The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-12-06 00:00:00

The foil )wing le an extract from a letter of a corres•
pondent at Cardiff:—

A few Incidents of *very thrilling chancier were related
by one or two of the passengers, upon wbme mind' they had
made so in.tellhle impremion. One lady, • 0. B. Spsff 'rd, of
thit•sgo, was with be for ebridri o when thee lid n, dow,,.
e, were sit ito let • su,.lt,tr, twee er.,,
w en et e discovered that she al. me lisd oaten Land was pla-
sh et in the the extreme. the roily child rescued was
Min Helen Hitters, nine years of age, who was
crowing with her parents, her grandfather, and an
elder si.ter, Miss Madeleine Mitten. The little girl
was pined up by one of the Wats, hut unhsp,dly
cu`y to tied herself left an orphan in the wall, for the rest
ot the family all p.trished. Mr. Chaff e Viale tem &CCM pany-
log Lis sitter to France fee the be teat of her health, but she
alone has survived to tell the arid tale of the wrenk. A
sinsuler fact Is related in connexion with Mr. James Bishop,
of 8.-oad way, New Yotk, wits to IMO. the pamengers
brought to land. This la se la to be the thief occwim upon
Which Mr. Bishop La. tat. cry narrow ensue of ii, rile
Os one ozcasion be oat travelling In a railway carriage
in Am-rica when It was precipitated lido • river, and
he escaped by diving ont of the window. At another time
be narrowly stamped being killed by • t trpedo, and now for
the third time he to, beets snatched from the Jews of death.
Am nk. the passengers wean United States Ju lee travell ng
, France in company with his wife. As the .hip was sinking
be wan men tl clasp his wlf e's hands. and Just before they
became engulfed he exclaimed, " L.t us die bravely."
Oae lady le reported to have been Yenned with
a beg of gold said to have contained £2OO round
her neck. The lint class passengers included Cop-
lain Hunter, of the American navy, and his three
daughters. Of the daughters two were rescued. the other
and the father were drowned. As they stood on the deck
the father, whl e taking art affectionate farewell of his
deughtets, exprened Ma belief that hie daughter May would
be Laved "I know God will save you," he said; ',here Is
something for you to do, you must go on again." Min May
Hunter and her sister Annie were two of the 21 Wieners
who lauded at Cardiff.

The Times, on Wednesday, published the following
letter :

In the acconnt given by the miser of the Ville du
Havre there le • very regrettable omiaston. He epeaka about
the Catholic priest conveyl, g to those around him religion.
Comfort and consolation. We all admired the noble conduct
of that faithful clergyman, but the narrative adds, " while
around the priest there wee a terrible excitement and frenzy."
has is not correct Never have I seen people mo calm and
reeigned es the 1)610004Me of the Ville du Havre. N,l one
shriek, not one cry, 1.11. heard from the moment the L oduarn
'tract u. to the moment we went down. Every one was
composed and wonderfully calm. .
- -

A young lady 1.114 pressing her mother on her breast, say.
log, " Courage, dear mother ;It will le One minute's struggle,
then we shall enter together Into heaven. Four sweet
little garb wen surrounding their mother sqd two friends,
wit° were with her saylig. " Let us pray let us uk God to
keep us." About ten or twelve ladles wee., Mile further on
engaged In earnest p . I have never 'hasped such a
manifestation of the Power of faith.

After we had barn taken on boar I the Trimountain wertad
religions web,. s r•very day—One day In Emtliso. one cl.r in
French; and all the rescued officers of the 17441 e du Havre
and the parsengere were regularly present.

- - -
No words can render the meet and subnitigive attitude of
the ladles after the csteetrophe. The poor mother whoee
row ehudffn hal gone down, almost reed *pith coil end
fathme, told me, when we met on the Loehearn, The Lord
had elven me &hoes dear little ones; He Lanes them away.
I will nuhrott to Ells will."
It Ail comfort the numerous friends of the unfortunate
and bereaved puseugers of the Ville du Havre to know that
the Lord susteloed them, aid that both Protestants and
Catholics felt thvy were under the mighty and tender care of
the same merciful Father.—lielieve me, yours sincerely,
Tn. LoenleUT, Pasteur I Paris, one of the
Pameengers of the Ville do Havre.
London, Dec. 2.