The evening world., 1912-03-18
Ten Days and Nights Mrs.
Borque Had Fog Bell Co
ing and Lights Burning.
SHE NEARLY WENT MAD.
Saw Husband Drowned and
Took Up Duties in Nova
Scotia Lighthouse.

HAILFAX. ". s.. March H-Mrs.
Peter Borque. who with her baby was
rescued by the Government steamer Seal
yesterday from the Bird Rock Hight
house. tells . thrilling story Of how.
alone In the lighthouse for ten terrible
days and nights after her husband. the
keeper Of the light. had fallen from the
rock and been drowned beneath her eyes.
she Kept the lamp burning and the bell
ringing through fog and storm almost
Without food or sleep. She was nearly
erased by her sufferinEs and so weak
che could barely crawl along the deck
after che had been carried on the Seal.
The Bird Rock IA an island In the
0aGdslene group in the most Storm
swept arsa Of the Nova Scotia coast.
70 y nine miles from the nearest habl-
tstion II only visited four times a
yeAf when Government vessels 10 there
Win supplies And 20 examine the light.
TIE 6eai W. attracted yesterday by
signals OF distress. and when a boats
Grew climbed tho slippery oiifs they
found Mr.. BorQue and her baby nearly
W. ~ N Ace'ou t"e u"oS VIII "ot
survive.
Eleven days ago Peter Boraue slipped
a. he was entering the light during a
.storm. IiAs brave wife tried to get a
lifebelt TO him. but he was beaten upo
NE rocks by the waves and drowned.
Ever since ] have kept the beacon
going" said Mrs. BorqGe. whose story
u told In wireless messages from the
9eeA. and 1t intervals Of ive and ten
wlnutss I toiled the bell. hoping that
<osne vessel would come. But a thick
~ covered everything and I feared my
oAAyuais would never be heard or under
6tood.
"For . day or two after my husband
YES drowned I thought ! should 60 mad.
But I forced myself to keep up. ! real
Used that the light depended upon me.
~ that ] must he brave and attend 10
the WORK that had cost me my husband
linti help came and I could let the Gov
eminent know.
But ny poor baby suffered terribly.
We hsA food supplies enough. but I
Oouid not md time to prepare Il. The
weather was the worst I have seen In
years. Baby cried constantly. and all
! could do was hold It In my arms for
warmth. for Il was frightfully cold. and
At last I thought God must have de.
serted me and ! cried myself. Every
time ] crswled up into the light tower
70 trim and all the lamps and keep them
burning I carried the baby with me in
my arms.
DAY after day and night after night
4 ALL an v~N, Iu>Aa AAa -... A-. -,
would ome For Ave days and NIGHTS I
mover closed my eyes. On the sixth I
woke suddenly from q brief slosp ana
something kept whispering to me TO
have courage and that a ship was COM
iag.
II did not dare TO sleep lest n shin
should come. Several times I thought I
heard the sound Of the foghcrns of yss.
ssas. but the fog was 20 thick that I saw
aens Of them and one seemed to hear
ny essi.
Every hour I could sea my baby's
taca gstting paler a thinner. and when
Il slept ! feared II was dying. Only the
sheo9ht that ! must keep the light going
tSpt me alive and prevented me. ! think.
nom going mad. I felt that death was
% near n human help SO far away.
At last I became % weak I remained by
the lamps afraid that II I went away
from them ] would never crawl back
'aSAin.
Never did I know there could be
suoh suffering. Then ! saw the Seal
and ! wept with Joy and summoned up
the strength ! could to rlns the bell and
all the while l was In agony lest II
should not be heard"
Mrs. Borque aud her child are being
brought here on the Seal and the Cana
dian Government will provide for her
and her child AS long as they live. Il IL
thought. One of the Seals crew was
left at the light ntil q new keeper re-