The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-06-14
THE HEROINE OF LONG POINT,

from a paper read before the Buffalo Historical
Society, by Capt. E. P. Dorr.l
Looking upon the map or chart of
Lake Erie you will see Long Point
island, on the Canada side, near and be-
tween Port Rowan and Port Dover, the
ports above and below the island. It is
about seventy-fve miles from Buffalo,
running parallel with the main shore of
Canada, its western point terminating
upon Port Rowan bay, where is formed
what is called " the Gut" named SO as
it is formed of quicksands-the violent
gales and great waves, with the rapid
current formed by them, cutting through
the main shore into Port Rowan bay,
making for awhile passage that vessels
may sail through, and forming also an
island of Long Point, when otherwise it
is only peninsula, the entrance being
almost or quite choked up with the drift
ing quicksand. The whole island is
made from the upheaving sands of the
lake. It is covered here and there with
dwarf, sparse trees and trailing shrub
berry f.; the land made up of broken hill
locks, with intervening ponds, where the
wild fowl in great numbers resort in
their season, and the muskrat and occa-
sionally otter are found. The island and
it's Port Rowan bay approaches are now
owned and kept as private preserve by
an American association of gentlemen,
who have stocked the waters with fish,
and let them improve and breed for the
past three years, until last fall. I was
told recently by one of the proprietors
that last fall they took several whitefish
from their waters weighing ten, twelve
and fifteen pounds, the result of rest and
allowing the fish to breed and multiply
without molestation and destruc-
ton. The approaches OH the inland
side of Port Rowan bay are full of wild
rice, the food of wild ducks and geese,
where myriads of them resort, and the
best shooting exists for the privileged
few who own it.
At the time of which I write, 1854,
Long Point island was owned as wild
land by the British on Canadian Govern
ment. Upon it's eastern end, stretched
out to long point of sand, stands
lighthouse, built by the Canadian Gov
eminent to guide the mariner by it's clear,
strong light up and down the lake, and
it is point Of departure to assure sea-
men of their true position. The light
ahOuse and point of land on which it
stood were in a direct line several miles
from the main shore of Canada, and it's
keepers and families being the only in
habltants proper upon the island. Toward
the upper end, near the cut, some eight
or nine miles from the lighthouse (the
whole island probably is about twelve
miles long, there were squatted and
lived temporarily Johnny Becker, with
his wife Abigail and some half-a-dozen
children. Johnny was trapper he led
a nomadic life, trapping muskrats,
beaver, and other game, shooting ducks
and fishing, eking out poor existence
from these precanous modes of life. He
had built a sort of shanty home from
the slabs and drift-wood that had been
accumulated on the beach. Here let us
tuEn to it.
On cold, stormy November night in
1854, Johnny Becker was away on the
main land at Port Rowan to swap his
skins for supplies, and to return when he
could. Housed in this shanty was Abb
gail, his wife, the heroine of our story.
Let us leave her there with her children.
while we turn to another scene and fact
In our story. The Canadian three
masted schooner Conductor, of Amherst
burg, Canada, owned by John Mcleod,
a Scotch gentleman and member of the
Canadian Parliament her commander.
Capt Robert Hackett, now of Detroit
lwhose father kept lighthouse on Bo-
bolo island, opposite Amherstburg,
many years., and manned by crew of
seven men in ALL This vessel. loaded
with wheat, bound from Detroit to a
lower port, through the Welland canal
on the night IN question, was in the
vicinity OF Long Point island and near
Abigail Becker's rude home. II was
blowing terrible gale of wind. the
weather bitter cold, the tops of the
waves freezing in the air as they broke
filling it with frozen spray, so that moth
ing could be seen twenty feet away from
the vessel.
The Conductor was scudding before
the wind under close-reefed sails. thew
judged they were safe and proper dis
lance from the land and running parallel
with it, on toward their port of destina-
ton, in which they were deceived. Thev
were nearer the Canadian shore than
they supposed, and, at midnight, struck
the outer bar Of Long Point, beat over
it, and sunk between the two bars. it,
tie above the place where Abigail Becker
and her children were sheltered on that
fearful night. The vessels hull was en-
tirely submerged; the crew took to the
rigging Of the three masts, their only
refuge. 1t was about midnight of q
fearful, stormy November night, the sky