Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-01-26

IneF came from all UlfecJlOnS, lar dit
near, and the result was such a gathering
as Ashtabula has seldom seen. Their mis-
sion, toto testify their sympathy for the
victims of the greatest and most fearful
calamity of the times-waS probably, with
out parallel. Beside those who came
from Cleveland on the regular trains of
the morning. a special train brought the
family-the friends and parishioners. the
wardens and vestrymen and their families
of the dead Rector-Dr. Washburn. They
were provided with conveyances to the
village. Our village seemed to be given
up to mourning. Places of business were
closed and bore the badges of mourning,
and the attention of all was turned to the
place fixed for the union service-the
Methodist church, the largest building of
the place. The bell for the services was
sounded at 1919 o'clock; before that hour,
however, the spacious building was dense
ly filed, but the people continued to come
for considerable time afterwards, until the
vestibule and platform were filed, and
many turned away, unable to gain even
standing room. As usual, the front seats
Of the body of the room were held for
some time for the relatives and friends of
the lost-there were some % or 30 of these.
The pulpit and gallery were hung with
the emblems of mourning, and seemed to
add to the general sOlemnity of the scene.
THE EXERCISES
were conducted by the Rev. Thomas Nc
Leary, pastor of the church.
The opening prayer was made by Rev. l.
o. Fisher, of the Baptist church of this
village. 1t was a fervent appeal that the
true consolation might be granted to those
who had been called to mourn, and that
the lessons of the disaster might find
place in the minds of all.
With feeling reference to the memory
of the late P. P. Bliss, who with his wife
was among the lost, the choir was request
ed to join in the singing of the beautiful
composition of that sweet singer
I'VE are going home tomorrow
Its sweet simplicity and touching pathos
reached the hearts and the fountains of
sorrow of many of the audience.
Selections of Scripture were then read
by the pastor of the Cong1 church-Rev.
J. Stafford.
The arrangement was for short speeches
from as many of the pastors present as
time would allow, and in accordance there
with, the Rev. ]. Crooker White, pastor. of
St. Johns Episcopal church, Cleveland,
was the first to take the desk; his discourse
was an eloquent one, in which the lessons
of the great disaster were dwelt upon with
much feeling. In opening, he said that
the sorrow of the whole country seemed to
center in this one place to-day, and that it
was a place which had been consecrated by
the great calamity which had occurred so
very near to where he stood. He thought
God had some great meaning in the calam-
ity, and no better meaning could be evOlv-
ed than that He meant to teach man
lesson regarding the value and sacredness
world had become little too callous, and
we are too much inclined to pass on the
other side when human suffering preferred
its claims. In all parts of the land man
was being brought face to face with terri
bic forms of suffering, and taught that
humanity was far more sacred than it had
been held. 1t was through the universal
sympathy which had been created that this |
lesson had been taught.
The speaker proceeded to illustrate that
however sacred life is, there are times when
DEATH Is PREFERABLE.
It is better to die in the cause of duty than
to live and be false; better to die as pa
triot than to live as traitor; and far bet
ter to give up life at the stake than to deny
the God who had created him and offered
him the means of salvation.
The speaker closed with beautiful il
lustration, showing that life itself was but
a great bridge, one end OF which lay in
life's beginning, and the other stretched in
to the great unknown. 1t spans chasm
full of fire, of death and doom. There are |
flaws in it which were put there six thou
sand years ago, and although many have |
gone over it in safety, it is at any moment |
liable to fall with some precious soul into
the abyss. God had provided a means of
escape, and happy was he who would avail
himself thereof.
The Rev. S. D. Peet, late pastor of the
Congregational church, followed with a
few remarks, in which. he related some
thing of personal experience among the
injured on the night of the disaster and
following. He said that the secular re-
sponsibility of the wreck was being inves-
tigated by jury and committee, but that
the moral responsibility was something to
be inquired into elsewhere. The substance
of this was summarized as, first, the duty
of man to man, and second, the prepara-
ton of all for death.
Rev. J. n. McGiffert, pastor of the
Presbyterian church, spoke for short
time on the lessons of the disaster, after
which the choir sang
There's a light in the Valley
also by Mr.. Bliss.
The benediction here closed these SER
vices.
Many of the congregation as they left
the Methodist house passed over to st. Pc
ter's-E Episcopal-wheret the service for the
dead was read by the rector, Rev. James
Moore, assisted by Rev. Geo. Carter, of
Cleveland, and others. The altar was
draped in black, while beautiful group
of flowers adorned the center The church
was filed. and the brief service impressive.
At the close of this service the hour-215
o'clock-had arrived for forming
THE PROCESSION,
on Main Street. directly in front of st.
Peters Park. The different organizations
were in readiness, and the marshaPs at
once began the work of arrangement in the
order:
Marshal Fassett and Coroner Richards.
Clergy in sleighs.
Bearers in sleighs.
Assistant Marshal.
Masonic Association.
Friends of deceased in sleighs.
Assistant Marshal.
st. Joseph's Society.
Ashtabula Brass Band.
Ashtabula Light Guards.
Ashtabula Light Artillery