The Sea and the Waves Roaring.
By Uriah Smith
So marked and unusual is the disturbance in the elements at the present time, that the papers just now are full of the records of devastating storms on the land, and shipwrecks, with unequaled loss of life, at sea. England and France are visited with incessant rains causing disastrous floods over large sections of territory. One paper in a short paragraph enumerated about 400 lives lost by shipwrecks, the news of which had just been received. Another paper says:— “The daily press seems to have almost been wholly given up to the description of disasters at sea, so numerous are they and so fast they follow one another. The latest of these is an account of the wreck of the bark Toronto, from Glasgow for the West Indies, all the crew being lost save Antonio Maximo, a native of Manilla, who was picked up by a passing vessel and brought to New York after being in an open boat for twenty-five days. He managed to exist on such fish and birds as he could catch, and when found was insensible. Of the remainder of the crew, seven were drowned on first taking to the boat, and six starved to death afterward.” The following will serve as specimens of the daily record:— “Late news received at Boston is to the effect that two brigs and four schooners were lost with all on board during the terrible hurricane which recently caused so much damage at Jacmel, Navassa, Jamaica, and St. Iago.” “It is now rendered probable that not a soul was saved from the steamer City of Waco, burned off Galveston.” “Knoxville, Tenn., one morning last week, experienced the heaviest shock of earthquake ever felt in that section of country. It lasted ten seconds, causing buildings to sway.” At the same time numerous and extensive fires are reported; but fire is not estimated of much account now unless it wipes out a whole city. Can we not read in these things a fulfillment of Luke 21:25? U. S.