The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-12-28
MOODY CAN NEVER DIE.


row E,GnpCs- Experience oH the Steam
ship SPREE, Witch Would Indicate That
Hts Declaration MaS More Than Pigur'
a,ive-SHTTow Easaps atSsa.
Chicago Times-Herald In one OF his
eloquent and powerful dlscourses at the
Auditorium Evangelist Dwight l..
Moody said: "If you take up paper
some day and read Moody is dead,
don't you believe 1t. All that death can
do to a true believer is to tear down his
old house. have another one prepared
for me--a mansion. not bullt with
hguds,"
Can a man of such sublime faith meet
death with courage and composure? In
this connection II Is interesting TO recall
the night Of prayer and Of prayer passed
by Mr.. Moody on the North German
Lloyd steamship Spree, In December
1892. The vessel was disabled and in
danger OF sinking, with 200 persons
aboard, three days after she started
from Southampton for New York on her
last voyage. Mr. Moody, his son, Will
lam Revell Moody, and others OF the
rescued passengers, after their terrlfy-
Ing experiences were landed safely in
New York by the Cunarder Etrurla.
The noted evangelist has given some
thrilling and dramatic descriptions of
his hours of peril.
Twice In my life" he said, Il have
been under fire. Once on the sinking
Spree; again when ] passed through the
cholera epidemic in Chicago visiting at
the houses OF the sick and dying. was
not afraid, but In those dark hours
had all could do to sustain myself,
1--WE knew the ship was sinking when
we came on, deck. But there was no
panic. The women did not scream nor
dash about, nor were the men outwardly
frightened, but every soul aboard that
boat felt that the end was very near
The passengers walked up and down the
decks They looked Into each others
faces. but they did not speak. The big
engines Of the ship were all working at
the pumps, but the water was steadily
gaining In spite of them with each
roll OF the ship II could be heard like
the roar of the surf, but with more ter
rible cracks and crashes.
1.-THE water reached the second cabin
and the passengers there fled TO the first
cabin. The stern Of the big boat was
down so that the after deck was almost
awash. She rolled SO that the iifeboats
could not be launched. Waves swept
over her as she rolled. The sea was not
terribly stormy, but II was rough. AT
noon, six hours after the accident. the
captain came to the dining room, where
Ill nj al tho
he thought the pumps were working
successfully and that he had the water
under control. We had passed ship
the day before, and he said II should
catch up with us by o'clock.
AT II o'clock men and women walked
the decks with watches In hand, scan
ming the horizon at the four points OF
the compass for q sail Hour after hour
passed with no sign Of rescue, Each
roll OF the crippled ship seemed her last.
Yet II was her salvation 10 keep rolling,
the officers said She was kept In the
trough OF the sea. II she had been
pitching one plunge might have sent
the water into her hold breaking for
ward, and that would have been the
last OF her,
Might came on with the passengers
stIll scanning the sea, Darkness, II
seemed. such as never human beings
were called to witness, fell. That was
the darkest night In my lifc-the dark
est, think, in the lives Of any OF the 700
aboard that boat. Rockets were sent up
at intervals. and huge barrel filled
with tar was kept burning on the hur-
rIcane deck forward II lighted up the
heavens. No eye was closed In sleep
that night. No man believed he would
see another sun.
"The first and second cabin passen-
gers were gathered In the first cabin
dining room They made dismal at
tempts to entertain one another They
were pitched and tossed by the roll
One woman was thrown down and her
arm broken. We could not talk Of re-
ttgion, for the first word brought forth
hundred exclamntlone, Are we sink
Ing, then"
"In thnt first night OF terror and sus-
pcnse one woman went insane. Shc
had two children with her, and she beg
god us piteously to save them and let
her die. II seemed an age until the
dawn Of Sabbath morning came. Then
the vigil on deck was resumed. The
officers were there with navy revolvers
bucilcd about their waist for instant
use lncasc OF emergency. The strain on
the minds of the people was something
awful.
at last proposed that wc hold
meeting. General Howard, who was
one OF the passengers agreed to my pro-
posai. Then / laid the matter before
Captain Willlgerod, who said: I'm Of
that persuasion myself SO we called
meeting forthwith We gathered IN
the dining room 900 Of us--Jcws, Cath
ollrs Professionals. Greed made no DIFF
ference. read the ninety-hrst Psalm,
ono verse read In English, the next n
German passenger read tn Gefmdh,
Then read the lO7th Psalm and we
l,nelt md prayed, say we, for I be-
lleve there was not n soul present that
didn't Join In that prayer. We prayed