The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1889-12-05
Sometimes there comes a storm of com

Sometimes there comes storm of com
mercial disaster. The cables break. The
masts fall. The cargocs are scattered over
the sea. Oh. what struggling and leapinS
on kegs and hogsheads and cornbinS and store
shelves! And yet, though they may have it
so very hard iii commercial circles, the good,
trusting in God. all come safe TO land.
WrcckerS 90 ont OH the oceans beach and
find the shattered hUiks Of vessels and on the
streets Of our great cities there is many
wreck. Mainsai slit with bankers pen.
Huks abeams end OH Insurance counters.
Vast credits sinking, having suddenly sprung
q leak. Yet all of them who are Gods chill
dren shall at last through His goodness and
mercy, escape safe TO land. The Scandlna'
vian warriors used to drink wine out OF tho
skulls Of the enemies they had slain. Even
SO God will help us, out Of the conquered ills
and disasters Of life, to drink sweetness ana
strength for our souls.
You have. my friends, had illustrations III
your own life of how God delivers His pao-
nle. l have had illustrations i'll my own
life Of the same truth. | was once III whas
Oh tour Mediterranean you call Eurocyl-
don. but what OH the Atlantic We call
cyclone. but the same storm. The steamer
Greece, Of the National line, swung out into
the river Mersey at Liverpool, bound for
New York. No had on board seven
together angers-ltalians, lrishnlan, Eng
lishmen, Swedes, Norwegiuns Ameri-
cans Two flags floatel from the
masts-British and American ensigs. Wo
had new vessel, or one 50 thoroughly re.
modelled that the voyage had around 1t all
the uncertainties of a4IApl trip. The great
steamer felt its way ca pusly out into the
sea. The pilot was discbNked and commit.
ting ourselves to the car Him who h?lt
eth the winds il Ills hl 3Yo were fairly
started on our voyage OF thfVAI miles
strong buGetiny disn,tins path
But ono night, at II o'clock, after
the lights had been put out. n cyclone a
wind just made to tear ships to pieces
caught us in its clutches. 1t came down 50
suddenly that we had not time to take il The
sai!s Or to fastan tho matches. You may know
Tint thy bottom of tho Atlantic is strewn
with the gbastly work of cyclones. On
they are cruel winds. They have hot
breath, as though they came u2 from
Internal furnaces. Their me;rImcn. is
Their play is the foundering of steam
ers. And, 'vhcn ship g.es down, they laugh
until both continents hear them. They go
in circles, or, as l describe them with my
hand-roling on! rolling on. with finger of
terror writing on tho white sheet Of the
wave thi; scntcnc, of doom: Let all tint
come within this circle perish! BriSantines.
60 down Clippers, 90 down. ST. --rships.
go down. Aud the vessel, hearing the :e.'.
:ihie voice, croucheS in the surf. and rs tho
waters gurgle through the matches AMI port
holes, it lowers away, thousands oi
feet down, farther aud farther. until at last
it strikes the bottom: and all l. peace. for
they have landed. Helnlsman, dead at tho
lvf bn
guished furnaces! Captain, dead in tho
gangwayl Passengers, dead in the cabin
Buried in the great cemetery Of dead stcam-
crs beside the City Of Boston, the Lexington
the President the Cambria--waiting for the
archangers trumpet TO split up tho decks,
and wrench open the cabin doors, and unfast-
en- the matches.
| thought that had seen storms on the sea
before, but Ill Of them together might have
come under one wing Of that cyclone. we
were only eight or nino hundred miles from
home, and in high expectation OF soon seeing
our friends, for there was no one on board
so poor as not to have friend But itSeemed
as if we were to be disappointed. The most
of us expected then and thcro to die
There were mono who made light Df the peril,
save two. One was an EngliShman, anu he
was drunk, and the other was an AuierI-
can, and he was fool! Oh! what
timo it wasl A night to make ones
hair turn white. We came out of the bertllS,
and stood in the gangway, and looked into tn.
steerage, and sat in the cabin. While seated
there, we heard overhead something like
minute guns. It was the bursting of the sails.
We held on with hoth hands to keep our
places. Those who attempted . y
the floor came back
sashed. gas Cups and gIasssd
to fragments; pieces Of
loose, swung across the =
as if tho hurricane -
ship of thousands o : IS -
it on end: and ,,.sei9 ssld;
down with such force thS e.
pied over it, each mounta =