The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-08-23
Ida Lewis, the Heroine of Lime
Rocks.

Rocks.
All who come to Newport, rich or
poor, have a curiosity to see Ida Lewis,
+" the Grace Darling of America who
has made her name famous by saving
life at the peril of her own. She and her
sister live at the lighthouse on Lime
Rocks, in this harbor, and they kindly
care for their aged mother, who lives
with them. Miss Ida attends to the
light, and we have yet to learn of sin
gle complaint being made against 1t by
any of the numerous mariners who visit
these parts, and is hoped no poll
tician will ever find it in his heart to
have the light placed in other hands.
Miss Ida is fair looking, about thirty
years of age, but it is not likely that she
will ever get married again. 1t will be
remembered that she was married few
years ago, and that she soon afterward
returned to the scenes of her childhood,
being thoroughly disguised with mar
ried life as she found it, and with the de-
termination to remain at the lighthouse
and care for her mother, rs long as the
latter should live at least. She appears
to be happy. r--
Briefly, her first exploit in saving life
was the rescue of four young men,
whose boat capsized in the harbor dur
ing the winter of 1858, she being moth
ing but school girl at the time. In the
winter of 1866 she saved the life of 4
soldier from Fort Adams, who was at
tempting to reach the fort in
small boat. In the month of
January, of the same year, she
saved the lives of three men who had
recklessly pushed off from the shore to
head off flock of sheep, which they
had been driving along the "FOrt
Road and which had taken to the
water. Their boat was swamped, and
Ida, seeing their perilous position, put
off from the lighthouse and saved them,
and she subsequently was instrumental
in getting the sheep to the shore. The
same winter she rescued a man from
rock near the lighthouse, to which he
was clinging, with the cold, icy water
washing his body, and when saved by
this heroic lady he had let go his hold
and the tide was taking him out to sea.
His boat, it appeared, had struck one of
the rocks, and had become a complete
wreck. During the winter of 1869 she
saved the lives of two soldiers from
Fort Adams, a very hazardous under
taking and fraught with extreme peril.
On the day of the rescue, late in the
! afternoon, Ida's mother saw two men
clinging to their boat, which had been
capsized and which was drifting rapidly
to sea. The wind was blowing a gale
and the water was unusually rough, and,
with a mothers blessing, she lowered
a boat and started for the drowning
men. The angry waves, at each stroke
| of the oar, dashed over the fair
occupant of the boat, who expected
that she would be swamped. She final
| " reached the scene of the disaster, and
with the aid of her brother, mere lad,
who had accompanied her, she hauled
the almost lifeless bodies of the soldiers
| into her boat, took them to her humble
home and administered to their wants.
This last act brought her prominently
before the world, and she received many
tokens of reward. A handsome purse
of money was sent her by the officers and
soldiers at Fort Adams; Newport caused
an elegant boat to be made for her, and
no other than the late James Fisk, jun,
built house on the Lime Rocks for the
use of the boat. The General Assem-
blv took notice of her heroism, and the
Life Saving Benevolent Association of
New York presented her with a medal
and 800 in money. There are other
instances of her bravery, but the above
are the principal ones, and are sufficient
for the public to always remember the
lighthouse keeper of Lime Rocks with
feelings of gratitude, and it is safe to
say that Ida Lewis will never suffer from
want should misfortune Overtake her.
i MeWport Letter to Ne0 York Herald.