, that opened aud closed about them
like the jaws Of death. But the day wore
on, bringing no abatement of the storm
that tore through the frail spars, and
at aid tossed them as it pass
and drencbeI them with ice-cold spray-a
pitiless, unreleuting horror of sight, ssound
and touch 1t last the deepening gloom
told them that night was approaching, and
night under such circumstances was death.
All Gay long Abigail Becker had fed her
fire, and sought to induce the sailors by
siguas-ior even her strong voice could not
reach them-to throw themselves into the
surf, and trust to Providence and her for
suocor. In anticipation of this, she had her
kettle boiling over the drift-wood, and her
tea ready made for restoring warmth and
life to the half frozen survivors. But either
they did not understand her, or the chance
of rescue seemed too small to induce them
to abandon the temporary safety OF the
wreck. They chung to it with the desper-
ate instinct of life brought face to face with
death. Just at nightfall there was slight
break in the west a red light glared across
the thick air, as if for one instant the eye
of the storm looked out upon the ruin it
had wrought, and closed again under lids
of cloud. Taking advantage of this, the
solitary watcher ashore made one more eff
fort. She waded out into the water, every
drop of which. as it struck the beach, be-
came particle OF Ice, and, stretching out
and drawing in her arms, invited. by her
gestures, the sailors to throw themselves
into the waves, and strive to reach her
Captain Hackett understood her, He call
ed to his mate in the rigging of the other
mast ''It is our last chance. I will try
If I live, follow me if drown, stay where
you are !' With great effort he got off
his stiffly frozen overcoat, paused for one
moment in silent commentator of his soul
to God, and, throwing himself into the
waves, struck out for the shore. Abigail
Becker, breast.deep in the surf, awaited
him. He was almost within her reach
when the undertow swept him back
By mighty exertion she caught hold of
him, bore him in her strong arms out of the
water, and, laying him down by her fire,
warmed his chilled blood with copious
draughts of hot tea. The mate, who had
watched the rescue, now followed, and the
captain, partially restored, insisted upon
aiding him. AS the former neared the
shore the recoiling water baff1ed him
Captain Hackett caught hold of him, but
the under tow swept them both away. lock-
ed in each others arms. The brave wo-
man plunged after them. and, with the
strength of q giantess, bore them, cling
ing to each other, to the shore, and up to