Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-02-05
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Tuesday EVENING, FEBRUARY 5.
A Woman's HerOIsm.

A Woman's HerOIsm.
Among the many soul narrowing incidents
attending the wreck of the Metropolis, on Cur
rituck Beach, it affords 81 mpstbizlng humanity
pleasure to record series of incidents and &C
cidents illustrative Of degree OF cool courage
and UNPARALLELED heroism which cannot fail to
shed glorious lustre over the names OF the
participants therein. and from them. reflect its
glory upon the American people. One OF the
chiefinstances of heroisn, we'll worthy ofrecord'
was that manifested througho the entire day
of the wreck by Mrs. Anne Huet, who being
early assisted from dangerous position on the
main deck to one comparatively secure 10 the
starboard foreriggiDg, remained there until the
closing scene spectator of the principal nor
rors. vet clamIy awaiting whatever fate Heaven
might have in store for her without murmur.
And surely her experience during the trying
dav was Of a kind seldom encountered by her
sex. Scarcely secured 10 her new position she
witnessed the death of Mrs. Harrison who.
when washed from the pilot house, was grasped
bv Ouartcrmaster Poland and almost immedl'
ately torn from bis arms by breaker, which
drowned her there and then, at the same time
washing her husband from the wreck to safety,
a strange ruling of Providence, the same wave
proving the harbinger OF death to one and OF
life to the other of this welded pair. The tall
of the maipmast and the instant rending of the
after portion of the ship, With the violent death
of several who had clustered 10 the slight shell.
ter afforded by the saloon to the starboard
waist, must have been most horrifylDg to NO.
man, since it forced tears to eyes that had Wit
messed death 10 various forms on many decks
aud on many fields, but only prayers passed her
lips, and those were for the repose OF the souls
of the departing.
Again, when father and son were torn
asunder beneath her gaze, the comely lad OF
perhaps fifteen sinking to his final rest within
few feet Of her, DO outcry escaped her but a
fetyeut prayer that God would have mercy Oh
the soul SO suddenly called TO judgment. Sew.
eral times during tho day she had casped the
hand which had aided her to secure position
With the murmured hope that he would not
desert her. while the broDzed son of the sea,
bis own heart aching for the dearly loved wife
that be might never see again, could only an.
sWe1;-
Him."
But most touching of all her manifestations
during the day was her prayers that her bus,
band might be admitted to secure position
obliged to decliue 10 view OF the paramount
claims Of the sick and Injured who had found
refuge there.
Again was her heroic fortitude most mani.
tested when the unclouded beams Of the fast
sinking sun flashed brightly over the last group
of despairipg survivors Of the wreck 10 their
struggle for life, as tho last vestige Of the Ill
tated ship sank beneath them, torn asunder
and borne down to the bottom by the resist
less surf. The foremost bad fallen, and the
deck beams torn from their fastenings, bad per-
mitted the sides of the ship to separate, the
starboard side gciog deeper and deeper
down as each successive surge passed over
until all that clinglog group OF over forty
were forced into their battle with the waves Then
my informant, who had been throughout most
deeply interested in the lsdy's fate, saw her and
her husband submerged by three heavy seas in
rapid succession, the last one washing them
clear of the forechains among small mass OF
wreck. Amid the smothering foam he msnsg-
uttered during the day, Trust in God and your
life preservers," and relinquishing his last hold
on the wreck, now entirely .engulted joined
them in their battle for life. a lew minutes later
he saw that husband and vile together, yet
separate, both evidently the plsythings of the
surge and despsiring Of their safety, was borne
on toward the shore Again he saw her when
struggling in the under tow. distant some ten
yards from himself and without her husband
and though almost in the jaws Of death himself
thank God |" that spluttered from his lips
through the breaking foam. A few minutes
later the friendly hands of Timothy OBrien
aided others in placing him in safety and q few
minutes later bore the form of the heroic wo.
man from the surf nsensible, bur alive, monu-
mont of the Almighty Providence that had
borne her sill unaided through the terrible scene
In about thirty minutes she revived to fnd her
husband beside her. He had washed ashore
about forty yards below the beach, and
when dragged out his first exclamation was
rs my wife drowned?"
He was told she was saved, and, overjoyed,
was carried to her side, where he remained until
she opened hor eyes to realize that both had e..
capped watery grsves.-Cor. N. 7. Herald.