Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-12-04
EVERY SHIP sAluTEs AER.
Twenty Years Vigil of Lonely Woman
on Savannah River.

Twenty Years Vigil of Lonely Woman
| on Savannah River.
Several weeks ago, as the savannah
line steamer Ciry Of Columbus was
| picking her way carefully up the mar
row channel of the Savannah river,
the passengers on deck were sur
prised to hear Capt Burg give four
blasts OF the steamers whistle.
There we're no steamers in sight, and
Those on deck were naturally curious
to know what me skipper was blowing
for. A young womSc started for the
bridge TO and out, but was restrained
By fellow passenger, who said the
captain was too busy at that moment
to tell why he saluted. IF you will
take this marine glass; he said, land
look over on the south shore you will
most likely see a woman waving a
white flag from the porch Of that little
white cottage"
!. II was some monutes before the
young woman was able TO focus the
glass on the cottage, and the steamer
had gone about 300 fathoms beyond
the place where the four blasts were
blown.
i've found It," said the girl with
the glass excitedly. II can see the
woman waving the flag. She is wav.
ing it now"
Yes, observed the man who
owned the glass. "and she win con-
tinue to wave it until we are epm-
pletely out of sight"
After many passengers had taken
their turn for look at the white cot.
tage the curious young woman again
wanted to know why the ship had
whistled four times.
81 thought you knew by this time,s
said the man. you saw the woman
waving. didn't your
"Oh. see," she replied. How silly
of me not to have seen it before! OF
course. the woman waving the flag on
the porch is the captains wife"
The man replied. You'd better not
let the skipper hear you say that
/ We'll, why did he salute the womsn
of the white cottage? is she the
owner of the line or does he salute
everybody who waves flag to him
along the Savannah river?"
! Not at ALL said the man, who by
this time had the entire passenger
complement for an audience, "The
woman whom Capt. Burg saluted a
few minutes ago is Recognized by every
skipper who passes up and down the
river and for the last twenty years ne
steamer has passed Tybee light that
has not saluted her as she waved to
it from the porch"
But she surely doesn't wave to
steamers at night?" remarked the
young woman.
81 should say she does. That little
woman keeps track of all the steam
ers bound for and scheduled to leave
Savannah and unless she goes up to
the city shopping there isn't one gets
past her."
But why does she do it?'' asked
the young woman earnestly.
4 Well, now, you've got me-" sighed
the man with the glass. 81 don't
know that l ever heard the correct
story of the woman's faithful vigil.
Some say she lost lover on a deep
water tramp twenty years or more
ago, and she has memory. Others say
the passing Of ships in the night or
in the day is the only diversion that
ever comes to that God-forsakeE
marsh where the cottage stands"
=, !, 70
man. I'm going down to see her
when l get to Savannah"
Her name is Miss Mortus," said the
man with the glass. I've forgotten
her first name. She lives there with
her mother and her brother. The
brother is in charge of the range
lights on Elba island"
Two weeks later as the City OF
Memphis was steaming by the white
cottage on the south marsh the same
young woman waved small Ameri
can flag from the bow, and after Capt
Dryer gave the customary three toots
of the siren tiny American flag was
waved from the porch of the white
cottage. Rushing back to her state
room the woman scrubbed hasty note
and gave it to the purses to be posted
on arrival in New York.
There's great material for novel
on Elba island" she whispered to her
roommate, land the waving of that
little American flag from the white
cottage on the marsh was signal
chat was free to write the story"