The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-01-15
TIE ARCTIC CALAMITY.

THE ARCTIC CALAMITY.
TIE Loss o6 -Four Members OF the New York
Bar-Meesing OF the Judiciavy and the Legal
ProSsssaon % Eulogise their Deceased Brcth-
ysn and Commemorate their Worth
Speeches Of Messrs. Butler, Lord, Burr,
Peabody, Osconor and Brady
An adjourned meeting of the Judiciary and the
r,enbers Of the bar of New York and Brooklyn,
va. convened on Saturday, in one Of the rooms of
~ Court of Common Pleas, to express their sym
axAy and sorrow In the too certain loss Of their
lrethren-Edward Sandford Abaer Benedict and
Harry A. Brady, Esqrs.-whs persisted In the dis
sstsr which befel the steamship Arctic. At the
tsxmsr meeting sentiments Of respect and sympathy
we're expressed in reference to the then undoubted
SuteIlaence Of the death of Samuel N. Woodruff,
Nsq, another member of the bar.
Amongst the members of the profession ct the
pgesent meeting we noticed Chief Justice Oakley,
Ne Hon. Judge Belts, US Circuit Court; Hon. lodge
hasrsou, U. s. District Court; Hon. Judges Ingra-
ham and Daily, Common Pleas; Hon. Judges Duer,
Campbell, Bcsworth and SloS,n, Superior Court;
Hon. +. R Tllou, ex-Recorder; Hon. B. +. Butler,
and Messrs. John Van Buren, James 7. Brady,
Charles O'Conor eek. United States Attorney
James Lormer Graham. III. Dodge, A. W. Bradford,
Surrogate Of the city; D. D. Lord, Vino. Noyes, J.
Diskerson, Junr., j. W. Gerard, Hiram Ketchum,
J. p. JoschimsseD, associate United States At
torney; Augustus Schell, Charles A. Peabody, VIM.
n Evars, II. +. Clark, P. Y. Cutler, g. p Kirkasd,
Richard Busted, B. II. Jarvis, Mr.. Cornell, Mr..
Porter, partner Of the late Edward Sanford, Lo-
Tsnzo B. Shepard, ex.Distrist Attorney; Edward
J. Burr, Joseph BSi0gham, United States Commits
s;oner Richard +. SiilSell, United States Commis-
sioner and many others whose names we were un-
able to ascertain. The court room, which Is one Of
ahe largest now available in the City Hall, was
deasely crowded.
On motion Of Mr.. BENZ. T. BUTLER, Chief Justice
Oakley was called on TO preside.
On motion OF Hon. +. II. TILLoU, the Hon. Judges
Belts and Ingraham were appointed Vice Presi
dents, and those gentlemen theIeupon took their
ssass beside the Chief Justice.
On motion Of Mr. BRADFORD, Mr.. Dodge WAS re-
gues.ed to act as Secretary.
The meeting being now organized, Mr. 81. Dodge
read the minutes of the former proceedings.
Fhe Chief Justise then called on the committee
appointed by the former meeting, to make their re-
port.
Mr.. B. F. BUTLER then rose aud said
Mr.. President With toe first ne vs. Of the wreck
0fthe Arctic, the TACT was made knO to tue snl-
bers OF the bar Of this city and OF Brooklyn chat
nnopg her passengers We four of their numbers.
IA to che OF tsem Me-. Samuel M. Woodruff, we
soon learned by the repors Of Captain Luce and his
e<mpsniOns, that though saved from immsdlase
dsasn, he had been addsd on the first day after the
aeaster, 80 the long catalogue Of those who had al
Nacy iesished At our former msettng we gave 10
his memory che we'll desev we'd tribute Ct our respect,
and 70 his Afflicted family and friends the assurance
Of cur d mpssby In their sorrows. rhe f,te OF the
other ibree was then uncertain According TO the
reo Decslon of some OF the survivors, Mr. Benedict,
wish bis wife, his companion In thas fatal voyage,
and wnh some hfst en- or twenty others mad secured
place in one Of The boats Of rhe Arctic then M
sccous,ed for. This boat there WAS nt thas time
gcSd reason TO believe might ba picks I'd up by some
one OF the nu0erous vessels constantly travelling
that part OF the Atlantic. Strong expectations
were therefore very naturally cherished, tina.
Of the members OF tho bar whose fate
vas thsn nm ertain, one at least might yet
be returned in ssfsty 70 his family and friends.
In regard TO Mr.. Sanford aud Me-. Brady, fear5
~ tbe time Of cur fret meeting greatly out Weighed
car hopes Yet in the mcs, Of those fears the nope
vas stIll fondly chung TO, that che same Almighty
arm by which Capt. Luce and others had bssn
srstchsd from the very JAYS Of death, might, per
Naps, have bsen stretched out to save them also
fsom watery grave. IL was therefore obviously
proper in respect 10 all and especially ia she case Of
Mr.. Benedi:t, to wal; for q time llng enOagh to
ensbe us TO hear not merely from Enrope bat fro n
stber portions OF the globs to which persons saved
from the missing boa, or from pieces of the srsck,
might possibly have been carried. To have assumed,
without absolute necessity, that either Of these, our
brethren, still more) that all OF them, had perishsd,
would have been worse than presumptaous; 1t would
have given, before the tme TO many hearts already
pierced and bleeding but yet throbbing with hopes
however faint, new and Still fatal psug. Foe
committee therefore waited until more than three
months had elapsed from the time of the disaster,
before they felt themselves warranted TO convene
another meeting Of the bar. They could then
no longer DELAY the performance Of the painful
duty assumed to them by tae former meeting.
Hence the call issued during the present
-saE hare ala tha rra ant tlaua Mr
Chief Justice, the friends and brethren over
whose fate there SO long hung the clouds Of
dark and ominous suspense, are no more.
" They have gone whence they shall not return
even 70 the land of darkness and of the shadow of
death" Let rs reverently hope that before they
sank into the depths of the sea- they were enabled
% commit themselves to Him " who stitch above
the water ioods" and that, when the waves and the
bi0ows went over them, He was there with his hand
70 aid and bis right hand to hold and c,mfors thea
II must strike the most needless observer that In the
many fatal accidents and other disasters which have
rendered too painfully miserable the year viii h has
inst closed, and especially in that fightful catsS
Axophe which took from our ranks, by single blow
no less than four Of our number, fall of health and
vigor and seine OF them In the very prime Of their
days, we have much material for serious reflections
The heavy tolls oil our professional liie-.the exs:
tisns Of busineasthe strifes and rivares, and per-
hape more even than al the highest ceases Of the
bar, are not friendly to such reflections. TIE
event which has called us together to-day is well
A1Aed TO teach that there Is something moro need
Iu MAN Weaftn, more precious tnan learning, more
desirable than lame, more important even than life
ieself These are trite reflections and viii not pursue
them. Bu. we shall not make the proper of this
occascn IL we fail TO read or II We read merely 10
forget or TO despise, the lessons it conveys.
While these are among the thoughts personal to
each one OF us as men, now forced upon us, there
IRE others which We owe, as members Of the pro-
Session, to the memory Of the dead. The places
which they filled In our ranks, and the quatis Of
mind ard heart by which these places had been
gained, entite their memories to the homage OF our
respect 1t Is TO give u,;erancc TO this seni ment
Mat the present meeting has bean convened.
To aid, 80 far as they might, in the discharge of
this duty the committee have prepared a single
sssolution Of general nature, with brief prean.
be, which they have instructed me 10 submit to the
meeting. With your permission, sir, viii read it.