The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-08-13

empt! DOatS would go Dack again IoI
their loads of suffering. Poor, poor
things, Some of theul--delicate wo-
men-came UP with only a drenched
cloak to shield their bodies. Some
tainted dead away as they We're being
hauled up. Some even then were
weeping: 20 God, my baby 80
God my husband and my children."
20 God, my wife and my two chill
drenr' 1t was a scene of pathoS pass
ing all human description. | saw
strong men standing there with the
tears running down their cheeks;
brave women crying like babies.
Merciless Death.
l have often stood in the presence of
death and never did | witness death
| SO merciesS and cruel a, - ti:lt sad
sad day. What Is the art:.a! e, 'rnt Of
| the catastrophe l know n,.i. But at
/ the present writing | have trrn told
| that there were at least 105 lost Of the
| 223 souls which the Columbia carried
on board. God pity the broken hearts
of that nights awful work! God pity
| the children who have been bereft of
their parents love and care. God pity
| the wrecked homes and the wrecked
| lives!
AS a pastor and Christian teacher
learned many gospel lessons from this
heartrending tragedy. Heroic deeds Of
self sacrifice We're revealed ON every
hand. With but one or two exceptions
In f1,N,,
was a coward or mean and con
temptible soul among all the three
crews and passengers of the San Pc
dro, the Columbia and the George w.
Elder, who met in such close and holy
| association on that fatal day. l have
heard some people declare that this is a
| mean and contemplate world but if
such cynics had only been standing
with me on the deck of that rescuing
steamer on July 20 they would have
had their faith in God and in mankind
renewed or inspired with flaming en-
thusiaSm.
That noble heroism with the first cali
of danger was revealed in the conduct
of the commander of the i'll fated
steamer Columbia, Captain 2. X. Do
ran now of blessed memory. 1t would
have been very easy matter for him
to have saved himself. But he went
to the captains bridge and stood there.
He ordered all the lifeboats 70 be low
cred. Then, while he babe others save
themselves. he himself with his own
hand rang the danger signals. While
he was ringing those signals he seemed
to be calling My passengers and
crew, save yourselves! Some one must
die to warn you. am willing. Save
yourselves! Save yourselves" What
glorious death he died, What bless
ed heritage he has given to his dear
ones. For all time his name will be
emblazoned upon the honor list of
those who have given their lives in Or
der that their fellow men might live.
A Woman's Courage.
The captains heroism found its
counterpart in the life Of many hum
bic passenger and sailorin how
many only the great honor book of
heaven shall ever record | heard of
swim. She had life preserver on
and could therefore keep afoat While
the boat was coming to get her she
grasped two women's skirts and clutch
ed them in her teeth. Then with her
right hand she reached out and caught
a sinking man. When the sailors pull
ed her into the boat she, with her wo-
a,,'s ho1 fbran
lives. This heroism was sometimes
found in the most unexpected places.
After all the survivors had been
brought on board the George w. Elder
young girl came and sat by my side.
Her whole life seemed to have been
that Of frivolous social butterfly She
laughed and joked. l said to myself,
How can any one make light of this
horror Yet a short time aftcrward
a gentleman told me that this young
girl, who seemed to be out of place ex-
cept as creature of fun, was so brave
that at the risk of her life she had
reached out of the boat and with her
own frail hands drawn Il drowning
man over the gunwale and saved him.
Oh, do not tell me that this is mean
and selfish world. 1t is il world filled
with heroes and heroines when Il hui
man life is standing face to face with
death. If you had been on that toss
ing tumbling sea to the south of Cape
Mendocino when the Columbia sank
you would have known 1t.
But another fact which impressed me
on that fatal day was the realization
that those who truly suffer the worst
suffer in absolute quietude. 1t is only
the shallow brook that gurgles and
splashes and makes noise. The deep
waters Of trouble, like great river,
roll quietly and smoothly. Oh, the
profound. the gloomy silence and yet
the overpowering sorrow of that sad
line of haunting faces Of the ship
wrecked passengers and crews lying
in the berths of the George W. Elder
after they reached the lescuing ship,
Suffered In Silence.
l went to many Of these berths and
heard nearly everywhere the same