The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-04-22


stagger on shore. but private Mclaughlin
had to be carried into the lighthouse,
where both of them received the utmost
care and kindness, and were safely con-
veyed to Fort Adams the next day.
The heroine of this daring exploit was
born Feb. 25, 1912, and is thus in her
zSth year bu; her first rescue of imper>
llled life dates back to September, 1859,
when she was only II. -Four gay young
fellows, all about Is or 20 years of age.
and all SONS of wealthy gentlemen, one
from Philadelphia and the rest from New
port, went out for an evening sail, and
one of them, more full of mischief than
the others, climbed the mast and upset the
boat half mile from the nearest shore
None of them could swim that distance,
night was rapidly coming on, the capsized
boat was too light to support more than
two OF three of them at once, and they
were ruefuiIy awaiting the bitter conse-
quences of their mad froIic, when the
keepers daughter, spying them through
the dusk, hastened to their relief, and
rescued them all from their impending
fate. The one who climbed the mast en-
listed at the opening of the war, and re-
celved a mortal wound at the disastrous
battle of Bull Run, but the others are
still living, and doubtless cherish grateful4
ly the memory of their youthful preserver.
During the intervening period of ten
years, this heroine of the harbor has saw
ed five other lives. One cold and windy
February day, three intoxicated soldiers
stole skiff and set out for the fort. BY
some drunken recklessness they soon stove
hole In the bottom, and the boat rapid
ly filled. Two of the men succeeded in
swimming ashore again, and were so
alarmed at their adventure that they ran
away and never came back; but the
third clung to the submerged skiff and
tried TO paddle it with his fee. across the
harbor. When discoved and picked up,
with his hat in his teeth and bottle of
whisky in each pocket, he was stiff with
cold, and barely escaped perishing in his
desperate attempt. The next rescue was
in January, 1867. A valuable sheep es-
capped from those who had it in charge,
dived off one of the wharves, and started
to swim around the harbor Three men.
who went in pursuit along the fort road,
found skitf and put out to rescue the
animal. But the fierce southeast gale
was too much for them, the boat began to
swamp rapidly, they could not regain the
shore, aud were staring death in the face
when the fearless Ida went to their relief,
carried them and the skiff to land, and
then went out aud saved the sheep! In
the remaining instance, it seems that
fine looking but reckless young fellow
stole a large sail boat from one of the
wharves one Winter evening and put to sea
with it, but the gale drove the craft opon
the ''Little Lime Rock" about mile
from the light, where it sunk, leaving the
thief clinging TO the halyards from mid
night till dawn, when the heroine reached
and picked him up. ''There he was"
says Miss Lewis, in relating the incident,
'shali ng, and God blessing me, and beg
| ging to be set on shore, and the last l
saw of him he was crawling up the wharf
I on his hands and knees!''
The heroism of Grace Darling was the
result of single noble impulse the bra
very of Ida Lewis is part of her daily
life. Sixteen years ago, the light on
Lime Rock was established, and Hosea
! Lewis, veteran ex~revenue pilot famil>
lar with the coast from Halifax TO Nor
folk, became its keeper on the 9Th of De-
cember, 1858. The southern line of the
harbor makes a wide, deep-angled sweep,
with the city on one side. Fort Adams,
two miles off on the opposite point, aud
Lime Rock midway between, about 800
yards from the shore. This rock COM
mands the widest view of the harbor, and
upon it the keeper lived alone three years
and half. Then substantial, square,
two-story brick house was built, and in
June, 1857, his family joined him. -Four
months later stroke of paralysis disabled
him from all work, and ever since his
eldest daughter Ida has been the main,
stay of the family. 1t was she who cared
for her father, and lightened her mothers
toll, and watched over her younger sister
| Harriet, and rowed her brothers Rudolph
and Hosea to school, and eked out the
light keepers slender pittance with her
needle and other femenine labors, and
few to the rescue of imperiled life with
an instructive courage that would not let
her worst enemy sink without her risking
her life to save him.
In personal appearance this Newport
heroine scarcely attains the average height
of women, is remarkably slender, and
would be thought much nearer 20 than
81. Light brown hair, blue eyes keen
but kind, and cheeks pink>hushed, though
not round enough for beauty, attract one
10 a woman whose quick smile and frank
and friendly manner more than excuse
the inevitable educational deficiencies
which such life must always entail. No
one can talk with her without believing her
as unselfish as she is fearless. and the
fame her heroism has created seems SIM
ply to amuse her, without exciting the
least vanity. So little had she thought of
her own deeds that, when first asked, she
In =.