Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1880-01-13
VOLUME XIV.

While reading the text you hear the
clash Of the car coupling, the roar of the
wheels and the terrific velocity which any
night may be heard on the iron track be-
tween New York and Buffalo, between
Edinburgh and Dundee. / call your at
tention to the precipitation of the Scot
tish rail train last Sabbath night through
the bridge aero IS the river Tay. All the
surroundings of that accident are vivid
in my memory. On the morning of the
3lst of last July, / stepped on board the
steamer Star Gowrie, her flag futtering
in the strong gale, though the sun was
! flooding land and water and sky with
golden glory. had seen the Hudson
and the Rhine, but the beauty and mag
niicence of the river Tay that summer
morning for some reason thrilled me as
no other landscape ever did. The banks
were adorned with signs of present
wealth and historical reminiscence. But
the present must attempt to out-do the
past. Yonder 1t is-fairy-lilie for eXquis-
iteness and majesty for arching spans
the bridge across the Tay. In ten or
fifteen minutes from the Dundee docks
we come under it and have full opportu-
nifty Of examining the structure which is
the pride of Great Britain. Near two
miles long, and with eighty-seven spans
eighty feet above the surface of the wa
ter--the best view that can be had Of it
we had that morning from the decks of
the Star o Gowric. No suggestivenass
that summer day Of coming calamity
nothing in the clouds chrystallinc, moth
ing in the waters opaline! Nothing in
the architectural triumph, looking not so
much as if ii had been built up, but as If
it had gracefully and supernaturally
alighted
THE DOOMED PROCESSION.
When the conductor, last Sabbath at
Edinburgh lifted his hand in signal to
the engineer and the train started, what
smooth opening to tragical chapter.
viii not some switchman run out with
the red flag of dangerY VIII not some
voice of the wild night wind halt the
doomed procession! How dull and un-
sympathetic the earth seems at such
times of awful crisis! The pressure Of
an engineers foot on the brakes aud
from ono to three hundred lives will be
saved. But the train moves on as by in
exorable fate and reaches the abutmcnt
and sets its iron foot on the bridge which
from hcncefOlth becomes more memora-
Bile than that Of Norwalk or AshNbula,
Some one sees q shower Of fire and the
falling lights of the train. Not until the
last day will It be known whether the
spans had already disappeared making n
chasm down which the cars chase each
other, or more likely the great procession
of human life waived to and fro under
the arms of curoclydon, to and fro with
mighty swing, to and fro with lurch
that makes the blood curdlc, to an fro |
till the wheels slip the track and smok-
ing engine rnd lighted coaches, locomo-
tive driver and sIokep guardSmcn and
passengers, are hurled with lightning
velocity through the night, through the
spaces, through the waters down! a
hundred feet down! Crash! Crash (
Crash! All dead Some by fright,
some by drowning, some by bruises
but all dead! Death captured the train,
put his foot on the brakes, collected the
tickets, stopped the royal mailbags, ar-
rested the speed and shocked Christcn-
dom. The laughter of holiday fcsIyl-
ties broken up by the shock Of unparal-
led casualty! The bridge broke ! What
q toxt for sermon
AN USwIsE CONCLUSION.
There may be unwisc and morbid pco-
pie who will say, $50 much for Sabbath
breaking" There are those who are
very generous In the distribution Of
Gods Judgements. ! have no patience
with that style of morOllzlng. | would
like to drive Il out of our Sunday School
libraries. Tho Lords thundcrbolts are
too heavy for us to handle, want to
take broad common sense view of this
event. Learn first from this railroad
plunge In Scotland that God Is mighticr
than modern invention, and that II be-
comes science to be rcvcrcntla and wor-
shlpful. Higher than grandcst arch of
strongest bridge IL the throne Of Cod.
Science disputes with God for the throne
of the univcsc and proposes to build
bridge ont of human reason, on which
we may safely cross over into the next
life. Then start on II with their long
train Of hopes, but midway God blows
upon II and they are destroyed without
remedy What Ia the 'ray Bridge Of
scientific construction before the Lords
hurricaneS Again let my subject teach
that bridge Is Of no use unless Il rcach-
cs clear across. The stability Of the
Fircshrc bridge only tempted the train
to start across the lay. That Is the way
with many of the bridges constructed
for the immortal soul. They do pretty
we'll for this side, made ont Of high re-
spcctablltics aud good pcighborhood;
but as to taking ~ In safety across the
River Of Death, they never can do IT,
God has by lie grace given usa complete
bridge. Both Obutncnts were blasted
out of the Rock Of Ages; the timbcrs