Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-02-27

ed constantly and the tower shook SO
violently under the pounding OF the
laundering sea that she grew alarmed
and. closing her book, took her brass
lamp and went up TO the lantern to
look out TO sea She stood upon the
trimming path or grated iron footway
that ran around inside the lantern.
The piercing light shining upon the
that her heart almost stopped beating.
The waves rolled and foamed and
smoked. one after another moving in
ranks toward the little rock like some
terrible army.
She had not the courage TO go down
TO the basement, but remained there
on the trimming path actually fasci-
mated By the rampant sea- Higher
and higher rose the waves till now
they began 10 surge against the waist
OF the tower and hogsheads OF water
were flung against the lantern. Tn
der some OF these onsets the building
quivered from top TO bottom. and
sometimes fairly reeled. The ma.
chinery OF steel aud brass clattercd
under IA heavy shock and under the
smaller ones rang like number OF
1 litle bells She stood there with her
face white as one of the foamy waves
/ her hands against the heavy steel
| bars. looking seward, and not NOV
4 ing except when she turned TO trim
| lamp or empty the burnt oil from
! sayeall. She remained in the lantern
\ till probably an hour before dawn; then
I the gale swelled into a greater fury
4 and the storm went bowling and bel
| owing past as if ten thousand con.
demned spirits had burst loose and
went floating by on the hurricane
The swells grew longer and seemed
to roll from the very bottom, and they
ran nimOly and noiselessly up the
| rock up the tower and flung their
/ cold white arms with a swishy yet
thunderous sound completely around
the lantern. almost throwing the
heavy machinery from its place at
every sally. Then as she still gazed
to windward out into the gray drift
she uttered great cry ,Oh, God. de-
I liver me for she saw mighty wave
towering nearly twice as high as any
OF the rest rolling foaming and
( storming at its crest moving toward
1 the rock. As II drew nearer it grew
larger and larger. and when il had
reached within twenty feet OF the
1 light house. it seemed as If the whole
lake had gathered itself up for one on
slaught upon the rock. She had very
little time 10 wait for tho awful in
vader combed and curled several feet
above her head, and then fell with a
crash OF terrible thunder upon the
tower Then the light seemed 70 60
out Of her eyes and she felt as one
does in some turbulent dream; she
could not tell how anything happened;
but the cold lake water gurgling at
her lips brought her 10 consciousness.
The tower was IN the sea
II had broken away close at the
base the posts breaking OH short and
leaving part o. the floor still fastened
to the rock. The upper part OF the
tower being heavy owing TO the ma
chinery and heavy metal work OF the
lantern when 1t fell over into the sea
the top sank perpendieularly into the
water the base remaining uppermost
and two OF the floor beams still lay
across il with some OF the flooring.
As for the brave girl she never
knew how 1t came to pass but in some
providentiaI way sho foated upward
from the lantern 10 the base. and when
consciousness returned found herself
in the midst Of the wild sea with a
large beam at her elbow. This she 81
once seized with both arms. holding
firmly, and STOPPING her head whom a
great wave came breaking over the
top OF tho wreck. At the base OF the
tSver there happened 10 be coil OF
Seight rope. such as is usually kept
in these lighthouses and when the
tower tumhlcd over this remained
upon its hook upon the wall. The
girl cspied ii, and putting coil Of il
around her waist she fastened It with
two half-hitches and then secured the
blight to stout broken timber above
her. Then she lay across the beam
smitten by the cruel pillows praying
for the dawn. The constant pounding
OF the water upon her body began C
stup ~ her and make her iusensiblc
TO pain. Then she lay scarcely caring
what fate befoll her: but through her
numb senses she knew the storm was
abatiug.
The tower drifted far out into the
lake and when the sun rose touching
tho subsiding waves with yellow gold
her father and her anxious folk on the
shore saw the base Of the tower bob
bling up and down in the waves. Just
as soon as II was smooth enough they
launched couple OF boats and went
/ out to tow tho wreck to shore. the
father broken-hearted at what hi
naturally believed TO be the destruc
ton Of his daughter the fishermen
sorrowing over the fate OF the brave
young girl; but think Of their joy as
, they nearcd the wreck to see her liv
, ing fastened to the timber at the base
Of the tower her hair lloating IN the
, wS.er aud feehly raising her arm a,
She cspicd them They unlashed her