I wish to rewrite an incident given in Brother E. E. Byrum's book,
"Startling Incidents and Experiences in the Christian Life." As it was
given to him verbally, and I did not see the manuscript to correct it after
it was written. But on reading the article in his book, I discovered that
he had forgotten some of the facts. I am rewriting it here, praying that it
may prove a blessing.
For the glory of God I desire to relate some incidents connected with my
trips to Scandinavia in the years 1904-05. While I was engaged in
evangelistic work in North Dakota in the fall of 1904, the brethren in New
York City wrote me about making them a visit. After praying earnestly for
the Lord to make known his will in the matter, I decided to go, and felt
that if I went to New York I also ought to make a trip across the Atlantic
to Norway to see my parents and relatives whom I had not seen for
twenty-four years.
In the latter part of November it was made very clear to me by the Holy
Spirit that I should go, and about the middle of December I left my home
for New York City. On the 24th of December my wife took so seriously ill
that she was not expected to live. She had faith that the Lord would raise
her up, but the children were much distressed, fearing that their mother
was going to die, and knowing that their father was on his way to a foreign
land, not intending to return for several months. They begged to have a
telegram sent to me asking me to return. Finally about two o'clock in the
night, when she was getting very low, and the children would not be
comforted in any other way, she consented to have a telegram sent to the
missionary home in New York City. Knowing as she did that it was God's will
for me to go to Norway and knowing also that if I returned so soon, I could
not go if she should recover, she prayed earnestly that the Lord would
hinder me from getting the telegram, which he did. God heard her prayer and
also healed her. After stopping with the church in New York for sometime, I
went to Boston, and thence on the 20th of January, 1905 sailed on the
Steamship Saxonia of the Cunard line for Liverpool, England. Everything
went well--the Atlantic was the smoothest I had ever seen it. I wondered
how it could be otherwise, inasmuch as my family and many people of God
were sending up earnest prayers for my safe journey. My journey from
Liverpool to Hull was by railroad, but at the latter place, I embarked on
the S. S. Tasso of the Wilson Line bound for Tronheim, Norway. Getting into
the North Sea we had a very rough voyage. We were to make our first stop at
Stavanger, but the weather was so stormy as we neared the coast that
evening that we did not dare to sail in the dark. Consequently we anchored
out in the North Sea for the night. While the ship tossed up and down and
back and forth through the night, I dreamed the ship was going on dry land.
I could hear the screeching as it went on the rocks and chills went down my
back. Then the scene changed. In my dream I seemed to be on land standing
looking at the ship going, and wondering why it did not tip over. I looked
close and on the right hand side of the ship was a large stone, almost as
high as the ship, scraping against its side. On the left side was a small
stone steadying it as it moved along. Finally it moved out into deep water
and turned to the left, and in a little while we landed at our destination,
Tronheim. In the morning I told my dream at the breakfast table and said,
"We may have an accident before we get through." The people laughed and
said, "Do preachers believe in dreams?" I said, "Yes, when they come true."
They thought there was no danger, for the reason the ship was so large.
"Well," I said, "it is very stormy weather and the sea is full of rocks
along the coast and we do not know what may happen." That day we landed
safely in Stavanger, and then went to our next stop, Bergen. Leaving there
we encountered the roughest sailing I had ever experienced. Four ships
started out at the same time from the dock, and only one was able to anchor
at the next stop, Aalesund, so we had to anchor out in the ocean. The next
morning we were able to land at the dock. Thence we went to Christiansund,
which was our last stop before our final destination. It was a good harbor,
and were ready to leave there at 8 p.m., but as the storm was still raging
out in the sea, the captain decided to remain in the harbor until twelve
o'clock. Then we should land at our destination at eight o'clock in the
morning. At twelve o'clock we left the harbor. The storm was still raging
and a heavy snow was falling. At 1:15 a.m. I felt a shock and heard the
same screeching noise that I had heard in my dream and knew at once what
had happened. Immediately the stewart came running into the stateroom
calling, "Everybody up! take nothing along. We are sinking!"
Quicker than I can tell you the seven men with me in the stateroom were up
and dressing, putting on all the clothes they could. Up the stairs they
went, throwing away their tobacco and pipes, and leaving behind their
whisky bottles, some empty and some partly empty. I got up, dressed, took
my Bible and read a little. Then I knelt down and had prayer. The stewart
came down and said, "Aren't you in a hurry? We are sinking!" I said, "No,
he that believeth shall make no haste." He looked at me and went on the
deck. The snow storm was whistling wildly through the tackling of the ship,
and the seamen were working with all their might to lower the life boats.
Others were running to and fro. Some women were crying aloud and others
were praying while the water was pouring into the sides of the ship. The
pumps were working to their full capacity, throwing out the water. It was
indeed a sad sight. As a seaman was running by, I asked him to direct me to
the pilot. He looked at me and said in a harsh voice, "What do you want
with the pilot?" and went his way. A little further on I met another
seaman, and asked him the same question. He said, "The pilots are both over
there with the captain," pointing to three men who were standing a short
distance away.
I walked over to where they were standing, conversing with one another. I
saluted them and said to the captain. "Could you spare me a minute or two?"
"If it is important, I can," he replied. "I think it is," I said. "Speak on
then," he said.
I then asked him who the pilot of the boat was, and one pointed to himself
and another man. Then I said to the head pilot, "We are off the rock now,
are we not?" "Yes," he answered. "Did you turn to the left when you turned
off the rock," I asked. "Yes," he replied. "If that is the case we need not
go into the life boats," I replied, "as this boat is going to land in
Tronhein, without loss of life."
The captain looked at me and said, "What do you know about navigation,
man?" pointing to the water that was being pumped out of the ship; "we are
sinking." "I know nothing about navigation," I replied. "Explain yourself,"
he said. Then I told my dream, and when I had finished speaking, I saw the
tears running down the weather-beaten cheeks of the pilots. Then the
captain said, "What kind of a man are you?" I answered, "An ordinary
minister." Then the pilot said to the captain, "We had better listen to
this man. He may be more right than we, because as long as this ship can
hold up, we are safe, but if we go into the boats in this fearful weather
and dark night, we shall soon be dashed to pieces against the rocks."
Then the pilot said to me, "Our ship sticks 28 feet in the water and the
rock we struck was only twelve feet under the water, so you see it is a
great miracle that our ship is not in two, and one end on each side of the
rock. Had that happened, no one would have known what became of us, for we
are now in 53 fathoms of water." Orders were then given not to lower the
life boats.
Then I said to the captain, "Is this the Tasso, that used to sail on Norway
24 years ago?" He replied, "No, that lays on the bottom of the sea six
miles from here. What about it?" I said, "I embarked on that ship at
Tronheim the 27th day of April on a Sunday afternoon at four o'clock, of
the year 1881, with 384 other young people who were sailing for England, on
our way to America. At nine o'clock we got into an awful snowstorm and just
lay drifting until one fifteen a.m., exactly the same time of night as we
struck the rock this time. We went on the rock and turned over on the side
just outside of the Agness lighthouse." Then the captain said, "What kind
of a man are you?" "Just an ordinary minister," I answered. The captain
then told me his father was captain of that ship at that time. (It might be
interesting to the reader to know that we lay on our side until almost six
fifteen in the morning when the ship straightened up as the tide arose.
Then they cut the anchor chain and we backed up and went our way.) Needless
to say, that night was one of the greatest prayer meetings ever held.
While I was speaking with the Captain, the first mate had come, a fine tall
Englishman. "Will you kindly go with me to the front end of the ship and
see if we can see any lights? We are lost. We don't know where we are." I
answered, "I know nothing about navigation sir." He said, "Please go with
me." I did, and coming out there, I saw three lights, and he could not see
any. He said, "Keep your eyes on them, and I'll run for the captain." They
both came running and the captain could not see the lights either. Turning
to me he said, "You must be mistaken." "No sir,"
I replied, "I can see them now." He then asked me the color of the lights.
After I had given him a description of them, he saw them himself and
explained, "They are steamers. Where are we? We are lost!" He called out in
agony.
We lay there until six fifteen in the morning. When we turned around to the
right between the rocks, they knew where to go. The pumps were in full
operation, but our ship was tipping backward more and more as if it were
going to stand on one end. We landed in Tronheim in the afternoon with our
handsatchels and our lives, and as soon as the pumps stopped, the ship
filled with water and sank in the harbor.
I saw an account of the wreck in two Norwegian papers after the ship had
been raised and placed on dry dock. The paper stated that the cargo was a
total loss and the ship was about thirty eight thousand dollars. That
nearly every plate from midship to stern was torn loose, just as I had seen
in my dream and the paper said they could not understand why the ship had
not sunk before, as one plate hole was enough to sink the ship. My wife
wrote me later and said, "I know why the ship did not sink. I and many
others were praying that God would keep that ship on top of the waves,
because he had one of his little ones on the ship." The Lord verified his
promises by hearing the prayers of his people to protect me and bring me
safely to my destination. The blessings of salvation never seemed more real
to me than at that time, as I was enabled to be calm and quiet through all
the perils, having the sweet assurance that the mighty arm of God was
upholding me and protecting not only me, but those who were traveling with
me. He hears and answers prayers. Those who trust and believe in him he
often saves from death and destruction.