Mother to the rescue !!!!

[rip]

I was doimg some research into shipwreaks of the great lakes and came across this story that i thought ya'll might like. Conductor: Schooner driven ashore on 11/24/1854 on Long Point, Ontario and broken apart in a gale. This wreck led to what is perhaps the most legendary rescue on the lakes. As the Conductor began to break up and sink in the surf 1/2 mile offshore, a poor woman living nearby named Abigail "Mother " Becker saw the nine man crew in distress and climbing the masts to avoid the icy water. She was a big woman and couldn't afford to buy the special large shoes she required and therefore went barefoot. Since her husband was away and the nearest neighbor lived 14 miles distant, Mother Becker started a fire on the beach to coax the survivors to swim to shore, but not one tried. At this she waded and swam out to the sinking vessel through the surf and dragged the crewmen, starting with the captain, one by one back to the beach. In all she made nine trips to the boat and saved the lives of the entire crew! The story of this deed was widely published in the papers of the time, and was recorded in a poem by Whittier. As a reward for her efforts the Becker family received money, shoes, and a 100 acre farm. For decades following this event steamers sounded their whistles as a tribute as they passed the Becker's house.

[Gregory]

Enjoyed the story Terry