The record-union., 1892-12-31
RESCUE OF THE /" SPREE.
Graphic Description of Scenes on
the Fated Vessel.
Remarkable Tact and Everyday Conn
mon Sense of Evangelist
Moody.

| benefal Howard, good deal was SAID
about Moody's claiming to have saved
the ship by his prayers. After reading
many of the sarcastic and foolish things
that others said that Mr. Moody said, it is
quite refreshing to hear just what he did
say, and to notice the remarkable tact
and everyday common sense that lie
used under such trying circumstances.
| The following is from letter written by
James McConnaughy, who was present
at the Mortified Church and listened to
MIR. Moody's address. AS General How
ard and Mr.. Moody have lots Of friends
on the coast they will be glad to read it:
After the choir of little children had
sung his favorite, "Jesus Loves Me-" Mr.
Moody rose to speak. His hair is trife
grayer, his head a trifle balder, but in no
other respect does he show any change.
Perhaps the real greatness Of the man
| has never been more manifest, entirely
without consciousness on his part, than
in the address that followed.
He said that he had never, on return
ing from previous absences, made any
report TO the church. He had always
! shrunk from doing so, because of neces-
slty he must speak of himself. This
time, however, he felt it right to tell of
! GODS dealings with him during the past
two weeks. And, he added shrewdly
and with characteristic gesture, by tell
| ing 1t once Tor all, he could save telling it
many times and have it out Of the way.
1t was not sermon, but if they learned
from it what he had, it would be as
profitable.
! Two weeks and a half before he had
| sailed from Southampton. 1t was a
beautiful day, after two weeks Of London
fog. Some friends had come to the station
to see him of. He asked them to sing
one of his favorite hymns with the re-
frain, Then Shall my Heart Keep Sing
ing" They did not seem to teel that
way, he said, but as for him, though he
| could make no music, his heart was
dancing within him at the thought of go
ing home. The following Saturday
morning at o'clock he was lying in his
berth, his faVorite place when at sea,
! thinking OF Gods mercieS to him. In all
his travelling he had never had any seri-
GUS accident either by land or sea. In
! August his family had safely crossed
the sea in a Hamburg steamer without
detention at quarantine, though the pre-
cedlng and following vessels had each
been detained tWenty-one days. Just
then came the shock. 1t sounded to him
as if they had run on rocks, although he
knew they were 900 miles from shore.
Ills son Win went on deck and returned
to report that the shaft had broken.
When Mr.. Moody got upon deck, he
found the vessel was settling and The sea
was running too high to launch a life
boat. The Captain had ordered the sec
ond-class passengers to stay below, but
soon they came rushing up like rats, for
the water was rising in their berths. The
stern OF the boat, when the hole had been
knocked in the bottom, sank to sea level,
and the waves washed over it. The sec
ond compartment filed, and the third
was filling. The pumps were at work
but the water gained on them. Then
came the pull at the heart strings. Again
and again he had been under fire in the
| army. He had been through cholera
epidemic in Chicago, sleeping night after
night on the floor in the association build
ing, and following out his belief that,
wherever the doctors could 90 to care for
bodies, he could go and look after souls.
He had always preached that the Christian
should have no fear of death. Now for
forty-eight hours ne was to stand with a
great ships company, facing their open
grave. There was no cloud between him
and God; he knew his sins had all been
pardoned; but when he thought of fam
lily, schools and future plans he could
not feel reconciled to die and that dav
was the darkest of his life. He could
speak his thoughts to no one. The ewes
of the women were upon the men and
any reference to religious subjects would
be instantly accepted as a sign that hope
was past. The spirit was abroad to which
General Sherman gave expression dur
| ing his last illness. Some one spoke to
him of God and his soul, and he instantly
replied, at hasn't come to that vet, has
it?" A prayer meeting was thought of,
but it was clear to all that it would not do
to hold one then.
At noon the Captain reported the
pumps were gaining on the water and
| had it JIn1pr control Sill ha
put on his firearms for readiness in case
of any INSTRUMENTATION, the life boats
were being made ready and the cooks
were preparing food for them. A vessel
had been passed during the night, and
the Captain reckoned that, if they had
not drifted too far from its course, il
might come in sight about 3 o'clock. All
eyes were strained waiting for it, but in
vain. Then Mr.. Moody invited General
Howard down to his staterOom, and
there, with VIII Moody, they had that
earnest prayer-meeting, accounts OF
which were telegraphed from Queens
town. Even then, Mr.. Moody said he
did not reach the rest of soul he sought.
The short winter day darkened at four
and the long night came on. No one
slept. The vessel rolled heavily, bnt did
not pitch. The greatest danger lay at
that point, for one plunge at the bow
might bring the 700 tons of water in the
| SLBfu hBdliiSL GD6 Dulhu6dQS WIN force
enough to break them and then all would
be over. Rockets were sent up every two
hours, and barrel of tar was burning in
the bow. The women gathered in the
dining-room to be together. They
showed quite as much nerve as the men,
One little mother from Milwaukee sat
watching her two children, and never
took her eyes Off of them, Mr.. Moody be-
lieved, for forty-eight hours. He knew
her thought was to be ready, if the worst
came, to take one i'll each arm and 90
down with them.
Sunday morning came, then afternoon.
Each hour seemed like day. No vessel
had been sighted, and they were drifting
further and further from the track OF
ocean steamships. 1t was proposed to
hold prayer-meeting; the Captain APP
proved, and the whole ships company,
except the crew, who were on duty,
gathered in the cabin. 1t was remark
able gathering. There We're Jews and
Catholics, Austrians, Russians, Swedes
and many Germans. All realized that
its tone must be cheerful. The vessel
rolled heavily, and Mr.. Moody seated
| himself to lead it with an arm around a
column. He read the ninety-first Psalm.
and there, before his llow-passengers,
came TO him the quiet and confidence he
had sought alone. 1t came through the
eleventh verse, He shall give His angels
charge over thee TO keep thee in all thy
ways" Then he read the one hundred
and seventh Psalm from the nineteenth
to the thirty-tirst verses. 1t was such an
accurate picture of their situation that
one lazy was sure he had composed it for
Ia !