Delaware State journal and statesman., 1869-06-01
The Heroine of Lake Erie.
BY JOHN @. WHITTIER.

line X, stormy GlOst vi HONtnuti1 iChti
found many vessels on Lake Erie, but the |
fortunes of one alone have special interest
for us. About that time the schooner Con-
ductor, owned by John Mcleod of the Pro-
| vincial Parliament, resident OF Amherst |
| burg, at the mouth of the Detroit river, en- |
| tered the lake from that river, bound for
| Port Dalhousie, at the mouth oil the Welland
| Canal She was heavily loaded with grain. |
| Her crew consisted of Captain Hackett a |
Highlander by birth, and sklllul and ex-
perienced navigator, and six sailors. AT
| nlghtfall, shortly after leaving the head of
| the lake, one of those terrific storms, with
/ which the late autumnal navigators oil that
"Sea of the Woods are all TOO familiar,
overlook them. The weather was intense
ly cold for the season; the air was filled
with snow and sleet the chilled water made
ice rapidly, encumbering the schooner, and
loading down her decks and rigging. AS
the gale increased, the tops of the waves
were shorn of by the fierce blasts, clouding
the whole atmosphere with frozen spray,
or what the sailors call "spoon drift, rem
dering IL impossible to see any object lew
rods distant. Driving helpessly before the
wind, yet in the direction of its place OF des-
tination, the schooner sped through the
! darkness. AT last, near midnight, running
closer than her crew supposed 10 the Cana,
! dian shore, she struck on the outer bar OIL
Long Point Island, beat heavily across IL,
= IN EupNi - INT aeebtA warpr i,erwefti II hue
. the inner bar. The hull was entirely sun,
merged, the waves rolling IN heavily, ana
dashing over the rigging, to which tne cleW
3 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, anu
d AT length the dubious and doubtful gray oil a
q morning of tempest succeeded to the u''er
darkness of night.
Abigail Becker CHANGED at that time 10 DC
: in her hut with none but her young children
Her husband was absent on the Canada
shore, and she was left the sole adult oceu
pant of the island, save the light-keeper al
its lower end, some fifteen miles on. LOOK
ing out at day light on the beach in front o
her door, she saw the shattered boat oil tht
Conductor, cast up by the waves. Her ex
perience OF storm and disaster ON that dah
gerous coast needed nothing more TO con
vince her that somewhere in her neighbor
hood human life had been, or still was, il
peril. She followed the southwesterly tren'
of the island for little distance, and, peer
ing through the gloom of the stormy morn
ing. diseerned the spars of the sunke
schooner, with what seemed to be huma
forms clinging 10 the rigging The heart
the strong woman sunk within her, as sh
gazed upon those helpless fellow creatures
NJ u6hls YET hO uhapptOoShNHtS
no boat and none could have lived on lnl
wild WATER After a moments renectlo
she went back to her dwelling put the small
er children in charge of the eldest, Toe
with her an iron Kettle, tin teapot, al
matches, and returned 10 the beach, at u
nearest point TO the vessel; and, gatheTlr
up the logs and drift wood always abundAl
on the coast kindled great hre, ana, CO
siantly walking back and forth between
lT and the water, strove 10 intimate TO the 81
ferers that they were at least not beYol
human sympathy. As the wrecked sailc
looked shoreward, and saw, through, u
thick haze Of snow and seet, the red lig
of the fire, and the tall figure of the WON
passing 10 and fro before II, faint ho
took the place of the utter despair, VIII
had prompted them 10 let go their hold, a
dron into the seething waters, that oper
and closed about them like the jaws oil dea
But the day wore on, bringing no abatem
OF the storm that tore through the lrail sp
and clutched at and tossed them as Il pass
are. and drenched them with ice-cold sp
"a pitiless, unrelentlng horror of sic
sound, and touchl At last the deepen
gloom told them that night was approa
ID ing, and night under such circumstar
was death.
All day long Abigail Becker had fed
fire, and sought TO induce the sailors
signals-for even her strong voice could
reach them-to throw themselves into
surf, and trust to Providence and her
gton. succor. In anticipation of this, she had
kettle boiling over the drift wood, and
tea ready made tor restoring warmth
life to the hall frozen survivors, But ei
-ll,es5 they did not understand her, or the CHI
Sss gss 40 of rescue seemed too small to induce
1904 90 TO abandon the temporary safety OF
1900 t9 % wreck They clung 10 it with the desp
15 .s5o 60 instinct Of life brought face to face
'O7i IS death. Just at nighlall there was {
break in the west; a red light glarded a
CT 'sH' the thick air. as il for one instant the e
!, s1,S. the storm looked out upon the rum it
wrought, and closed again under Ii
RIGA Watcher asbore MADE o. .a
She waded out into the water, every
ARE. OF which, as it struck the beach, bect
particle OF ice, and stretching out and
ing in her arms, invited, by her gesture
1eal rvn' sailors to throw themselves into the "
ssSii City. and strive 10 reach her. Captain Fl
understood her. He called TO his nj
WI the rigging of the other mast; at is OF
chance. will tryi If live, follow
1 drown, stay where you arel"
great effort he got of his stiffiy frozen
wn. coat, paused for one moment in silen
mendation Of his soul 10 God, and, thT
,,.p,v himself into the waves, struck out
tha se.. shore. Abigail Becker, breast deep
surf, awaited him. He was almost
sssrs, ss, her reach when the undertow sweI
mingtou. back. By a mighty exertion she
--Tx.E hold of him, bore him in her strong
ster sloop out OF the water, and, laying him do
her fire, warmed his chilled blood W
Whining plous aiaugnts Oh not tea lne uha'
. and will nad Watcneu the rescue, now lolloW'
lars apply the captain, partially restored, insise
street aiding him. AS the former near
Tatnall. Shore the recoiling wafer batt1ed hin