The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1854-11-03
The Signal C,un.

Amidst all the terrible incidents .a;tendan
! upon the destruction Of the Arctic, whic
we have been receiving those two days pas,
there is one that impresses US with feelin,
Of awe and admiratish, and shows all th
world that the age o. heroes is not yet alto
gether gene by. We refer to the young maj
whose post Of duty throughout all that irwin,
scene was the firing off signal gun, ut in
tervals, in the hope of attracting the etten
ton of vessels from a distance to the seen,
of the disaster. While all around him were
death and despair, in bold relief lie stood, (ikt
Hope herself,) with the calm determination
of true hero, dischargng gun after gun, un.
til the gallant ship went down beneath the
waves. Here was courage and man!i.
ness, defiance Of death, and an adhesion tc
duty, we might walk over the most famou:
battle-fields in history to look for and no,
find. The soldier who braves the King o,
Terrors at the cannon's mouth, is animated
by species of courage improvised for the oc.
casion, by the 'pemp and circumstance
around him. There can be properly 10 COW.
ards when me II are drawn up in battle array
with drums beating, colors flying, & thoughts
of reward and promotion fitting through the
brain fa victory is won. pastards dare any,
thing then under such stimulants. But the
bravery Of the battlefield is not the bravery
which was shown by our young hero of the
wreck. Tne former issa species Of unnatural
courage--it is of an animal nature; but the
latter was moral courage of the highest and
noblest kind. With his lighted match he SEEM
pI I'm md nn ,,E tI,tl toI IL;
hurling defiance, as it were, in the very jaws
of death itself. Others W re desperately
strugg ling for life; he alone seemed to have
resoII ed 10 demonstrate how a man may die
at his post Of duty, without dread or fear, in
the midst of horrors that would make most
men cowards.
Awlully impressive, indeed--terribly melo-
dramatic--was the last scene of all, in which
our young hero shone forth, wringng excla-
nations of admira tien oven from lips that
were buffeting the hungeriig waters then
murmpring Tor their prey. Stuart Holm
Qer that was his name) "could not be indu-
ced to leave the ship; his post was at the
gun, from first to last, firing signals; he kept
firing that gun at intervals till the ship went
down. We saw himin The u@,y act Of firing
as the Vessel disappeared Jeloc The ,oatcrs."
In Greek or Roman days such a man, if he
had not awarded him tho honors Of deifca-
tion, would have had Senutes decreeing him
statues aud monuments everywhere to COM
memorate his deeds, that his example might
not be lost upon posterty. His conduct Is
given a new lustre, contrasted with that Of
the cravens, who, only anxious to save their
own lives, shut their ears to the shrieks of the
helpless women and children that were grap
pling with horrors all around and about them.
Honor then, eternal honor, to him who went
down to death conqueror of death! That
noble ship had many noble spirits OIL board,
but none nobler than he.
The brave man is not he who feels no fear,
For that were stupid and irrational
But lie whose noble soul its fears subdues,
And braveiy braves the danger nature slIrinks
frOm.n lSnAKsPEARE
-Ne,c York Express.