The San Francisco call., 1908-12-20

GIRLS HEROIC ACT
STILL REMEMBERED
Public Recalls Grace Darling
and Her Rescue Of Ship
wrecked Passengers
Brave Young Woman Who Had
No Fear of Sea Died of
Consumption


Few women have retained more af-
fectionate hold on the public mind than
Grace Darling. Her name had. doubt
less, something to do with the enorm-
Gus popularity she achieved, but Tar
more than all this her heroism was ap-
plauded because of her youth and her
humble condition.
Born at Marlborough, Northumper-
land, in November, 1915, she was the
seventh child of a family of nine Her
grandfather was the lighthouse keeper
on the Farne Islands, post to which
her father eventually succeeded. Little
is known of her childhood; her parents
We're severely religious, and brought
up their children accordingly. Story
books were not allowed in the house;
games We're not encouraged; Whlle as
for cards, they were looked upon as the
devils books"
SAW LITTLE OF WORLD
Despite the very humble position OF
the family Grace seems to have enjoyed
| a very fair education, fact which,
considering that she spent her childish
days in the Farne lighthouse says much
| for her parents. Naturally she knew
and saw little of the world. She is
| described by contemporary writer as
! being very retiring and little given to
conversation gentle in aspect and
mild and benevolent in character. AS
| to her appearance she was decidedly
good looking. She had small round
face with large eyes, a we'll shaped
nose, and small mouth. Her complexion
was fair. 1t is said by her biographers
that she was the most feminine OF all
| women.
1t must have been a painfully dull
| life in the Farne lighthouse, but Grace.
in addition to assisting her mother to
keep house, was of the greatest SER
vice to her father in his daily work
With few opportunities of going on
| shore, her one mode of exercise was
rowing, which was almost daily prac-
| tice with her. Thus she became thor
/ oughly Injured to the sea, the widest
storm having as little terror for her
as it had for the Oldest sailor.
THE GIRLS HEROIC ACT
1t was on September 6, in the year
1888, that Grace Darling performed
the heroic act which, one might almost
say has made her immortal. She was
but % years of age at the time. One
evening, toward sunset, in boisterous
weather and high sea, as Grace and
her father kept watch in the light
house, a ship was suddenly observed
laboring in the gale. 1t was the
steamer Forfarshire, bound from Hull
to Dundee with a rich cargo, crew of
| 20 and Al passengers. She had started
on her voyage with a patched up leak.
which it was thought would carry her
through her journey. Very soon, how
ever, the repairs gave out, the water
1 Increased, and with the fires extin-
guished the vessel drifted on the rocks.
| 1t does not appear that Grace and
her father realized the helpless condi-
tion of the vessel until the next morn
ing. At daybreak. looking across the
sea, they espjed a vessel a mile off,
beating against the rocks. BY the
help of a glass the sufferers were dis
| tinctly seen clinging to the wreck.
Darling was no coward. he was accus-
toned to all the dangers of the sea, but
on the present occasion the gale was
SO strong and the waves so high that
he saw that to put out to the rescue in
small boat was not only useless, but
almost certain death. But Grace had
no such forebodings. 1t was sufficient
for her that there was a ship wrecked
and help was needed.
boat Is LAUNCHED
And so she begged and implored her
father TO allow her to launch the boat
and row to their assistance. At first,
Darling treated her solicitations as ar
rant madness. AT last, however, he was
induced to give way: the boat was
launched and togethsr they nowed off
to the wrecked ship. The journey was
a perilous one; at any moment the lit
tie boat was in imminent danger of be-
/ ing swamped.
| AT last the vessel was reached and
the nine remaining survivors of the
ships passengers and crew were taken
! off the rock and conveyed safely back
| to the lighthouse. For two days the
gale held on its course, thus absolutely
preventing any communication with the
mainland.
| Once landed, the survivors were not