Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-04-22
IDA LIE WIS.

IDA LEWIS. - 1e41@a
Guardian Angel OF Newport Harbor--
Eleven Lives Saved.-Lime Roek ant
Its Tenants--The Heroine Rewarded.
From the New York Tribune. .irsf I
Thirty years ago, just at the dawn 0
stormy September morning, Grac'
| Darling, the heroic daughter of thu
Longstone lighthouse-keeper, on th'
English coast, launched boat upon thu
raging tide, and rescued, with her re
luctant fathers aid, and at the immi
nent peril of her life, nine persons from
the disastrous wreck of the Forfarshir'
steamer. For this fearless and noble act
done in her twenty-third year, praises
and rewards were heaped upon her IL
, unstinted measure, fund of So, 500 wa!
subscribed for her benefit, the remaining
four years of her life were crowned with
every comfort, and her name has passed
into current usage as synonym for al
unselfish and heroic woman. la1a
Two weeks since, toward the close o.
stormy March afternoon, Ida Lewis
the intrepid daughter of the Lime Rock
light-keeper. in Newport Rhode Island
Harbor, performed a deed that places
her side by side, in point of self-sacrifi'
cling courage, with the Grace Darling OF
England, and rounds career of even
greater usefulness in the saving of human
life. The rain fell that day in binding
torrents, and the gale drove the waves
across the harbor with fury that taxed
the full strength and skill of the most
experienced boatman. In the midst OF
this storm, reckless boy, scarcely four,
teen years old, who had somehow OBJ
tained possession of one of the smallest
and most unsafe sail-boats in the har-
Dor, (since christened the 'sOldier
drowner.") succeeded in persuading two
soldiers, Sergeant James Adams, and
Private John Mclaughlin, to let him
carry them across from the city, whittier
they had gone to make purchases, to
Fort Adams, where they were stationed.
Anxious to escape the dreary three-mile
tramp by land, and believing the lads
assertion that he could manage the boat
as well as any one, they trusted them
selves in it, and made half the trip in
safety, but about midway in the harbor
a sudden blast struck the sail, the start
tied boy jammed the helm in the wrong
direction, the boz tcapsized in an instant,
and the waves rolled it twice over, like
veriest cookie shell. For long half
hour its luckless occupants clung to the
rain and the fierce salt waves with all
the energy of despair; but finally the
boys strength was exhausted, his hold
reIaXed-one clutch at McLaughlin's
shoulder, and, with frenzied laugh
upon his lip, he was gone-nor has any
trace of him since been seen. Fast par
alyzing with cold and almost bereft of
hope, the two soldiers saw no choice left
but to clasp each other in a last embrace,
and sink to mutual grave when sud-
denly, out from the Lime Rock, half
mile away, shot little boat, driven by
rapid strokes and sure, straight over the
bounding waves toward the drowning
men. Hope kindled in their breasts
again, but faded when they saw in the
boat only slender youth, and a still
slenderer woman plying the oars. On it
swiftly came, however, and the boy was
almost reaching over the sides to grasp
the nearest soldier, when his quick-wit-
ted sister crying Stop, Hosey! we shall
be capsized that way!" turned the boat
with a well-timed stroke, backed it mp,
one man was drawn safely in over the
stern, another backward pull, another
lift. and the next moment the craft,
with it's freight of rescued lives, was
scudding swiftly through the spray back
W tue NUN again. Lie -CeISSaut was
able to stagger on shore, but private
had to be carried into the
lighthouse, where both of them receiv-
ed the utmost care and kindness, and
were safely conveyed to Fort Adams the
next day. r@..i
The heroine of this daring exploit was
born February %, 1912, and is thus in
her twenty-eighth year; but her first
rescue of imperiled life dates back to
1859, when she was only sew
enteen. Four gay young fellows, all
about eighteen or twenty years of age,
and all sons of wealthy gentlemen, one
from Philadelphia and the rest from
Newport. went out for an evening sail,
and one of them, more full of mischief
han the others, climbed the mast and
upset the boat half mile from the near
est shore. None of them could swim that
distance, night was rapidly coming on,
,he capsized boat was too light to sup
port more than two or three of them at
,nce, and they were ruefully awaitingthe
bitter consequences of their mad frolic,
when the keepers daughter, spying
hem through the dusk, fastened to their
'elief, and rescued them all from their |
fate. The one who climbed |
he mast enlisted at the opening of the |
var, and received mortal wound at the
disastrous battle of Bull Run, but the |
,thers are still living, and. doubtless
,herish gratefully the memory of their |
preserver.
During the intervening period of ten
vears this heroine of the harbor has
aved five other lives. One cold and
windy February day three soldiers
tole skiff and set out for the fort. By
dpe drunken recklessness they soon
tove hole in the bottom, and the boat
apidly filled. Two of the men succeed
ID in swimming ashore again, and were
O alarmed at their adventure that they
an away and never came back; but the
bird clung to the submerged skiff, and
ried to paddle it with his feet across
he harbor. When discovered and pick
d up, with his hat in his teeth and a
Ottle of whisky in each pocket. he was
tiff with cold, and barely escaped per-
,hing in his desperate attempt.
sThe next rescue was in January, 1857.
| valuable sheep escaped from those
Tho had it in charge, dived off one
the wharves, and started to swim
round the harbor. Three men, who
rent in pursuit aloug the Fort road,
,und skiff and put out to rescue the
nimal. But the fierce southeast gale
'as too much for them, the boat began
} swamp rapidly, they could not regain
ne shore, and were staring death in the
ice, when the fearless Ida went to
heir relief, carried them and the skif
, land, and then went out and saved
he sheep. In The remaining instance,
seems that fine looking, but reck-
,ss young fellow, stole large sail boat
'om one of the wharves one winter I
vening and put to sea with it, but the I
ale drove the craft upon the Little
lime Rock" about mile from the
ght, where it sunk, leaving the un-
lcky thief clinging to the holylards '
ON midnight till dawn, when the
eroine reached and picked him up
There he was" says Miss Lewis. in I
od-blessing me, and begging to be set