Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1866-11-27
from the Natchez Couricr.l
No Women We're Saved. -

"Not woman saved I' IF youif sbins arr
unseaworthy ; ii to gain few more doIlars
Yankee thrifFbaiids them with SO much tor
hamper that gale endaBgets the life, or in
sures the death of hundreds where at lcast
IS. the discipline of your officers and crew.
which ought to guaTautee to weak Woman Il
share in the miserable safeguards that stin.,i.
ness affords, aud which without that discipline
brute force inevitably seizes? Officers and
crow saved in part, but mot woman sayedyI-
hngIneer and purser5in one boat, with crew4
but no woman and the purser lives to feli
the tale! The captain and sixteen men ard
only one woman and one child, on another
boat! Fortunately, to avoid meeting the
shaking of locks CORY with the death.water of
the sea caves, tile captain of the ill-fated
steamer, after six struggles after life, has gone
to meet, before another than earthly tribunal.
the question. propounded. "Why was not a
woman savedH" Was there not one among the
crowd, of whose memory it may yet be said.
among the faithless, faithful only he !,'
Some fifty years ago or more, ship sailed
from Liverpool with many passengers. j ust
after midnight, when little past the centre of
the Atlantic the Jupiter struck an ice island
causing her to settle almost instantly into the
awful water She was badly provided with
boats, but such as they were, and all of them
were at once launched in silence and in or
der! Every passenger that was awake was
summoned to the boats. Discrimination was
used, for the boats could not hold all. Let
those that are awake save their lives Let
those that sleep, pass to the sleep of death
was the terrific, but nercif1l decree
Sleep is but the precursor, the portal, the
Simile of the great enemy of life There cam
be no Pang in dying to the sweet and uncop-
scious sleeper. So every wake peason was
summoned; every sleeping person left to wake
in an eternity The two boats were already
over. crowded the devoted ship fast sinking.
Again the Captain went to forecastle to steer
age, to cabin, and on deck, to see if one cou<
scious passenger still was left unprovided for.
Not one "Push off your boats" was the
solemn order, "3ut where's my sister ?''
screamed voice of despair from one of the
boats 81 see her not, and [ would die to save
her J" ''She sleeps. l would not awaken
her. One person more in, and the lives of
all are endangered" replied the Captain from
the deck of the laundering ship. "Thcn [
sleep with her, if can not save her." uttered
the heroic brother, as he sprang upon the fast
settling vessel; and he and she and the ship
went down together, with the great Oceans
hymns testifying to heroic devotion, and
a self sacrifice cradled in affection, and diving
to meet an Immortality! tNot woman saved"
from the Evening. Star What contrast.
We cannot recall the name of the vessel.
because cut off from the world, the Southern
States, for four years back, ,-havc little chron-
ology left; but not many years since, Bri-
tish transport foundered in the deep Atlantic.
She was crowded with soldiers, their wives,
and women and children. Discipline pre-
vailed, however, in the awful scene where a
half thousand were summoned to death -
Every boat was launched and guarded !; every
woman and child was conducted to the gang
way and securely deposited as if the boats
had been bathrooms. and the seamen the
ushers The boats were pushed adrift, each
soldier repaired tb his post each sailor e Kfs
place and with drums beating and tifes play
ing, and a solitary gun booming farewell to
earth and sky, the ship and its officers and
crew went down the British flag flying go.
ing down with them, but covering them with
its cross of glory! There was discipline;
there was seamanship; generalship, heroism
The gurgling waves told to the mute heavens
the story of devotion, and the Recording An
gel copied it from the heavens upon the Great
Book of God. Not woman, not child was
lost