Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1869-05-15
IDA LEWIS.
The Grace Darling of America.

ttface Darling, the heroic daughter o
the Longstone igthouse-heeper Oh
the English coast, launched a boat
upon the raging tide, and rescued
with her relunctant fathers aid, and
ut the imminent peril of her life, nine
/ persons from the disastrous wreck OF
the Forfarshaire steamer. For this
fearless and noble act, done i'm her
80 year, praises and rewards were
heaped upon her i'm unstinted meas
ure, fund of $500 was subscribed
for her benefit, the remaing four years
OF her life were crowned with every
comfort, and her name has passed into
current usage asa synonym for an I'M
selfish and heroic woman.
Two weeks since, toward the close
OF stormy March afternoon, Ida
Lewis, the intrepid daughter of the
Lime Rock lighthouse-keeper, in
Newport II. /. harbor, performed q
deed that places her side by side, in
point of self-sacrficing courage, with
the Grace Darling of England, and
rounds a career of even greater useful
ness in the saving of human life
The rain fell that day in binding tor
rents, and the gale drove the waves
across the harbor with fury that
taxed the full strength and skill of
the most experienced boatmen. In
the midst of this storm, reckless
boy scarcely IA years old, who had
somehow obtained possession of one
of the smallest and most unsafe sail
boats in the harbor (since christened
the soldier drowner succeeded in
pursuading two soldiers, Sergt. James
Adams, and Private John McLaugh-
lin, to let him carry them across from
the city; thither 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 lads asser-
ton 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 har-
bOra sudden blast struck the sail, the
startled boy jammed the helm in the
wrong direction, the boat capsized in
an instant, and the waves rolled it
twice over, like the veriest cookie
shell. For long half hour its luck
less occupants cluig to the keel, and
wrestled against the binding rain
and the fierce salt waves with all the
energy of despair; but finally the
boys strength was exhausted, his
hold relaxed--one clutch at McLaugh-
Inns shoulder, and, with a frenZied
laugh upon his lip, he was gone !-nor
has any trace of him since been seen.
Fast pRralyzing 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 suddenly, out from the
lime rock, halfa 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
only slender youth, and still slen-
derer 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 capsized that
way % turned the boat with a we'll
timed stroke, backed it up, one man
was drawn safely in over the stern,
another backward pull, another lift,
anu VIC IttAJ tiC Claltt Nltil
its freight of rescued lives, was scud-
ding through the spray back to the
rock again. The sergeant was able
to stagger on shore, but Private Nc
Laughlin had to be carried into the
lighthouse, where both of them re-
Fceived the utmost care and kindness,
and were safely conveyed to Fort
Adams the next day.
The heroine of this daring exploit
was born Feb. rs, 1912, and is thus in
her 2Sth year, but her first rescue OF
imperilled life dates back to Septem-
Der, 1859, when she was only seven
teen. -Four gay young fellows, all
about Is 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 than the others, climed
the mast and upset the boat half q
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 three of them at once, and they
were ruefully awaiting the bitter con
sequences of their mad frolic, wher
the keepers daughter, spying them
through the dusk, FASTENED to theil
relief and rescued them from theil
impending fate. The one who climb
; ed the mast enlisted at the opening
of the war, and received a morta
wound ut the disastrous battle of Bull
Run, but the Others are still living
and doubtless cherish gratefully TIT
memory of their young preserver,
During the intervening period o
ten years this heroine of the harbol
has saved five other lives. One colo
and windy February day, three intoX
: icated soldiers stole skiff and setou
i for the fort. BY some drunken reck
lessness they soon stove a hole In TIN
bottom, and the boat rapidly filed
Two of the men succeeded in swim
ming ashore again, and We're 81
: alarmed at their adventure that the.
! ran away and never came back bu
the third clung to the submerged ski
: and tried To paddle 1t with his fee
) across the harbor. When discovers
! and picked up, with his hat in hi
teeth and a bottle of whisky in eacl
pocket, he was stiff and cold, ant
barely escaped perishing in his DIES
perate attempt. The next rescue wa
In January, 1857. A valuable sheel
r escaped from those who had ID il
: charge, dived off one of the wharves
} and started to swim around the har
> Dor Three men, who went in pur
suit along the fort road, found SIKH
and put out to rescue the ANIMAL
! But the fierce southeast gale was to-
e much for them, the boat began Z
I swamp rapidly, they could not regal
i the shore, and were staring death II
, the face when the fearless Ida wen
! TO their relief, carried them and thei
I skif to land. and then went out an
Ia t., thn a nj M