Smyrna times., 1869-05-12
DLiSceIIUW eOW us.
IDA LEWIS--THE GRACE DARLING
OF AMERICA.

my september morning, TRACE Darling, the |
heroic daughter Of the LongstOne lighthouse
keeper, on the English coast, launched a boat |
upon the raging tide and rescued, with her re-
luctant father ) aid, and at the imminent peril
OF her life, nine persons from the disastrous
wreck OF the FOrfarshire steamer. For this |
fearless and noble act, done in her 23d year,
praises and rewards were heaped upon her in
unstlnted measure, a fund of So 500 was sub
scnbed tor her benefit, the remaining four
years OF her life were crowned with every COM
fort, and her name has passed into current
usage as synonym for an unselfSh and heroic
woman.
Two weeks since, toward the close of a stor-
my March afternoon, Ida Lewis, the intrepid
daughter of the Lime Rock light keeper, in
Newport Tx. |. J harhor, performed deed that
places her side by side, in point of self-sacrifc
ing courage, with the Grace Darling of En-
CLAN !, and rounds career of even greater use
tulness in the saving of human life The rain
tell that day In binding torrents, and the gale
drove the waves across the harbOr with a fury
that taxed the full strength and skill of the
most experienced boatman. In the midst of
this storm, reckless boy scarcely ii years old
who had somehow obtained possession of one
OF the smallest and most unsafe sail boats in the
harbOr (slnce christened the "soldier drown
er J, succeeded in persuading two soldiers,
Sergt. James Adams, and Private John Nc
Laughlin, to let him carry them across from the
city. Thther they had gone to make some
purchases, to Fort Adams, where they were
stationed. Anxious to escape the dreary three
mile tramp by land and believing the lad S as
sertlOn that he could manage the boat as we'll
as any. one, they trusted themselves in it, and
made half the trip in safety, but about midway
Ill the harbor sudden blast struck the sail. The
startled boy jammed the helm in the wrong di-
rectlOn, the boat capsZed in an instant and
the waves rolled it twice over, like the veriest
cookie shell. For long half hour its luck less
occupants clung to the keel, and wrestled
against the binding rain and the fierce salt
waves with all the energy of dispair; but final
| y the boy strength was exhausted, his hold
relaxed--One clutch at McLaughin's shoulder,
and, with frenzed laugh upon his lip, he was
gone nor has any trace of hin. since been
seen. Fast paralyzing with cold and almost
| berett OF hope the two soldiers saw no choice
LETT but to clasp each other in last embrace
and sink to a mutual grave-when suddenly,
out from the lime rock, half a mile away, shot
a 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 on
ly a slender youth, and still slenderer woman
plying the oars. On it swiftly came, however,
and the boy was almost reaching over the side
to grasp the nearest soldier, when his quick
witted sister, crying: stop, Hosey we shall
be capsZed that way !" turned the boat with
q well-timed stroke, backed it up, one man was
drawn safely in over the stern, another back
ward pull, another left, and the next moment
the craft, with its freight of rescued lives, was
scudding swiftly through the spray back to the
rock again. The sergeant was able to staggel
in shore, but Private Mclaughlin had to bt
carried into the lighthouse, where both Of
| I'M ho ufD
and were safely conveyed to Fort Adams the
next day.
The heroine of this daring exploit was borr
Feb. 25 l842, and is thus in her 2Sth year, bu
her first rescue Of imperilled life dates back t
: September, 1852 when she was only seventeen
il Four gay young fellows all about Is or q
s years of age, and all sons of wealthy gentlemen
i one from Philadelphia and the rest from New
/ port, went out for an evening sail, and one o
them, more full Of mischief than the others
climed the mast and upset the boat half mil
j, from the nearest shore. None of them coul
swim that distance, night was rapidly comm
y on, the capslzed boat was to light to supper
d more than three of them at once, and the
IS were ruefully awaiting the bitter consequence
ID ID of their mad frolic, when the keepers daugh
v ter, spying them through the dusk, hastene
'F to their relief, and rescued them from the
impending fate. The one who climbed tn
|
II received mortal wound at the disastrous ba
Of tie of Bull Rum but the others are still livinl
1Ses and doubtless cherish gratefully the memory
IT. IT. their young preserver.
I'll During the intervening period of ten yea
ty this heroine of the harbOr has saved five otht
fe it lives. One cold and windy February day, thrt
e. intoxicated soldiers stole skiff and set out fl
on the fort. By some drunken recklessness the
ae all soon stove hole in the bottom, and the boz
~ rapidly filled. Two of the men succeeded
M M swimming ashore again. and were so alarme
at their adventure that they ran away and ne
er came back; but the third clung to the su
,p- merged skiff and tried to paddle it with b
ers feet across the harbor. When discovered al
Of picked up, with his hat in his teeth and be
latt tic of whisky in each pocket. he was stiff al
"a "a cold, and barely escaped perlshing in his de
l6 perate attempt. The next rescue was in ia
he uary, 1867. A valuable sheep escaped fro
s those who had it in charge, dived off one of Il
pat wharves, and started to swim around the ha
I'll Dor. Three men, who went in pursuit alor
lleod the fort road, found skif and put out to re
the cue the animal. But the fierce southeast ga
%r rV was too much for them the boat began
be swamp rapidly, they could not regain the shor
ieet and were staring death in the face when {
ade fearless Ida went to their relief, carried the
at and their skiff to land, and then went out q
eby saved the sheep! In the remaining instanC
th Hhbe it seems that hnelookng, but reckless you
e Of fellow, stole large sailboat from one of t
her ooo -, o,,or;a, ooJ ,,,,k n q
!, or "hal .OS OhS "i"ICA S'O"t, o"u pu' "
- with it, but the gale drove the craft up on
per, Se Little Lime Rock" about a mile from t
cal light, where it sunk, leaving the unlucky tn
rop cingng to the halyards from midnight till dav
r2ed %ed when the heroine reached and picked him
eed; "There he was, says Miss Lewis, in reati
nT me. the incident, shaking and God blessing Il
tiOn and begging to be set on shore, and the !
nted | saw of him he was crawling up the wharf
Hfr To- his hands and kneesp
SAID said The heroism of Grace Darling was the res
time of single noble impulse; the bravery OF
ID ,ada Is Lewis is part of her daily life. Sixteen ye
litsdi litsd ago, the liLht on Lime Rock was establish
1T"G per- and Hosea Lewis, veteran ex-revenue pi
,,.o. familiar with the coast from Halifax to N
folk, because its keeper on the 8th Of DecC