Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-08-15
CalnnaSe
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Talmaec, d. D.

Los Angeles, Cal. Aug. lin this
sermon the preacher, who was an eye
witness OF the rescue Of the survivors
Of the appalling Columbia wreck,
draws an eloquent and timely lesson
from the disaster. The text is Psalm
XVI, 3, Though the waters thereof roar
and he troubled
Upon a curtain Of one OF the public
places Of amusement in the city Of
Chicago is a beautiful picture of the
white City" of the national pxposi-
ton Of 1893. Underneath this won.
dcrful vision are written these words,
"And should I live thousand years
/ never can forget It,"
This was the sentence which sprang
to my lips when I sat down to write
the horrible experience Of the most
momentous day Of my life. But now,
instead of seeing beautiful white build
ings, with their columns and domes
and minarets, and hearing the sweet
notes of the most famous musicians In
the world played in the gardens and
hearing the songs and the merrymak-
ings of the happy parties which filed
the gondolas Of that new Venice of
the west, l saw a sinking ship crowd
ed with men and women. saw life
boats filed to the gunwales with help
less human beings. l saw the wreck
age drifting everywhither. And above
all, in Imagination, could see the
white faces Of men. women and chill
dren coming to the surface of the mer-
CHESS ocean. eagerly looking TO see
whether their loved ones had been
saved and then disappearing into those
depths from which only the archangel's
resurrection trumpet can now bring
them forth. Should live a thousand
years | can never forget it, Perhaps
even III heaven I shall yet tnll: over
the horrors Of that day with some who
won :he crown Of martyrdom when the
Columbia. one OF the finest ships on
the Pacific orpar, coliied with the
lumber boat San Pedro and :hen blew
up and added one more tragedy to the
long list of marine cntastrophes.
1t was on a beautiful summer after
noon. July 90, 1907. that we set sail
from that gem of harhors and passed
through the Golden Gate Of III" Pacific
at San Francisco. For weeks and
months I had been preparing and look
ing forward to the time when. with my
boy and a couple Of dear friends. |
could drop work and camp for few
weeks in the famous forests of forth
('nlrfnrnia Tho jnol- oil
more peaceful. the sky never more
bright Hard, grinding work for a lit
tie while was to be cast asde--no
telephone, no telegraph. no callers,
no mail. no enga gcments to speak.
/ was Just to listen to the music Of the
woods and HE away to the secret
haunts of the deer. For hours we
paced the deck. Then the sun sank to
the west. and the moon begun to pave
the crystal pavemefts OF the deep with
nuggets of gold. Silently. yet relent-
lessly. the dense fog banks began ia
shut ont the lofty hills to our right
Then The hoarse and revcrberating and
irritating fog horn began to blow.
We'll" I said to one of my friends.
mo sleep tonight have travelled all
around the world. | have been months
and months upon the sea. and yet
could never understand why the sailors
would persist in blowing that fog horn.
The sea is so wide and the ships SC
few I do not believe there Is any more
danger of collision than there is OF
shooting a deer in the woods IL you lift
your gun at random and shut your eyes
and pull the trigger and know not
where the ball will fly" My travelling
companion said nothing. He always
has that rebuking silence when I have
made any statement which Is in self
evident defiance of all the laws Of com.
mon sense.
The Fog Horns Call.
went to bed III disgust. Hardly
would l got to sleep when l would he
awakened with the fog horns call:
Look out. There is danger Look
out" at o'clock in the morning
arose and went on deck and ate some
fruit. Then | returned to my state
room and crawled into bed with my
llllt IVY Ibi b-Vi llNtc lllNlS
than ten minutes when I heard a rapid
pattering of feet and the sharp com
mnnd of the officers. l again arose.
AS looked out of the stateroom said
what is the matter?' Then the Off
Ger. pointing ahead, said, Look"
looked, and, o God. saw the saddcst
sight Of my life. There was Il small
lumber boat which seemed to be turn.
ing turtle" It's decks were simply
swarming with people. Yonder were
lfeboats. Here were RATS. Here
were loose, floating life preservers. a
collision had clearly taken place. But
where was the other ship? With that
dren. seeing the relief coming out OF
the fog bank, raised a cheer OF thanks
giving But for us on the George w
Elder we could raise no cheer. The
scene was too tragic.
Then the work of rescue. As our
great ship was rolling this way and
that the boats came up. Some Of the
poor victims were covered with blood
Some were too exhausted even to look
Some were rescued only with their
night garments, and some had only a
blanket around them. From the time
the Columbia was struck to the time
she sank 1t took only ten minutes to
lay her broken bones in the bottom OF
the sea
Stand back there. Stand back OIL
you will sink their boats" cried the