{"id":2487,"date":"2022-08-01T12:30:28","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T16:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nelights.com\/blog\/?p=2487"},"modified":"2025-03-06T13:34:03","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T18:34:03","slug":"miracle-baby-rescue-near-mount-desert-rock-light-in-maine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nelights.com\/blog\/miracle-baby-rescue-near-mount-desert-rock-light-in-maine\/","title":{"rendered":"Miracle Baby Rescue Near Mount Desert Rock Light in Maine"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Mount<\/a>

Mount Desert Rock Lighthouse<\/p><\/div>\n

Miracle Baby Rescue Near Maine’s Most Remote Beacon, Mount Desert Rock Lighthouse<\/span><\/h2>\n

Mount Desert Rock Lighthouse<\/a><\/strong> sits on a ledge and is the most isolated lighthouse in New England because of its location 26 miles away from the mainland. The rocky island is only 600 yards long and 200 yards in width. Fishermen called the island “God\u2019s Rock Garden” as storms would wash away any soil each year, and each year, local fisherman would assist the keepers and their families by bringing and dumping boxes of soil as an annual ritual to help plant small crops.<\/p>\n

\"Early<\/a>

Early Mount Desert Rock Lighthouse. Image courtesy of US Coast Guard.<\/p><\/div>\n

This story demonstrates the spirit of a parent who, when all is lost in times of peril, uses their last moments to try to save their children.<\/p>\n

In the early 1880s, the schooner Helen and Mary <\/em>was carrying a load of granite from Halifax, Nova Scotia, when threatening weather suddenly came upon them by Mount Desert Rock Lighthouse, many miles from shore. The first mate, Nelson White, tried to convince Captain Parker to head towards Maine\u2019s Jonesport Harbor for safety. Still, the captain was eager to make his destination and receive payment for his cargo. The captain\u2019s wife, the first mate\u2019s sister, accompanied the crew with their baby girl.<\/p>\n

\"Maine's<\/a>

Maine’s most remote lighthouse.<\/p><\/div>\n

As the weather worsened, the waves strengthened and washed some deck cargo overboard. The captain realized his ignorance too late, and as he started to shout to shorten the sails, fierce gusts of wind caught the fledgling canvas and began to tip the vessel into the raging sea. As the water filled the schooner, the captain\u2019s wife, baby, and crew members were quickly put into the first two boats. First Mate White and Captain Parker tried to drop the second boat into the rough seas, but the attempt was too late. With its heavy cargo, the water-filled vessel was starting to sink beneath the waves, sucking both men underwater. First Mate White reached the surface and climbed atop a large piece of floating wreckage. He observed in horror as the first boat had capsized nearby and could not locate any survivors near it. He agonized over the fact that all passengers and crew, including his sister, baby niece, and brother-in-law, had perished.<\/p>\n

A short time passed, and the seas started to calm when he noticed a small bundle of heavy oilskin floating in the water toward him. He successfully lifted it out of the water and found his sister\u2019s infant daughter wrapped inside, barely wet. Ecstatic that the infant had survived such an ordeal, he tied her as close to his chest for warmth, secured himself to the deck load of wreckage, and collapsed in exhaustion. Hours passed, and the weather cleared as the two survivors drifted in the seas.<\/p>\n

\"Tending<\/a>

Tending the Boys at Mount Desert Rock. Painting courtesy of William Trotter and the US Coast Guard.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

By the early afternoon of the following day, White was sighted by the lighthouse buoy tender Iris <\/em>as he and his niece were quickly brought aboard and given warm blankets and food. The infant had survived and was in good health from such an experience. Both recovered from the exposure and were later brought to Prospect Harbor Lighthouse<\/a><\/strong> for additional medical treatment. All others from the ill-fated Helen and Mary <\/em>perished near Mount Desert Rock Light.<\/p>\n

Nothing is documented about what happened to the miracle baby afterward. Still, many believe her grateful uncle cared for her, as did other family members, in remembrance of his sister and brother-in-law.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n