Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1869-06-04
5fiscfllanu,
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 spec
ial interest for us. About that time the
Schooner Conductor, owned by John Nc.
Leod of the Provincial Parliament, resi-.
dent 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 consisted Of Capt Hackett, a High
lander by birth, and skillful and ex-
perienced navigator, and six sailors. At
nightfall, shortly after leaving the head
of the lake, one of those terrific storms.
with which the late antumnal navigators
OF that " Sea of the Woods" are all too
familiar, overlook them. The weather
was intensely cold for the season the
air was filled with snow and sleet the
chilled water made ice rapidly, encum-
bering the schooner, and loading down
her decks and rigging. As the gale in
creased, the tops of the waves were shorn
off the fierce blasts, clouding the whole
atmosphere with frozen spray, or what
the sailors call spoon-drift," rendering
1t impossible to see any object few rods
distant. Driving helplessly before the
wind, yet in the direction of its place of
destination, the schooner sped through
the darkness. At last, near midnight,
running closer than her crew supposed
to the Canadian shore, she struck on the
outer bar off Long Point Island, but
heavily across it, and sunk in the deeper
water between it and the inner bar
The hull was entirely submerged, the
waves rolling in, heavily, and dashing
over the rigging, to which the crew be-
took themselves. Lashed there, numbed
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 absent on
the Canada shore, and she left the sole |
adult occupant of the island, save the
light keeper at its lower end, some fif |
teen miles off. Looking out at daylight
on the beach in front of her door. she
saw the shattered boat of the Conductor
cast up by the waves Her experience
Of storm and disaster on that dangerous
coast needed nothing more to convince
her that somewhere in the neighborhood
h uman life had been, or still was in peril.
She followed the southwesternly bend of
The island for little distance, and peer
ng through the gloom of the stormy
morning, discerned the spars of the sunk
IN schooner, with what seemed to be hu-
man forms clinging to the rigging. The
heart of the strong woman sunk within
her, as she gazed upon those helpless fell
ow creatures, so near, and yet so unap-
'roachable. She had no boat, and none
,ould have lived on that wild water
Attcr a moments reflection she went
'ack to her dwelling, put the smaller .
hildren in charge of the eldest. took ,
With her an iron kettle, tin teapot and ,
matches, and returned to the beach. at s
he nearest point to the vessel and gath |
red up the logs and drift-wood, always t
Dundant on the coast, kindled a great 8
re, and, constantly walked back and S
orth between it and the water, stroye TO l
Intimate to the sufferers that they were t
ot beyond human sympathy. As the S
'recked sailors looked shoreward, and /
lw, through the thicl, haze of snow and e
Ieet, the red light of the fire, and the Y
all figure of the woman passing to and s.
70 before it, faint hope took the place b
the utter despair, which had prompt 81
them to let go their hold, and drop n
nto the seething waters, that opened and il
losed about them like the jaws of death. d
tut the day wore on, bringing no abate- 81
lent. of the storm that tore through the ii
all spars, and clutched and tossed them Il
5 it passed, and drenched them with ice a
old spray-a pitiless, unrelenting horror a
sight, sound and touch At last the C.
gloom told them that night a
as approaching, and night under such b
was death. a