The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-05-14
GRACE DARLING.

who SCARED into celebrity forty years ago,
and has since given her name to babies,
ships and towns, have published a little
book about her which takes most of the
romance from her story. The tale as it
is frequently told represents to us beau
| tiful girl viewing from the shore Il ship
wreck on 4 distant island and imploring
in vain the boatmen gathered there to
make one effort to rescue the drownin"
| people.
/ At length her own father, moved by
! her tears and passionate entrcaties. ex-
! claimed, in the dialect of his country:
! The wench shall haze her WILL
Saying this, he launched his boat, the
men standing by refusing to assist OF 60
with him. Seeing this, she sprang into
the boat, took one of the oars, and sue
ceeded, with her fathers help, in rescu-
! ing nine persons from the wreck. all that
remained alive when they reached it.
It seems a pity to alter so good story
after it has been atioat in the world for
forty-two years: but the family have
done it, nevertheless, and given us in
stead a tale less striking and much more
probable.
On the northeastern coast of England.
! in the county of Northumberland, sin
Teen miles below the Scottish border is
! group of seventeen small islands called
the Farne Islands. from two to five miles
from the main land, craggy and rock
| bound, the haunt for countless ages of all
/ the sea birds known to that latitude. On
one of these, called Longstone, there
was and is a light house. in which lived
the family of the DarlingS alone, father,
mother, and their daughter Grace. TWEEN
| ty-thrce years of age, who assisted them
in keeping the light house ready for in
Spect;on.
She was 4 Girl If delicate frame and
, constitution, Il black haired beauty, Of
iady-liilc appearance and gentle manners.
Except that she could read and write
! with very moderate allowance Of spell
Z
/ ishly call uncducated. She knew enough,
however, to do her duty to her parents,
to enjoy existence severed from her
species and to contribute essentially to
| the eheerfulness and dignity OF her
island home.
TN the morning of September :, 1898.
William Darling and his daughter were
out earlier than usual. \ terrible gale
! was blowing from the north, accompanied
with rain. and both of them were on the
alert at the dawn of day to make things
secure about the light house before the
turn of the tide. Vt 4 quarter of five.
when the daylight was still imperfect.
Grace observed a steamer ashore on a
| craggy island half mile distant and she
| called the attention of her father to it.
The sea was breaking so violently over
| the vessel and the morning was dark that
! more than two hours passed before they
| could be sure whether or not there We're
living persons on the vessel. But about
seven they saw three or four human
! figures upon the rocks near the steamer,
and they began at once to consider
whether it was possible to save them.
Both thought they could get to the
wreck, but not back again unless assisted
by some of the rescued persons. as on
their return there would be strong tide
to contend with. They concluded to
take the risk, both being i'll perfect ac-
cord from the beginning to the end of
the affair. Precisely what they did was
|. related by the father in his official letter
to the Lighthouse Board, now published
for the first time.
I'VE agreed" he said. that if we
could get to them, some of them would
| be able to assist us back, without which
we could not return: and, having no Idea
of Possibility of a Boat coming from
! North Sunderland. we amedately Lancll-
ed our Boat. and was Enable to gain the
! rock, where we found 5 men and l
women, which judged rather too many
! to take at once in the state of the
and four Men to the Longstone: two OF
them returned with me, and succeeded
! in bringing the remainder. in all pei
| sons safely to the Longstonc about nine
| o'clock.'
That is the exact statement of the case
| by horest William Darling. who had no
romance in his composition. His daugh-
ter Grace assisted him to row his boat
| about one mile. although in straight
line the distance was only half a mile
, and helped him rescue from very pain
| full situation one woman and four men,
! Having done this, she went into the
| light house and devoted herself. with her
mothers aid, to the care and restoration
of the persons saved. The storm was Of
such violence and duration that the ship
wrecked persons had to remain with
| them two days and nights. as it was not
| possible to communicate with the main
| land.
"Thc suflerings of the poor woman
Grace Darling wrote afterwards. "seem-
ed to me to be rarely eaualed, having
struggled nearly two hours to save her
dear children, until they both died in her
| hands"
Grace Darling performed a highly cred
| table act; but neither she nor her father
would have supposed they had done any
thing so very extraordinary if they had
not been told so by others. Nor indeed
can it be truly said that she saved lives.
| The tide was falling. leaving more and
more of the rock free from water, and in
I 4 short time other assistance came.
The nearest village to the Farne Island
is Marlborough, two or three miles dis
tant. gentleman living there. VIII"
probably knew the excellent charact II #
the Darlings, sent an account of the az
fair 10 the Duke Of Northumberland
(then living at his seat near by) who was
then the President of the Royal Humane
Society. The Duke called attention to
the exploit, and the result was that the