"The Titanic's Last Hero" by Moody Adams
Just Me
I keep getting this e-mail from folks, usually folks that are Born Again
Christians, telling this long drawn out story about some minister converting
someone in the water when the Titanic went down... now Chuck Colson, of
Watergate fame, now a Born-Again himself, is apparently sending this out
too...
Is any of this true? Supposedly there is a book, came out in 1997... like
that means anything...
This is the part that blows my mind...
"When the ship began to sink, more than 1,500
passengers jumped or fell into the icy waters. As they
gradually drowned or froze to death, Harper was seen
swimming from one passenger to another, pleading with
them to accept Christ."
I'd understood that the cold of the water would have prevented much in the
way of swimming about and evangelizing... but Amazon has the book there...
and I couldn't find anything about it on the Urban Legends sites...
How could this be true?
Regards,
Lisa
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Paul E. Krause
again", the book was not worth the cost and was aterrible bore.
Paul
In article <7f32dv$as3$1...@autumn.news.rcn.net>, "Just Me"
Just Me
Paul E. Krause <pasto...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:pastorpaul-14...@pool-209-138-1-29.nwrk.grid.net...
> I bought the book in '97. Although i believe it, and myself am "born
> again", the book was not worth the cost and was aterrible bore.
>
> Paul
What puzzles me, is how they seem to be saying he swam around quite a bit,
exhorting folks... and I would have thought he'd have hypothermia fairly
quickly. Surely the extreme shivering, locked muscles, etc. would have
inhibited swimming, even if the "gasp" reflex when he hit the water didn't
immediately lock up his breathing and kill him that way...
In any event, I'm sorry if the term "born again" that I used offended. I
only meant that the folks sending it to me were sending along jibs and
sanctimonious sounding comments as well, about how the "mainstream" press
and the "media" and now, the movies, has "ignored" this story... That
grates... even if it were true. Even if I were inclined to be impressed
with the man's efforts, I'd still be, no, I still AM completely turned off
by the "holier than all them other guys" attitude of the folks sending this
story all over. I've had it sent to me now, in exactly the same wording and
format, at least 6 times... it hits every mailing list I'm on with a score
of loudly ringing "halejeuhs"... and it's becoming as irritating as
fingernails on a blackboard... any "meaning" it ever might have had is
lost... Why do people do that? If a story is good, it can stand on it's own
merits, without the grinning and jeering... *sigh*
The minister who is supposed to have drowned converting people from the
water is John Harper - This is a quote from the book, by Moody Adams, who
supposedly got the story from a member of his church in Glasgow... isn't it
more likely that this is a local legend that grew up around a beloved and
respected man who died, perhaps?
"As the dark, freezing waters of the Atlantic crept slowly up the decks of
the Titanic, John Harper shouted, "Let the women, children and the unsaved
into the lifeboats." Harper took his life jacket - the final hope of
survival - and gave it to another man. After the ship had disappeared
beneath the dark water, leaving Harper floundering in the icy waters, he was
heard urging those about him to put their faith in Jesus Christ.
-from Chapter 1"
Thanks for any help, folks, I appreciate it!
Ronnie Clark
actions after the sinking? AFAIR, only 4 were rescued from the water, one
died, one was drunk, that leaves only two...
Ronnie
----
http://www.titanica.swinternet.co.uk - updated 99 03 27
"Vyvian! Where did you get that Howitzer?" "Found it!"
Snittig
story. I have seen similar behaviour to Harper's attributed to members of the
Salvation Army. They were said to have remained on board so that those "less
prepared to meet their Maker" might live. I might add that the story did not
come from an officer of the Salvation Army. Actually, a number of
Salvationists were on board and were rescued.
The Christian Scientists also gave prominence to their member, C.H. Lightoller,
who is supposed to have used their teachings to survive.
Naturally much was made of the conduct of Father Byles, who spent the last
minutes giving absolution to many of the Catholics on board.
Not everybody saw it like that. Swedish survivor, August Wennerstom, thought
that the Catholics would have been better employed trying to save themselves
and ridiculed their passive conduct.
In an age when religion had far more influence than it does today it is hardly
surprising that the "Titanic" story was often given a religious slant. Read
Steven Biel's "Down with the Old Canoe" for much material on this angle.
Dave Gittins
For a navigator's view of Titanic visit
kathry...@my-dejanews.com
thing: Harper was a Baptist minister, going on to Chicago to speak at
meetings at a church there. Traveling with his daughter and a nanny, when the
Titanic struck the iceberg, he escorted his daughter and her nanny to
Lifeboat #11, and helped them in. Both sources state that he went down with
the ship, period. I found no survivor stories to verify his actions after the
sinking. I would assume that the information in the Moody book concerning
his final actions in the sea to be an effort to romanticize or sensationalize
his calling as a minister. Don't we all enjoy uplifting stories about the
very best of human nature coming out in a time of crisis? Perhaps a friend or
relative felt the need to lionize his memory, and that is why this story has
been passed down as fact.
Kathryn
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Just Me
Ronnie Clark <Ron...@jeffffco.swinternet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:7f488a$2oq$1...@news5.svr.pol.co.uk...
This article has as much info as I could find... I THINK the person who
stood up and told the story is the Aguilla Webb person mentioned at the very
end... I think that's what that mean...
Apparently Moody Adams got the story from a parishioner at the "John Harper
Memorial Baptist Church" n Glasgow... and I would question the authenticity
of such a source... local legend, yes, maybe, but historical fact???
That's why I'm asking here! Below the article, is a link to a site that has
the verbatim copy of the chain letter I keep getting, and that Chuck Colson
is word for word promulgating.
-------------
This article was copied from here:
http://homepages.enterprise.net/bcfgoodnews/pages/titanic.htm
One of the Hero's...
The Rev John Harper, a Scotsman, was travelling to the United States with
his daughter, Nina Harper, and Miss Leitch.
He was the pastor of Walworth Road Baptist Church in south-east London and
as a younger man was the minister at the Paisley Road Baptist Church in
Glasgow.
On the evening of April 14th Rev Harper and Miss Leitch were standing on
deck admiring the sunset. "It will be beautiful in the morning," remarked
Rev Harper before retiring for the night. After the collision, Rev Harper
awakened his daughter, picked her up and wrapped her in a blanket before
carrying her up to a deck. There he kissed her goodbye and handed her to a
crewman, who put her into boat number 11 with Miss Leitch.
John Harper, the newly called pastor of Moody Church, Chicago, in the early
1900's, manifested his Christian character in the sinking of the Titanic.
Dr. W. B. Riley related the death of Harper. "We have the history of John
Harper's end, for survivors, brought to harbor in safety, told the same.
When the Titanic was struck by the iceberg that drove in her sides, and sent
the ship to the bottom, John Harper was leaning against the rail pleading
with a young man to come to Christ ...." (Ministers' Research Service)
As the dark, freezing waters of the Atlantic crept slowly up the decks of
the Titanic, John Harper shouted, "Let the women, children and the unsaved
into the lifeboats." Harper took his life jacket - the final hope of
survival - and gave it to another man. After the ship had disappeared
beneath the dark water, leaving Harper floundering in the icy waters, he was
heard urging those about him to put their faith in Jesus Christ.
John Harper went down with the ship.
Four years after the Titanic went down, a young Scotchman rose in a meeting
in Hamilton, Canada, and said, "I am a survivor of the Titanic. When I was
drifting alone on a spar that awful night, the tide brought Mr Harper, of
Glasgow, also on a piece of wreck near me. 'Man,' he said, 'are you saved?'
'No,' I said. 'I am not.' He replied, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
thou shalt be saved.'"
"The waves bore him away; but, strange to say brought him back a little
later, and he said, 'Are you saved now?' 'No,' I said, 'I cannot honestly
say that I am.' He said again, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved,' and shortly after he went down; and there, alone in the
night, and with two miles of water under me, I believed. I am John Harper's
last convert." (Aguilla Webb)
- Taken from the "Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations" by Paul Lee Tan,
Assurance Publishers, 1982.)
_______
link to "letter" site:
http://st-www.cs.uiuc.edu/users/chai/writing/titanic-hero.html
KDAD40
> Don't we all enjoy uplifting stories about the
>very best of human nature coming out in a time of crisis? Perhaps a friend or
>relative felt the need to lionize his memory, and that is why this story has
>been passed down as fact.
>
I would suspect that many stories of the last minutes of a number of those lost
in the sinking were attempts to show how these people met their ends. It is
not too farfetched to have these people shown in their best light, that when
disaster struck and help was nowhere to be found, everyone nobly gave up their
lives in a meaningful way. Whether they actually did or not is known only to
themselves and God.
A classic example of a fabricated story is that of Major Archie Butt, the
aide-de-camp to President William Howard Taft, where Miss Marie G. Young, a
First Class Passenger from New York City was quoted in a newspaper as saying
that Major Butt had been actively involved in the loading of the boats,
ushering women and children in and keeping out cowardly men. When his job was
done, he helped Miss Young into a lifeboat and allegedly told her to pass on a
farewell to those he would leave behind.
In Phil Hind's Encyclopedia Titanica entry for Miss Young, there is a copy of a
letter that she wrote to President Taft telling him that the story attributed
to her was false, that she only saw Major Butt once during that time just
looking on and not taking any major role, and he didn't leave any messages with
her for his loved ones at home. She abjectly begged Taft's pardon and everyone
else's who were involved, contending that the article raised false hopes for
Taft and Major Butt's family. She further stated that she would have been more
than happy and honored to pass on anything Major Butt would have told her, but
he never said anything to her. But the story was considered as pure fact.
One would figure that everyone would want to think that the last time they saw
a loved one in such a situation, that person was being brave, living up to his
(or her) highest standard of conduct, or nobly seeking to aid others with
little concern regarding his (her) life. That's behind Edith Brown Haisman's
muddled memory of her dad standing on the deck wearing a smoking jacket and
sipping a brandy as the lifeboat was lowered to the sea.
If I was in that same situation, I would want my kids' last view of me to be a
positive one--brave, noble, nonchalant, dedicated to duty--and of course, once
they were out of sight I would probably be running to find another lifeboat and
generally acting cowardly...
It is probably apparent to everyone also that there doesn't appear to have been
any survivor named Aquilla Webb, which further casts doubt on the story's
truthfulness.
Thanks for an interesting post.
Reg Pitts
KDA...@aol.com
LOR425
comet.