Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1889-11-23

high expectation of soon seeing our
friends. for there was no one on board
so poor as not to have friend. But
it seemed as if we were to be disap-
pointed. The most OF us expected
then and there to die There were noxe
who made light OF the peril, save two.
One was an EnglislInan, and he was
drunk, and the other was an Ameri-
can, and lie was fool OIL what a
time it wasl A night to make ones
hair turn white. We came out of the
berths, and stood in the gangway, and
looked into the Storage. and sat i'll the
cabin. While seated there, we heard
overhead something like minute guns.
It was the bursting of the sails. We
held on with both hands to keep our
places. Those who attempted to cross
the floor came back bruised and
gashed. Cups and glasses were dashed
to fragments; pieces OF the table get
| ting loose. swung across the saloon. II
seemed as if the hurricane took that
great ship of thousands Of tons and
stood ito end, and said: Shall | sink
it, or let;it go this oncc2 And then.it
Came doW1i With SUCH force that the
! pillows trampled it, eacllsmounted
| of fury. We felt that everything
depended on the propelling screw. IF
that stopped for an instant we knew
, the vessel would fall off into the trough
of the sea and sink. and so we prayed
that the screw, whica three times since
leaving Liverpool had already stopped,
might not stop now. OH how anxious
ly we listened for the regular thump of
the machinery. upon Which our lives
seemed TO depend. After while some
one said: The screw is stoppedl" No;
its sound had only been overpowercd
by the uproar of the tempest, ard we
breathed easier again when we heard
the regular pulsations Of the over
tasked machinery going thump, thump,
thump. At 3 o'clock in the morning
the water covered the ship from
PROV to stern, and the skylights gave
way The dcluge rushed in. and we
felt that one or two more waves like
that must swamp us forever. AS the
water rolled back and forward in the
cabins, and dashed against the wall,
it sprang half way up TO the ceiling.
Rushing through the skylights as it
came in with such terrific roar, there
went up from the cabin shrek of
horror which pray God may never
hear again. [ have dreamed the
whole scene over again, but God has
mercifully kept me from hearing that
one cry Into il seemed TO be COM
pressed the agony of expected ship.
wreck. 1t seemed to say: II shall
never get home agaisl MY children
shall be orphaned, and my wife shall
be widowedl | am launching now
into eternity! In two minutes shall
meet my Godf"
There were about five hundred and
fifty passengers in the stecrago, and
as the water rushed in and touched the
furnaces, and began violently to hiss.
the poor creatures in the Storage inn
agined that the boilers were giving
way Those passengers writhed III
the water and in the mud. some pray.
ing, some crying, all terrified. They
made rush for the deck. An officer
stood OH deck AMI beat them back
with blow after blow. 1t was neces.
sary. They would not have stood an
instant On the deck. OIL how they
begged to get out of the hold Of the
ship One woman, with a child in
her arms, rushed up and caught bold
of one of the officers. and cried: "Do
let me out | will help you'll Do
let me outl l cannot die hero!'
Some got down and prayed TO the
Virgin Mary. saying: 70 blessed
mothcrl keep usI Lave mercy Oh
usl" Some stood with white lips and
fixed guze, silent in their terror. Some
wrung their hands and cried out: 20
Godl what shall do2 What shall !
do2" The time came when the crew
could 10 longer stay on the deck.
and the cry OF the officers was: BE
lowl all hands belowl" Our brave
and sympathetic Capt. Andrews
whose praise | shall not cease TO speak
while | livc-llad been swept by the
hurricane from his bridge, and bad
escaped very narrowly with his life.
The cyclone seemed to stand on the
deck. waving its wing, crying: This
ship is mirel have captured it. Hal
hal will command it'll If Col will
permit, will sink it here and now
By thousand shipwreclls, l swear the
doom of this vessel" Thfsc was lull
in the storm; but only tnat it might
gain additional fury. Crash went
tho lifeboat on one side. Crash went
the lifeboat OIL the other side.
The great booms got loose, and, as
with the heft Of tliundcrboit, pound
ed the deck aud beat the n;lsL--the jib
boom. studding sell boom, and square
sail boom. with their strong arms,
beating time to the awful march and
music of the hurricane.
Meanwhile the ocean became phos.
phoresccnt. Tie whole scene looked
like fire. The water dripping from the
rigging, there were ropes OF lire; and
there were masts of fire; and there
was deck OF fire. 4 ship of fire, sail
ing OH sea of fire, through night
OF fire. May l never see anything like
1t againl
Everybody prayed. A lad of 12 yeas
of age got down and prayed for his
mother. IF should give up, he said,
II do not know what would become OF
mother" There were men who, !
think, had not prayed for thirty years.
who then got down Oh their knees:
When man who has neglected God
all his life feels that he has come to
his last time. it makes a very busy
night. All Of our sins and shortcom,
ings passed through our minds. My
own life seemed utterly unsatisfactory.
l could only say, "Here, Lord, take
me as l an. / cannot mend matters
now. Lord Jesus, thou didst die for
the chief OF sinners. That's mel Ii
seems, Lord, as if my work is done.
and poorly done, and upon thy in.
finite mercy cast myself, and in this
hour of shipwreck and darkness com
II l. Il