Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-08-16
Calmase
Sermon
By Rev.
Frank De Witt Tslmage. ID. ID.

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
XVII, ). Though the waters thereof roar
and be troubled"
Upon curtain of one OF the public
places OF amusement In the city of
Chicago is beautiful picture of the
white City" of the national exposi-
ton of 1893 Underneath this won
derful vision are written these words,
And should / live a thousand years
1 never can forget lt''
This was the sentence which sprang
to my lips when 1 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 q sinking ship crowd
ed with men and women. 1 saw life
boats filled to the gunwales with help
less human beings. 1 saw the wreck
age drifting everywhither. And above
all, in imagination, L 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 archangels
resurrection trumpet can now bring
them forth. Should 1 live q thousand
years i can never forget It. Perhaps
even in heaven / shall yet talk over
the horrors Of that day with some who
won the crown of martyrdom when the
Columbia, one of the finest ships on
the Pacific ocean, collided with the
lumber boat San Pedro and then blew
up and added one more tragedy to the
long list OF marine catastropbes.
1t was on beautiful summer after
noon, July 20. 1907, that we set sail
from that gem OF harbors and passed
through the Golden Gate of the Pacific
at San Francisco. For weeks and
months had been preparing and look
Ing forward TO the time when, with my
boy and a couple OF dear friends, I
could drop work and camp for a few
weeks in the famous forests OF north
ern California. The sea never looked
more peaceful, the sky never more
bright. Hard, grinding work for lit
tie while was to be cast aside-no
telephone, no telegraph, no callers,
no mail, no engagements 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 began to pave
the crystal pavements OF the deep with
nuggets Of gold. Silently, yet relent-
lessly, the dense fog banks began to
shut out the lofty hills TO our right.
Then the hoarse and reverberating and
Irritating fog horn began to blow.
WELL" said TO one OF my friends,
mo sleep tonight. / have Travelled all
around the world. i have been months
and months upon the sea, and yet /
could never understand why the sailors
would persist in blowing that fog horn.
few i do not believe there is any more
danger OF collision than there is OF
shooting 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" Ny travelling
companion said nothing. He always
has that rebuking silence when / have
made any statement which Is in self
evident defiance of all the laws of COM
mon sense
The Fog Horns Call.
I went to bed ia disgust. Hardly
would l get to sleep when I would be
awakened with the fog horns call:
Look Quit There Is danger! Look
out!' AT o'clock In the morning
arose and went on deck and ate some
fruit. Then 1 returned to my state
room and crawled into bed with my
little boy. 1 had not been there more
than ten minutes when heard a rapid
pattering OF feet and the sharp COM
mand OF the officers. i again arose.
As looked out OF the stateroom said,
what Is the matter" Then the off,
Ger, pointing ahead, said, Look 1
looked, and, o God, saw the saddest
sight OF my life. There was a small
lumber boat which seemed to be turn
Ing turtle" It's decks were simply
swarming with people. Yonder were
lifeboats. Here were RATS. Here
were loose, floating life preservers. A
ollision had clearly taken place. But
here was the other ship? With that
the men and the women and the chill
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 boatsw cried the
chief officer. "Here, put that rope
around this woman. Now lift this
oid man up Now, here is a child.
Now for the other boat" Then the
empty boats would go back again for
their loads of suffering. Poor, poor
Things! Some OF them-deli tie wo-
men-came up with only q d.enched
cloak to shield their bodies. Some
tainted dead away as they Were being
hauled up. Some even then wers