THE HERO'S FUNERAL.
The following account of the 'Hero's' funeral is taken, unabridged, from
_The Eastern Morning News_.
[Sidenote: HIS FUNERAL.]
[Sidenote: THE FUNERAL PROCESSION.]
All that was mortal of John Ellerthorpe, 'The Hero of the Humber,' was
on Sunday consigned to the grave. Well did his many noble actions
entitle him to the proud and distinguished title by which he was so
familiarly known. It may be questioned whether his career has any
individual parallel in the world's history. The saviour of forty lives
from drowning, during sixty-one years' existence, could not fail to be
exalted to the position of a great hero, and the worship which was paid
to his heroism assumed no exaggerated form, though it was intense and
abiding. He bore his honours meekly, and his funeral partook of the
character of the man, unpretending, simple, earnest. No funeral pomp, no
feverish excitement, but a solemn, subdued spectacle was witnessed. The
highest tribute which could be paid to departed worth was accorded to
the memory of the Hero of the Humber. Thousands of his fellow-townsmen
followed the funeral _cortege_ on its way to the Cemetery, and when the
procession reached the last resting-place of the deceased, the number
swelled into vast proportions, and a perfect consciousness of the
solemnity of the event appeared to influence the conduct of the vast
multitude. The silence was deep, and almost unbroken by any sound save
the frequent exclamations of sincere regret. No man, however
distinguished, has had more solemn homage paid to him than John
Ellerthorpe. There were many features of resemblance in the burial of
Captain Gravill, and in the Cemetery, not far from each other, now lie
the remains of two men whose moral attributes and actions will ever
stand conspicuous in the history of men.
The announcement that the _cortege_ would leave the residence of the
deceased at half-past twelve drew many hundreds to the house, anxious,
if possible, to obtain a look at that which contained the body of him
whose acquaintance numbers of them had esteemed it an honour to possess.
At the time appointed the body was placed in the hearse, and the family
and friends of the deceased, as they entered the coaches, were watched
by hundreds who sympathised in no common degree with their deep
affliction and irreparable loss. The coaches were followed by the
gatemen of all the docks and others who had been associated with the
deceased. Mr. Dumbell, the Secretary of the Dock Company, Mr. Dale
Brown, Superintendent Dock Master, and Mr. Gruby, headed the procession,
thus evincing the deep respect they entertained for Mr. Ellerthorpe.
Contrary to expectation, the procession proceeded to the Cemetery by the
following route:--Railway-street, Kingston-street, Edward's-place,
Waverly-street, Thornton-street, Park-street, and Spring-bank. It had
been expected that the procession would have gone along the Market-place
and Whitefriargate, and thence to the place of interment, and the
streets were thronged with an anxious multitude. The disappointment was
very great.
When the _cortege_ reached Thornton-street, part of the congregation of
the Primitive Methodist chapel at which the deceased had been in the
habit of worshipping when in health, joined the procession, and at once
began to sing. Nothing could exceed the impression of the scene from
this point. As the lowly strains arose tears were trickling down many a
hard, rough face, whilst a spirit of holy quietude appeared to pervade
others. Few funerals have been characterised by greater impressiveness.
All the avenues at the cemetery were crowded, and hundreds had been
waiting or a long time to meet the procession.
The funeral service was conducted by the Rev. George Lamb, for whom the
deceased had long cherished a great affection, and it is needless to say
the reverend gentleman was greatly affected. The coffin having been laid
in the grave, and the burial service having been read, Mr. Lamb spoke as
follows, amidst profound silence:--
[Sidenote: REV. G. LAMB'S ADDRESS.]
'We have come here to-day, my friends, to perform the last duties over
the body of the dear friend who has passed away, we doubt not, to a
brighter and a better world. The Hero of the Humber, the man who has
saved a large number of human beings from a watery grave, who has made
many a family rejoice by his heroism, has himself succumbed to the hand
of death. But, through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ he was not
afraid to die. I have been frequently comforted as I have conversed with
him during his last illness, and have heard him rejoice in the prospect
of that hour, and seen his anxiety--yes, his anxiety to leave the
present world because he had blooming hope of a brighter and better
inheritance. My dear friends, you and I will soon finish our course. The
great question we ought to ask ourselves individually is "Am I prepared
to die? If my corpse were here, where John Ellerthorpe lies, where would
my soul be? Am I prepared for entering the mansions of everlasting
bliss?" Many of you know he lived a godless, prayerless and sinful life
for many years, but by the gospel of the grace of God his heart became
changed. He abandoned his evil ways, consecrated himself at the foot of
the cross, to be the Lord's for ever, and by God's saving mercy, he was
enabled to hold on his way to the last, rejoicing in the prospect of
that hour when he should leave the bed of affliction and this sinful
world, to be carried into that clime and those blessed regions where he
would be with the saved for ever. That God can change your hearts, my
dear friends. Oh, by the side of this open grave, may some here to-day
be yielded to God; may you now consecrate yourselves and become the
saved of the Lord. God grant his blessing may rest upon the mourning
widow and the bereaved family, and that they after the toils of the
warfare of earth, may with their dear husband and father be found before
the throne of God. May those who have long enjoyed the friendship of our
departed brother be ultimately numbered with the blessed in in the
kingdom to come.'
[Sidenote: FAREWELL HYMN.]
Before the mourners departed, the beautifully affecting hymn, beginning
with
'Farewell, dear friends, a long farewell,'
was sung.
We may state that most of the ships in the docks indicated respect by
hoisting colours half-mast high.--_Eastern Morning News._
THE END.
J. HORNER, PRINTER, ALFORD.
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[Transcriber's Notes:
Contractions are inconsistently used, such as both "did'nt" and
"didn't," and have been retained as in the original in both cases.
There were many printers errors and typos in this book. The obvious
ones have been silently corrected. Others that might be cases of
old spellings have been retained.
Page 19--I suspect "of" is missing in the phrase, "that he would have
been unworthy (of) the name of a Christian" but I did not change it
in the text.
Page 120--The paragraph that begins "After the 'Hero's' death" was
originally included in the preceding blockquote, but it doesn't seem
to be part of the quoted letter, so I moved it out into the surrounding
text.]
End of Project Gutenberg's The Hero of the Humber, by Henry Woodcock