The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-02-25
DOWN |. I CONGO
INA CHAIR.
This Was tile Experience OF the
n Rev. Motto Martin ! Of " S$
S84lncrlyof This City. ~
ACCOUNT Of THE RI Il DISASTER is Err
Alnctical,$Editiol, Of tl Fitc'.t. Lite
.38fllassia Paper Issued by . stl1c ..
Mission Office.

Il q special United States edition ~ tho
kussai Herald, the little paper publish
% by tho Presbyterian missionaries in
tho heart Of Africa, and which necess W
IL suspended publication when the Laps LA
Icy capsizcd and precipitated the print
Ing outfit into the Congo River, has been
Issued BY tho Mission Office III Na als
willie. II Is fill of interesting mater
about the work On the dark continent ln1t. VA
Il Concerning the recent disaster tho Her ''3
ale sees az brighter side. TO the si 1tla5
ton. ut declares that out Of THO ashes H
Of this disaster 1t already arising, o. q !,
will be soen later, n new and greater gre t
steamer, and three now men are ca al e.
to take the place of the fallen slaSinae
kerr. Thc accident has had the erect e'll?'s O.
dcepening hci5intcrcst and sympathy ~
IA whole church in tho African mis-
sion and all of the churches a. are rally
Ing TO its aid. Y:
MIR. MARTINS ACCOUNT ,$sj
THE REV. Motto Martin, who was In
tho Lapsley when it capsized, writes ~ 70 %
the students sof Union Seminary mere \, ~ =
vivid account of the horror. AZ, Alhrt ~
was at one time himself a stuae,lt ~ J,
the SeminnrS,$and he is well rclflel - nocreu
III Richmond He says in part Sl
.Despite sFnll a$efforts sho (the laps h,
1er) awhirlcd SO fast that she caTeenea,
the water caught her lower deck, ma III
an Instant We were III the Whlrllng WI w
ter Nnss and Slaymakcr were ~ ~ we
helm and when the boat turne Gu Sclil ,i'
the rail to Jump. Poor slaymiaKer1s 8f eal
never came lib once-wasnst seen altcr
Vass and 4 he were on the railing.
iun ped Il into tho water amongst me ne
drowning crew, and watched men IN az
stages Of drowning, with no power 20
help. Awful Ono man grappleu
m and we sank, but his hanos were
loosed and $Iscame rp again. I y OH "a
ers5 grappled me, but not SO marc lre'
lcculdn't get far away, the current was
IA nowerful. and I simply wa tched them
die and Struggle. Just as my own strength
Was failing. God providentially sent me
a wicker chair i climbed on that ana
wbirled down stream away IRON y ne nc
steamer. which was floating bottom up w,
Had timeato sec that Henry = was vas syn ll
missing (thoughs5a splendld s"ilh IN,
sa " Vass, texhaus ted, being heipeo on
last "a r,er3 by his men; saw the canoe PROV
northumberland and dry on top OIL Ne
* stea ,,,er. N being unloaded afterwards by
vase. saw#him man with strong swim
I me,.s and send TO my relief; saw the 1T
ltle crowd kneeling on ]4hottoms OF " c ~
sized boat, i amidst the surging waters vat y.
asking God for Ills presence, 4 men ING =
/ canoe came i,eaiHlmeI and ere long y was was
fl1-,nr IN its bottom, sa fe. a ftcr reaching
! the Shore we started for Inamouth, in our
/ Vet clothes (the grass cut like razors !;
\ couldn't take clothes Off. The sun was
] hot: had no helmet. and when We
\ rca chcd the Kassai mouth at noon, We
1 We're thoroughly exhausted-l the most,
Il but neither had fever " reached Leo
{ noldyillc Wednesday night By State
Il steamer, besides slaymaker--oh, he was
4 a fine man and Christian. shall al
| ways miss him as he was one Of my
| closest friends-thcre were twenty-thrce
| natives drowned.