Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1873-05-29
SORROW ON TIE SEA.

York, comments upon the loss of the
Atlantic, and closes the letter In this
interesting manner: ''The name of the
lost steamer recalls the destruction on
Long Island of a steamboat iofthe same
name, on the awful day and night Of
November 20, 1916. Hundreds of
hearts were broken by. that wreck.
Among those who persisted was the
Rev. DR.. Armstrong, the beloved sec
rotary Of the American Board of For
eign Missions. The vessel was buils
on the same plan With this White Sta.
ship: too long and narrow; and beauti.
ful for Il r weather, but frail for a bait .
with the storm. / carried the intelli-
gence OF Dr.. Armstrong; death to his
friends, and assisted at his funeral. The
steamer sank in low water near the
shore, and for weeks it's bell swinging
in the wind, tolled mournful::requiem Of
the dead. There is sorrow ca the sea
We have never heard a word from
the President that sailed from, this port
for Liverpool March IL, 1s41. She
went down and made no sign. The
sea has not yet given up its dead: What
secrets ''the dark unfathomed caves Of
ocean bear 2" The Rev. DR.. Goodman,
OF Philadelphia, was one of her passeu-
gers, an eloquent divine Of the Metho-
dist Church. For months and years
afterwards his vacant chair stood wait
ing for him at the table and freside, for
to the heart that loved him most, hope
whispered that he would yet come It
is so hard to believe that one VIC love ly
lost. On the other side Of the sea an
English noblefilan was waiting the re
turn, by the Same steamer, Of his only
son. His lordly domain extends from
the cliff; from which he could look OUT
far upon the sea, and the track of tha
ships that come from Tie West into
port. Daily he came to that spot, and,
too anxious to sit, he walked up and
down the cliff the gross was worn away
by his COZ STINT tread, but his son came
not; months Wore away and hundreds
of ships with other mems sods came
home, but none,with aa:sss and gnns told
him, from the ofings, that his boy was
aboard. And by and by, the old inau
hecamen himself a child, ard in his
melancholy, waited, and unless, death
has taken him to his son, he is waiting
still. 1t is so hard to believe that one
we love is lost. There is sorrowsson the
sea.
What story of sorrow did the fate
OF the Arctic tell. Too many hearts
are yet bleeding and will not speak
of it.
Would you be frightened from max
ing avoyage because the diasters are
30 frequent7 1t would be foolish to be
50 deferred. There is quite as much
danger in travelling by land as by sea
and iiiofe people are killed or wounded
on railroad than ships. In a
staunch vessel with good commander
one has no sense Of danger even in 8
storm at sea- I crossed the ocean ones
in the Butt C Capt. Briggs. His char
acter,, department, and devotion in
spired confidence, and was more sure
Of getting over in safety, than / am of
getting home at night in ! street car,
We passed an iceberg at sunset. 1t
rose from the sea like an island pal
ace with towers and pinnacles brighter
than burn,shed silver in the light Of
the western sun. 1 said to myself /:
'.No sleep for ME tonight; we are in
the midst of the greatest danger of the
sea; that floating ice-rock is nine times
deeper in the water than its height
above the waves, and it rises ! thou
sand feet on high the President pro-
badly struck one of them and sank
like lead; if we run against another in
the dark, not one of us will live to tell
the tale ; there is sorrow on the sea;
and so reasoning and thinking of my
mothers words: "fn Gods hand we
are as safe on the sea as on the land"
/ turned in; and the next thing I
the morning sun was shining into my
portfolio and had slept eight hours
straight through. For before l left the
deck had sect Capt. Briggs at his.
post, a watch was set at every point of
view; all that man could do was done,
and therefore the rest was Gods. I
never worry when things are left
thus with Him.
Capt. Lott has crossed the Atlantic
about 400 times. Yoii may be as CON-
plotely at ease with him as if you were
in your own rocking chair. He would
not go in a doubtful ship, and in good
one he will take vol just as securely as
you would carry child in your armr.
Accidents may happen to either Of you
but the Providence Of God is at fault
nowhere, 1t is mans fault when
ships are wrecked or cars hurled down
the enlbaukment. All the three or
more Investigations into this late dis
aster will probably fail to trace the