The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-03-21
BISHOP MCILvAINE CARRIED OFF
BY ICE ON THE OHIO RIVER.


ing letter from the Rev. G. M. Butler
late Chaplain to the U. S. Senate, de
scriptive of the recent narrow escape
from death, of the Rt. Rev. Bishop
McIlvaine and large party of fellow
travellers. We fud it in a recent number
of the Western Episcopolian
CINCINNATI, Feb. S, 1855.
On Thusday morning, Jan. 80, Bish
op McIlvaine started for Cincinnati, on
his return from visit to Louisville
He took the steam ferry boat at Louis
vile for the purpose of crossing the riv-
! er, and taking his seat in tho Jefferson
Vile train. The day was bitter cold, and
the Ohio was full of running ice. going
down in largs fields to the falls, which
lie just below Louisville. The boat be-
came fixed, in the middle of the river,
in large mass of solid ice, and could
neither advance nor recede. Instantly
she was at the mercy of the current, and
began to move toward the falls The imm
ence of the danger became at once ap-
parent. There were about two hundr ed
passengers on board-men, women and
children-besides omnibuses, wagons,
horses and their attendants It now
seemed almost certain that all must be
lost.
Under Bishop McIlvaine's care was a
daughter of Bishop Smith. The Rev.
Mr.. Sehon, Methodist minister of Lou
isville, and his wife, were also on board
1t seemed impossible that soul could
survive if the boat should be wrecked on
the falls. The current, the cold, the
breakers, the eddies, the ice breaking
over the falls, would have rendered es-
cape even for the strongest aud hardest
swimmer, impossible. Help from eth
err shore could not be extended SO long
as the drifting continued. Nothing
could reach the boat in time to rescue
single person. Inevitable death was all
that the most fearless and confident could
see before them. The boat and passen-
gers were given up OH the shore. Where
was help to come from Some there
were on board who did no where to look !;
and did lock there, where all true help
is found iu time of need.
The Bishop then said to Mr. Sehon
that he would go into the room where
the women were and draw their minds
to prayer. They went together but
though the utmost caution was used to
nreyeut alarm-tho- word prayer wac no
sooner uttered, than the lamentations
and cries made it impossible for the pray
ers to be heard After endeavoring in
vain to calm these poor people, some of
the calm ones with Mr.. and Mrs Sehon,
and Miss Smith, gathered close around
the Bishop, as he offered brief but ap-
propriate prayer. After this there was
more composuro. And now the hand of
the Lord appeared. Man could do no.
thing.-The boat was drifting on to its
apparent inevitable wreck. But-was
it not Gods guiding in answer to prayer? !?
she struck the hidden reef at the COM
mencement of the rapids. That was the
salvation, though it was not then known
or recognized as such.
How long the boat could hold that
place against the pressure of the current,
and the prodigious momentum of the
acres eff ice which constantly struck and
ground against it !; how soon she would
be pressed over, or lifted up and turned
over, or crushed under the accumulated
mass of ice, where no help could reach
uCI. 10 OuC COuiu IdCu nCh Ouscb
of ice was watched with intense anxiety.
But that which was terror to those on
board, proved to be one of Gods instru-
ments for their safety. As the ice struck
against the boat, it formed such mass
that, it rested on the rock beneath and
formed breakwater; aud the more vio-
lent was the onset of ice, the more strong
and massive did it become. The boat
lay, as it were, under the lee of this hill
of ice, though some of her length was still
unprotected.
In this passive resistanee to the as
saults of the current and ice, the boat
lay about two hours, before help came.
MeanWhile the passengers could not see
that any movement for rescue was being
made on shore. They were too far off
to see what was doing.
From the Louisville shore they were
distant half mile, aud on the Indiana
shore there were no inhabitants. Du-
ring this time high rewards were offered
on the Louisville side, to any one who
would attempt rescne. The clerk of the
Jacob IStrader had son in the stranded
boat, and offered large price for his
deliverance The life boat of the ,Stra-
der was launched, and three men came
out in her, and took out the youth and
two young women connected with the of
fcers of the StrGder. It took the boat
an hour to get back.
In the course of another hour, some
feur or five boats, capable of containing
each from four to five persons, came out
from either shore. Meanwhile the wo-
men had become quito composed. Ma
ny of them behaved in very exemplary
way throughout the whole period. As
soon as these skiffs came near to the boat,
the determination seemed unanimous
that the women should all go first, and
this determination was carried out. The
colored women were as kindly cared for
as the white. Whoever came first enter
ed the boat first. The last woman that
came was a white woman. Such as had
husbands were allowed to have them with
them The Rev. Mr.. Sehon, went, as
was proper, with his wife, in the second
boat, and Bishop McIlvrine consigned
to him the care of Miss Smith, aud babe
them farewell.
Our Good Bishop was strongly urged
by those in the skiff and on the boat to
90 with tho lady in his charge, but he
resolutely refused to avail himself of the
privilege which all seemed anxious to
accord to his age and character. One
or two colored men were allowed to go
| in the skiffs with their wives. Not a
word of interference or remonstrance to
this arrangement was uttered. Re-
zse,s5sr re Zretss" was heard asthe