---
title: Improvement Era
description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930.
authors:
  - Hendrickson, John A.
collections:
  - periodicals
tags:
  - magazine
  - improvement-era
periodical: Improvement Era
volume: 7
number: 4
published: 1904-02
publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations
publisher_place: Salt Lake City
language: en
type: magazine
reference: 'John A. Hendrickson, "Thrilling Experience at Sea," *Improvement Era* 7, no. 4 (February 1904): 291–293.'
source:
  url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0704unse
  transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers.
  identifier: improvementera0704unse
start_page: 291
end_page: 293
rights:
  status: public-domain
  basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1904-02)
  source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0704unse
  publication_year: 1904
  note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1904, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright.
---

# Thrilling Experience at Sea

<!-- page:291 -->

THRILLING 
        EXPERIENCE 
        AT 
        SEA.
BY  
        ELDER 
        JOHN 
        A.  
        HENDRICKSON,  
        PRESIDENT  
        OF 
        THE 
        CHRISTIANIA
CONFERENCE, 
        NORWAY.
Deep 
        calleth 
        unto 
        deep 
        at 
        the 
        noise 
        of 
        thy 
        waterspouts: 
        all 
        thy
waves 
        and 
        thy 
        billows 
        are 
        gone 
        over 
        me. 
        Yet 
        the 
        Lord 
        will 
        command
his 
        loving-kindness 
        in 
        the 
        daytime, 
        and 
        in 
        the 
        night 
        his 
        song 
        shall 
        be
with 
        me, 
        and 
        my 
        prayer 
        unto 
        the 
        God 
        of 
        my 
        life.
        —
        (Psalms 
        42: 
        7, 
        8).
Let 
        me 
        tell 
        the 
        readers 
        of 
        the 
        Era 
        of 
        an 
        incident 
        in 
        my 
        ex-
perience which 
        happened 
        on 
        the 
        evening 
        of 
        November 
        29, 
        1903, 
        as
I 
        was 
        on 
        a 
        journey 
        over 
        the 
        Baltic, 
        from 
        Stockholm 
        to 
        Finland. 
        We
had 
        nearly 
        passed 
        over 
        the 
        Baltic 
        and 
        were 
        well 
        up 
        towards 
        the 
        gulf
of 
        Finland, 
        sailing 
        on 
        smoothly, 
        and 
        apparently 
        securely, 
        in 
        the
handsome 
        steamer 
        Wellamo. 
        It 
        was 
        five 
        o'clock 
        in 
        the 
        afternoon,
at 
        which 
        time, 
        during 
        this 
        season, 
        it 
        is 
        well-nigh 
        dark. 
        The
steamer 
        was 
        built 
        for 
        accommodating 
        about 
        five 
        hundred 
        passen-
gers, but 
        had 
        only 
        fifty 
        on 
        board. 
        We 
        had 
        just 
        eaten 
        dinner, 
        and
I 
        had 
        returned 
        to 
        my 
        room 
        to 
        adjust 
        my 
        toilet. 
        Every 
        person 
        on
board 
        seemed 
        happy 
        in 
        the 
        thought 
        of 
        reaching 
        land 
        within 
        two
hours, 
        when 
        suddenly, 
        and 
        without 
        warning, 
        the 
        boat 
        began 
        making
motions 
        similar 
        to 
        those 
        of 
        an 
        engine 
        which 
        has 
        jumped 
        its 
        beaten
track. 
        Instinctively 
        we 
        all 
        knew 
        what 
        had 
        happened. 
        Hidden
rocks 
        under 
        the 
        water 
        had 
        struck 
        the 
        vessel! 
        In 
        deep 
        silence 
        the
passengers 
        stood 
        astounded, 
        scarcely 
        breathing, 
        when 
        suddenly 
        the
ship 
        began 
        turning, 
        and 
        then 
        it 
        dawned 
        upon 
        us 
        that 
        the 
        trouble 
        was
perhaps 
        more 
        serious 
        than 
        we 
        had 
        anticipated. 
        Everyone 
        scamp-
ered on 
        deck, 
        myself 
        included, 
        and 
        we 
        then 
        saw 
        that 
        the 
        ship 
        was
gradually 
        going 
        over. 
        Darkness 
        had 
        settled 
        down 
        upon 
        the 
        waters;
a 
        strong 
        wind 
        was 
        moaning 
        in 
        the 
        rigging, 
        and 
        the 
        snow 
        des-
cended with 
        the 
        gusts.

<!-- page:292 -->

292 
        IMPROVEMENT 
        ERA.
I 
        returned 
        to 
        my 
        state 
        room, 
        put 
        on 
        my 
        fur 
        coat, 
        muffler, 
        and
other 
        effects, 
        and 
        kneeling 
        down 
        offered 
        a 
        few 
        words 
        of 
        prayer;
then, 
        clinging 
        to 
        the 
        sides 
        of 
        the 
        railing, 
        I 
        climbed 
        on
        ' 
        deck 
        again.
I 
        met 
        the 
        fireman 
        first, 
        his 
        face 
        was 
        black 
        as 
        Cain's. 
        Breathless,
I 
        asked 
        him 
        if 
        there 
        was 
        danger! 
        I 
        know 
        not 
        what 
        he 
        answered,
but 
        saw 
        that 
        he 
        was 
        buckling 
        on 
        his 
        life 
        preserver. 
        On 
        deck, 
        there
was 
        all 
        confusion! 
        In 
        answer 
        to 
        my 
        prayer 
        I 
        had 
        received 
        an 
        as-
surance that 
        my 
        life 
        was 
        safe, 
        yet, 
        notwithstanding, 
        I 
        experienced
an 
        uncomfortable 
        feeling. 
        Life 
        protectors 
        were 
        called 
        for, 
        and, 
        a
bunch 
        lying 
        close 
        beside 
        me, 
        I 
        began 
        handing 
        them 
        out 
        as 
        rapidly
as 
        I 
        could 
        to 
        those 
        who 
        called. 
        When 
        all 
        were 
        provided, 
        there 
        was
but 
        one 
        left, 
        which 
        was 
        on 
        the 
        upper 
        side 
        of 
        the 
        boat, 
        and 
        that
one 
        was 
        without 
        the 
        necessary 
        strings; 
        so 
        it 
        appeared 
        that 
        1 
        would
have 
        none. 
        Men 
        and 
        women, 
        from 
        the 
        captain 
        down, 
        were 
        well
provided 
        with 
        cork-belts, 
        and, 
        indeed, 
        appeared 
        ready 
        for 
        a 
        wet
time.
Great 
        excitement 
        prevailed 
        in 
        the 
        darkness. 
        The 
        scene 
        was
one 
        never 
        to 
        be 
        forgotten; 
        but, 
        in 
        the 
        midst 
        of 
        it 
        all, 
        I 
        noticed
that 
        on 
        an 
        occasion 
        of 
        this 
        kind 
        many 
        people 
        believe 
        in 
        prayer; 
        in
fact, 
        no 
        one 
        knows 
        how 
        many 
        people 
        believe 
        in 
        calling 
        upon 
        God,
until 
        they 
        are 
        caught 
        in 
        some 
        such 
        circumstance 
        as 
        this. 
        Several
women 
        asked 
        me 
        to 
        help 
        them, 
        I 
        cannot 
        say 
        why 
        they 
        did 
        so, 
        un-
less it 
        was 
        that 
        I 
        was 
        not 
        loaded 
        down 
        with 
        life 
        protectors. 
        I 
        tried
to 
        calm 
        them, 
        and 
        told 
        them 
        that 
        we 
        would 
        be 
        safe, 
        but, 
        at 
        that
time, 
        it 
        looked 
        hopeless.
In 
        about 
        ten 
        minutes, 
        the 
        boat 
        was 
        well 
        over 
        on 
        its 
        side.
Tables 
        and 
        all 
        other 
        movable 
        affairs 
        were 
        turned 
        up-side 
        down; 
        the
people 
        were 
        rushing 
        hither 
        and 
        thither 
        almost 
        frantic! 
        The 
        boat
then 
        struck 
        another 
        rock, 
        and 
        could 
        proceed 
        no 
        further. 
        The 
        cap-
tain shouted, 
        "No 
        danger!" 
        but 
        few 
        there 
        were 
        who 
        believed 
        him.
Women 
        were 
        weeping, 
        men 
        were 
        yelling, 
        and 
        all 
        on 
        board 
        hung
close 
        to 
        the 
        upper 
        railing. 
        The 
        passengers 
        waited 
        thus 
        for 
        two 
        hours
in 
        the 
        darkness 
        and 
        storm, 
        with 
        their 
        life 
        preservers 
        buckled 
        on.
An 
        effort 
        was 
        made 
        to 
        lower 
        the 
        life 
        boats, 
        and 
        they 
        were 
        lowered^
but 
        the 
        wind 
        was 
        so 
        fierce 
        as 
        to 
        make 
        their 
        use 
        unsafe. 
        At 
        one
o'clock 
        in 
        the 
        morning, 
        the 
        Lord 
        favored 
        us, 
        and 
        we 
        were 
        picked
up 
        by 
        a 
        passing 
        boat, 
        and 
        at 
        3
        :30 
        landed 
        in 
        safety 
        at 
        Hango, 
        Fin-
land.   Just 
        before 
        leaving 
        the 
        wreck, 
        the 
        storm 
        ceased, 
        and 
        the

<!-- page:293 -->

THRILLING 
        EXPERIENCE 
        AT 
        SEA. 
        293
moon 
        came 
        out 
        from 
        the 
        scurrying 
        bars 
        of 
        clouds, 
        shining 
        brightly
upon 
        us 
        as 
        we 
        sailed 
        away 
        from 
        the 
        old 
        ship 
        Wellamo, 
        which 
        now
hung 
        upon 
        her 
        side 
        upon 
        the 
        treacherous 
        rocks. 
        Many 
        thoughts 
        en-
tered my 
        mind 
        as 
        to 
        what 
        might 
        have 
        been, 
        and 
        among 
        the 
        fore-
most of 
        these 
        was 
        this 
        one, 
        The 
        Lord 
        protects 
        the 
        shipwrecked,
when 
        Saints 
        or 
        Elders 
        are 
        on 
        board.
They 
        that 
        go 
        down 
        to 
        the 
        sea 
        in 
        ships, 
        that 
        do 
        business 
        in 
        great
waters; 
        these 
        see 
        the 
        works 
        of 
        the 
        Lord, 
        and 
        his 
        wonders 
        in 
        the 
        deep.
For 
        he 
        commandeth, 
        and 
        raiseth 
        the 
        stormy 
        wind, 
        which 
        lifteth 
        up 
        the
waves 
        thereof. 
        They 
        mount 
        up 
        to 
        the 
        heaven, 
        they 
        go 
        down 
        again 
        to 
        the
depths: 
        their 
        soul 
        is 
        melted 
        because 
        of 
        trouble. 
        They 
        reel 
        to 
        and 
        fro,
and 
        stagger 
        like 
        a 
        drunken 
        man, 
        and 
        are 
        at 
        their 
        wit's 
        end. 
        Then 
        they
cry 
        unto 
        the 
        Lord 
        in 
        their 
        trouble, 
        and 
        he 
        bringeth 
        them 
        out 
        of 
        their
distresses. 
        He 
        maketh 
        the 
        storm 
        a 
        calm, 
        so 
        that 
        the 
        waves 
        thereof 
        are
still. 
        Then 
        are 
        they 
        glad 
        because 
        they 
        be 
        quiet; 
        so 
        he 
        bringeth 
        them
unto 
        their 
        desired 
        haven. 
        Oh 
        that 
        men 
        would 
        praise 
        the 
        Lord 
        for 
        his
goodness, 
        and 
        for 
        his 
        wonderful 
        works 
        to 
        the 
        children 
        of 
        men.
        —
        (Psalms
107: 
        23-31).
THE 
        DAWN 
        OF 
        TRUTH.
{For 
        the 
        Improvement 
        Era).
BY 
        T.  
        E.  
        CURTIS,  
        SALT  
        LAKE 
        CITY.
Fountain-like, 
        the 
        morning 
        breaks.
And 
        scatters 
        out 
        her 
        golden 
        sprays;
Behold 
        yon 
        rocky, 
        mountain 
        peaks.
Like 
        burning 
        altars 
        set 
        ablaze.
Again 
        from 
        the 
        eternal 
        shore,
A 
        wave 
        of 
        light 
        rolls 
        forth, 
        and 
        spills
Its 
        flood 
        of 
        golden 
        glory 
        o'er
The 
        summits 
        of 
        a 
        thousand 
        hills.