The Newtown bee., 1901-04-12

marks and hymns seemed to I'LL the
hearts of all present with devout
praise and profound thanksgiving.
The singing was joined in audibly by
all or nearly all and it was evident
that not many of these passengers
were strangers to a prayer meeting.
1t was remarked again and again, that
our lives had been saved, as by a
miracle, also that they had been lost
and given back to us that we might
make them better.
The captains remarks fell upon ears
intently listening to every syllable.
He had been upon the sea many years
and had passed through many perils,
including resort to the waves to escape
from a burning ship, but neveIhad he
met such an emergency as this. He
spoke of the gale, of the icy decks, of
the frozen hose noZzleS, of the flames
bursting off the engine room sky lights
and rising 10 or II feet above the ship.
This, if anything, would justify a
panic and while a good deal has been
said of the skill and fidelity of the Off
GERS, crew and stewards, he wanted to
express their Indebtedness to the sin
gularly good behavior of the paSSen-
gers, whose conduct had contributed
to the salvation of all on board.
The next day, Friday, the 18th OF
February, a business meeting of the
passengers was held and resolutions
were adopted, heartily thanking and
commencing the captain, officers,
crew, and helpers for their faithful
and heroic effects in saving the ship
and for their care and attention to the
passengers. 1t was also the desire OF
the meeting to show it's gratitude by
a suitable reward, but the captain,
having discouraged the giving of
money for duty performed, even to the
utmost, it was voted that the resolu-
ton should be engraved and put into
form suitable for permanent place
in the steamships Social Hall saloon.
AS showing the Clyde Line IS apprecia-
tion of faithful service rendered, upon
return of the Comanche to New York,
every man of the officers and crew re-
ceived an extra months pay.
Captain Pennington's life is an in
teresting one. His grandfather, IA
ther, and three brothers were sea
captains. He himself entered upon
sea service when a boy of - and has
now been on the sea 81 years. having
reached the age of 81. His conversion
took place when he was 48. On the
evening of the 14th, Bishop Foss, MI
Foster and others, having desired
that the captain should give some &C
count of his life and conversion, he
took perhaps 20 of us to his room. AT
ter the singing of two or three hymns
and a prayer, the captain began by
saying that his associates were sea-
faring men, that he was skeptical in
religious matters, was fond of the
theatre and things of that kind, and
that he disparased religion and minis
tiers. At one time he was superin-
tendent for the Pacific Mail Steam
ship Company at Panama and was en-
gagged on both sides of the isthmus,
making his residence on shore. He
frequently brought to his house Off
GERS and surgeons from the ships and
as many of them were of his way of
thinking they INDUCED in more or less
irreverent conversation. One day he
brought home ships doctor and they
engaged in the not unusual topic At
ter the doctor had gone, the captain S
wife, who had heard the conversation
from an adjoining room, said to him
she wished he would never bring that
man to the house again. She could
not bear to hear such talk He prom
ised his wife that he never would.
The captains residence is Brooklyn,
where he has lived a long time. One
of his friends asked him, one day,
some 10 or 20 years ago, if he had
ever heard Talmadge. No. he never
had. His friend proposed that he
should 60 to hear him. It was as good
as going to the theater. lie, the friend,
had been repeatedly, and had enjoyed
it. Capt Pennington went with his
friend, and again he went. The third
time he went DR. Talmadge talked of,