National Republican., 1875-09-08
MEDALS FOR HEROIC EXPLOITS - IDA
LEWIS.

June 20, 1874, Congress authorized and
directed the President of the United States
to cause to be prepared and presented to
John Horn, jr., of Detroit, Michigan, a
gold medal, with appropriate devices and
inscriptions, In recognition and in commem-
Grafton of his heroic and humane exploits
in rescuing men, women and children from
drowning in the Detroit river. Congress
also authorized the presentation of gold
medals to Captain Jared s. Crandall and
nine others for saving life from the wreck
of the steamer Metis. This action on the
part of the Government has attracted the
attention of thoughtful people considerably
of late, and it is confirmed as eminently
proper. The medals, in addition to their
inestimable value as badges Of heroism and
courage and as comforting great distlnc-
ton upon a citizen of the Republic, have
an intrinsic value of $40 in gold coin.
Having been authorized in these cases they
will be in others, but the tendency will be
to increase the price in courage and hu-
manitY to be paid for them ; in other words,
the public value of the medal will not be
cheapened by anything like an indiscrimi-
mite presentation of the distinction. This
is right, for the more difficult it is to obtain
such an honor the finer will be the displays
of heroic courage.
The indications, however, are most abun-
dant that public sentiment would freely
| Justify the decoration of Miss Ida Lewis, of
Newport, R. l., with this mark of distinc-
tion, for her courage and humanity in saw
ing life have been conspicuous for several
years, and recently she has saved another
life. As long ago as 1865 she won the title
of the Grace Darling of America and who
was Grace DarlingP She was an English
girl, born November "a, 1916, at Bambor-
| ough, on the coast of Northumberland, and
she died October 90, 1s42. Her father was
the keeper of Longstone lighthouse, the
dreadful night of September 8, 1888, the
Forfarshire steamer, sailing from Hull to
Dundee, was wrecked on one of the crags
of the Farne group, but of ffty-three per-
SONS on board thirty-eight perished that
night, including the captain and his wife.
Early the next morning Grace Darling dis
covered the survivors clinging to the wreck
and surrounding rocks, and where the next
tide would wash them away. The under
taking to save their lives was regarded not
only as most perilous, but hopeless, as
tremendous sea was running at the time,
and against every remonstrance she under
took the task; and, launching her boat, she
proceeded to them, and rescued nine out of
the fifteen, and the remaining six
escaped by other means. Heralds
everywhere proclaimed her bravery
and humanity, and she at once be-
came the heroine of England. Valuable
presents were showered upon her from all
parts of the United Kingdom; her name
was immortalized in eloquence and song,
and an immediate public subscription Of
1900 was raised for her own use. For
this one great act the name of Grace OAR
ling will be forever mentioned with pride
in the record OF heroic deeds, and in that
record the name OF Ida Lewis shines with
equal illumination. In her first notable
achievement she saved the life of a soldier
who had set out for q sail in the harbor in
| a light skif. 1t was one of the bitterest
and most clustering days ever known in
that latitude, yet girl but twenty five
years old, impelled by the spirit of humani-
| ty, ventured to the assistance of man who
had brought himself near death through
sheer folly. One day during the autumn
Of the following year, while an awful gale
was raging, two men set out to cross the
harbor with several sheep, and, in trying
to rescue one that had fallen overheard
came near swamping their boat; seeing
their peril from the window of her fathers
light house, Miss Lewis went to their aid,
and after landing them. safely went back
and rescued the sheep. But her greatest
exploit was performed on the 29th Of March,
1869, when boat containing two young
soldiers and boy was struck by squall
on the hsrbor and overturned. Though Ill
at the time, Ida rushed out of the house,
launched her life-boat, sprang in, with
| neither hat on her head nor shoes on her
feet, reached the wreck just in time to save
the two sailors as they were about losing
their hold from exhaustion, the boy having
meanwhile perished. and rowed them to
the light house. Besides these, she has
performed many other acts Of bravery at
the light house, of which public mention
has not been made. Like Grace Darling,
she has received various presents, but her