Concinnity Writing and Critique: "Sissy and Eddy"... the 7th interview with Edgar A...

Concinnity Writing and Critique: "Sissy and Eddy"... the 7th interview with Edgar A...:   This is the 7th imaginary interview with...Edgar Allan Poe! Poe returns to join Edgar, the narrator, who had just rung the bell. Poe en...

A Prayer Suggestion...for Thanksgiving ( actually we celebrate a Harvest Celebration...lol)

 Thanksgiving is technically a day given to prayer, meditation, and fasting. A Harvest Celebration is given to having a feast, enjoying family and friends, and grateful for having a year of plenty...just sayin.'

  As we bow our hearts and heads in prayer before we eat, watch football, enjoy our friends, tolerate our relatives (just kidding), and prepare for Black Friday sales, here is a prayer you might consider.
  This prayer is based on the passage of Sacred Scripture found in Philippians 4: 8-9. Here it goes:

  " Father, as we gather to celebrate the joy of our friends and family, let our hearts and minds be filled with things that are noble, reputable and true about one another. Allow our thoughts to be authentic, compelling, and given to see the good in one another.
  Let us never forget those who have enabled us to have our freedom, to experience all the comforts in life we have now, and take this moment to remember those who sacrificed much. Let us never forget the lives of those that ended in the horrors of war, the tragedies of standing up for what we believe, and sacrificing their very lives so we can enjoy today. (pause)
  Let us equally remember the beautiful things in life, and allow us to encourage us to have grateful hearts for all we have received. Let us enter His Throne of Praise with thankful hearts, and refuse to go down paths that curse and regret our lives and the lives of those around us. Let us forgive others and forgive ourselves of the selfish and hurtful actions we have taken in past days, and do our utmost on this day to make things right where we possibly can.
  May we put into practice the art of learning from Him, to do more of things He said to do, and do more of things He has done. By doing such things, may each of us see Him...walking in our lives. Thank You for your faithfulness to us. Let us look directly at those who are here this very minute, take a moment, make eye contact, and appreciate their lives. By the grace of God, let us move forward... In His Name we seek this. Amen"

Did an "era of peace" begin after the First Thanksgiving?

  As I conclude my "yearly vigil" in search of the real Thanksgiving, my final thought is: "Did the original harvest celebration (Thanksgiving) begin an era of peace between Native American tribe the Wampanoug and the English?"
  It is recorded a man named Samoset brought with him Tisquantum, known as Squanto, to meet the remaining pilgrims from the Mayflower in March of 1621. They represented the Wampanoug tribe who lived in that area of southern Massachusetts.
  The Wampanoug, like other Native American tribes in the region, had seen and confronted Europeans before. French and Dutch traders had been in the area dating back to 1614. The experience had not been positive as Native Americans were often captured and sold into slavery. Disease from European traders like small pox had devastated the many within the various tribes of the area. Yet these pilgrims brought a unique feature to landing at Cape Cod...they brought their own women and children. To the Wampanoug, this was interpreted as a people of peace.

  When the Mayflower arrived in November of 1620, the Wampanoug and the pilgrims got off to a rocky start. The pilgrims were extremely desperate... food, supplies, and fighting off disease confronted them daily. They discovered a Wampanoug grave site at a place called Corn Hill and excavated the area immediately finding personal items belonging to the deceased. They took all they could to stay alive through the harsh winter.
  This was quite offensive to the Wampanoug because of the sacred beliefs of their dead. Throughout the winter, there was no real confrontations between the English and Native Americans. The English did write of seeing "shadows."
  During the winter months fifty percent of the English died from mostly illness. They became concerned of burying their dead. Doing so may indicate to the Wampanoug their numbers were dwindling and might encourage the Native Americans to attack.

  The introductory meeting between the pilgrims and Squanto had great influence in bringing peace. As it turned out that first year, Squanto and the Wampanougs taught the pilgrims how to grow crops and introduced new produce like pumpkins and "Indian corn."
  The chief of the Wampanoug, "Massasoit," signed a Treaty of Friendship giving the pilgrims rights to occupy over 12000 acres of land controlled by the Wampanougs. The "First Thanksgiving" confirmed this friendship.

And everyone lived happily ever after, amen. Well, just a minute....

  Puritans began to arrive in the area and brought with them a strong, almost forceful Christian format including converting Native Americans to the English faith. Puritans were much more militant than those of the pilgrims and tensions began to arise between the "savages" and the English.
  There were two other Native American tribes in the area that were more aggressive than the peaceful manners of the Wampanoug.
  The Narragansett were a more isolated tribe and did not want to establish any friendship with the English. A short time after the First Thanksgiving they sent a snakeskin wrapped with arrow heads to Governor Bradford of Plymouth. It was intended to be a threat they would attack the pilgrim village. The Pilgrims sent the snakeskin back filled with gunpowder. This message kept the Narragansett at bay.
 .
  By the 1630's, with the mixture of aggressive puritans, pilgrims, and more English settlers (those coming to America for adventure and fortune) arriving each year, and with the Native American tribes including Wampanoug, the Narragansett, and the most militant tribe of the area, the Pequot , claiming southern Massachusetts area as their home,  war was inevitable.
  The Pequot had fought with the other two tribes for rightful control of the region which would demand tribute. Now they turned their attention to the English.
  An English settler was found murdered in a boat. A military English major named John Mason gathered his troops and attacked the Pequot. He burned their homes (wigwams) and killed hundreds of men, women, and children. In Mason's report he writes, "We must burn them! Such a dreadful terror, let the Almighty fall upon their spirits that they would flee from us and run into the very flames. Thus did the Lord judge the heathen, filling the place with dead bodies."

 In 1637 it was obvious the pilgrim's peace treaty with Massasoit in 1621 was no longer valid. The governor of Plymouth, William Bradford, who was at the treaty with Massasoit, now writes in reference to attacking Native Americans " Those that escaped the fire were slain with the sword, some hewn to pieces, others run through with rapiers, so that they were quickly dispatched and very few escaped. It was conceived they thus destroyed about 400 at this time. It was a fearful sight to see them thus frying in the fire...horrible was the stink and scent thereof, but the victory seemed a sweet sacrifice, and they gave their prayers thereof to God, who had wrought so wonderfully for them thus to  inclose their enemies into their hands, and give them a speedy victory over so proud and insulting enime."

 After this particular massacre, Gov. Bradford proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving as "For the next 100 years, every Thanksgiving Day ordained by a Governor was in honor of the bloody victory, thanking God the battle had been won."

!00 years?...Well, that would put us into the mid 1700's, the old west was barely starting to open up, with many more Native Americans to meet. The first Thanksgiving...had changed much since the Mayflower had landed and the Treaty of Friendship.

  

The Real History behind Thanksgiving

 The theme in the blog this month is obviously Thanksgiving. I'm an amateur historian. It's what I like to do. Why? I think it is important to seek out the truth in history and appreciate the people, the sacrifices, and the determination to follow through and demonstrate the desires to pursue the dreams within you...men, women, and child.
  When I think of celebrating Thanksgiving this year, I must discern the thoughts of Thanksgiving from  harvest celebrations. For centuries, numerous cultures have given a fall time to celebrating the crops and livestock that has been amassed during the spring and summer. These times of celebration are for having enough food and drink to survive through the winter until the next planting season. Harvest celebrations are not a time given to prayer and seeking God. Rather, it is a time for people to relax from all the hard work they had given throughout the summer months and rejoice with one another. In America, our county and state fairs find their origins in harvest celebrations.

  Thanksgiving is a separate occasion. During the time of the pilgrims, Thanksgiving was an entirely different train of thought. It was a time or day given to prayer and fasting. There were multiple days throughout the year given to a "day of Thanksgiving." Their focus was on our dependence upon God and to seek Him. Throughout the day there were church services, prayer, and the reading and meditating of the Sacred Scriptures. People would refrain from eating to seek His Presence.
  As with many of our American holidays today, we have blended many of our holidays without the understanding of their origin. We have equally added holiday traditions that are not always accurate to what really happen. Is this wrong? No, not necessarily. Mankind throughout time have passed down special days, adding or subtracting different ideas to make these celebrations fit into modern culture. Yet it is of equal responsibility to understand the origins of our holiday celebrations and appreciate the sacrifices that have been made.

  Historical writings the "First Thanksgiving" may have happen long before the pilgrims on the Mayflower ever arrived. It may have happen...in Texas! There is a town called San Elizario, near El Paso that celebrates an event dating back to 1598. A Spanish explorer named Juan de Onate had led hundreds of settlers across 350 miles of Mexican desert to the fresh waters of the Rio Grande.
  Another possibility is found in the state of Virginia. On the James river lies the Berkeley Plantation. They celebrate a Thanksgiving event dating back to December 4th, 1619, two years before the Thanksgiving feast in Plymouth. Could this be true? Well, in 1963 President Kennedy officially recognized this claim.

  So what is the Thanksgiving we celebrate really about? Here are a few thoughts I would like to pass on:
1. Is Thanksgiving about families getting together? My answer: "No, not really." It was a harvest celebration. The pilgrims at Plymouth Rock were numbered around 51 people...including men, women, and children. Of the original 102 that came over on the Mayflower, half of them had died within the first year, many from respiratory infection. After a successful season of growing crops
( thanks to Squanto and the friendly Wampanoug tribe), they celebrated the occasion including shooting of their guns and some reports indicate there was cannon fire. What seems to be a question over time is, "Did they tell the Wampanougs they were going to have a fall celebration?"
  We are taught in our history classes the Wampanoug came to the celebration from invitation. Yet, historical writings also indicate they came dressed for battle. Hmmm? Is it possible they came to the event because they thought a battle was about to erupt. There was tension between the Wampanoug and pilgrims as they approached the English settlement. Also, the pilgrims were outnumbered 2 to 1. Had they come to celebrate with the English pilgrims or did they come to crash the party?
2. The celebration of Thanksgiving we are familiar with today actually came from the days of Abraham Lincoln. The Civil War had torn the U.S. in two, and finding a way to peace between the North and South was of a high priority. Along with this, there was a bill being pushed that would make the fourthThursday of November a national holiday known to us as Thanksgiving.
  During this time paintings and stories began to emerge showing the Wampanoug and the pilgrims having a great time of peace as they celebrated the  "First Thanksgiving." The idea behind all this was if the pilgrims and the Wampanoug were able to establish peace, then perhaps the North and South could do the same. Numerous paintings began to appear showing the friendliness between the two sides. Later Rockwell paintings, buckled hats and shoes with pilgrims dressed in black, and often many more English pilgrims than Native Americans began to be included in paintings of the first Thanksgiving. One 5th grade girl in an elementary school in Ohio wrote about the first Thanksgiving with this phrase: "Native Americans and the Pilgrims were 'besties'." Yet, history tells us a different story.
3. Was there apprehension between the Wampanoug tribe and the English pilgrims? One thing to note is the Plymouth colony established by the pilgrims was not an original settlement. The Wampanoug tribe had established a settlement there previously named Patuxet. This village had been abandoned four years before the pilgrims arrived. European traders had visited the Wampanoug and brought with them diseases Native Americans were not immune to. It is recorded as many as 50,000 Wampanaoug died from this plague, some reported even higher numbers. This sickness turned into a plague might have killed 2/3 of the Wampanoug tribe. What made matters worse is some of the remaining members of the Wampanoug were captured by the European traders and sold as slaves.
4. Are Puritans and Pilgrims...the same thing? Pilgrims coming over on the Mayflower identified themselves as "Saints". Their belief was it was necessary to separate themselves from the Church of England because it had become corrupt...so corrupt the Church was beyond hope.
 The Puritans had arrived in the Boston area approximately a decade after the pilgrims had arrived. They too had separated themselves from the Church of England because of corruption. But, they did not think the Church of England was beyond hope. They were in hope the church would return to a more scriptural alignment and rid itself of corruption. If you were living in this time period and mistakenly called a pilgrim a puritan, or visa-versa, you might have a serious confrontation.

 After the "First Thanksgiving" at Plymouth, did the English and Native Americans find a way to peace and get along? ....uh, no! It became much worse.!

More to come....
  

" When the Saints go marching in"...the arrival in the New World

  On November 9th, 1620, we landed in a wilderness harbor called Cape Cod Hook. Captain Jones was speaking with the men on how we were approximately 600 north of our destined course of the Virginia Colony. The winds of the North Atlantic had blown the Mayflower off course.
  Because of this, we were outside jurisdiction of the agreement signed with the English investors who had financed our trip to the New World. There was much debate over honoring any agreement and to establish our own liberties not being subject to honor payments to any former agreements. On November 11th, they signed an agreement called "The Mayflower Compact" that committed us to honoring our prior commitments to the Crown and to God. Many on board were indentured servants  ( approximately 1/2), had signed 5 to 7 year agreements to pay back the Virginia Company of London, who financed the entire voyage.

  It was cold and blustery as the Mayflower set anchor. It reminded me much of winter English weather as the cold was mixed with heavy moisture. A young man employed to Mr. Fuller, a William Button, lost his battle with infection and was thrown into the sea shortly before we arrived. We were saddened by the loss, yet so exhausted we had little remorse, simply thinking he was better off than ourselves and what we were about to face.
  Because it was winter, the decision was made to remain on the ship until spring arrived. The winter conditions on land made it impossible to cut trees and clear out areas to construct homes. This was a necessary decision, yet a costly one. Many within our group now being referred to as "Pilgrim fathers" along with the "Strangers", died that terrible winter.
  Little Mary More, only four years of age, along with sisters Jasper and Ellen died in December from lack of proper food and infection. An entire family died that winter, the Mullins including William and his wife Alice, their daughter Priscilla and son Joseph. Mr Priest, a hat maker from London died during the winter, as did Mr. and Mrs. Rigdale. There was a Thomas Rogers, a merchant from London, who could not overcome respiratory infection and died.

  As I look back, the reasons for so many deaths were the grave conditions of the Mayflower itself. It was our only choice of shelter yet with its confines became a haven for respiratory infections and other general diseases to live and multiply. Many died that winter, including over 75% of the women who had taken the voyage, it was a grievous and heart breaking time.
 Mrs. Bradford was on the upper deck of the Mayflower in December, when, while dumping a pot of dirty water into the harbor, slipped and fell into the icy cold waters. She was rescued and brought into the diseased 'tween deck of the ship and died soon after. I was so young, yet I heard she had drowned while being rescued from the waters, while others say she caught the infection and died soon after.
 The winter of 1620-21 brought more deaths. The atmosphere was so hopeless as one after another of our friends and family perished. Captain Standish's wife Rose, died on January 29th, Mr. Britteridge passed, Mr. James Chilton, a tailor, and his wife Susanna, Mr. Clarke, Mr. Crackston, both Mr. and Mrs Fuller, and the blacksmith, a Moses Fletcher.  Mr. Goodman, a weaver passed that horrible winter as did 2 indentured servants to Mr. White, a John Hooke and Mr. Holbeck. Mr. Tilley, a cloth maker and his wife Ann passed, as did Mr. John Tilley, a silk maker and his wife Joan. Another indentured servant to Mr. White, an Edward Thompson also could not escape death's grip that first winter. Mr. Tinker, his wife and son all passed, as did Mr. Turner, a merchant, along with two of his sons. A wool comber, Mr William White also died along with a Mr. Thomas Williams from Yartmouth. It was an extremely sad day when Elizabeth Winslow, a dear friend to my mother and wife of Edward Winslow passed away. Our hearts were near breaking when Gov. Carver and his wife Katherine died in the late winter of 1621.

  Yet what I will remember most of that horrid time? The day my own mother passed, Mary Allerton, whom I am named after. She died on February 25, 1621 while giving birth, who was stillborn.
  As for me, I was the last surviving passenger on that ship...and I lived to be 83.

And the Mayflower herself? She was sold and taken apart in May of 1624. Her wood was used for scrap timber in Rotherhithe of London. 

"When the Saints go marching in" Take a Ride on the Mayflower...part 6

  The storms continued as the Mayflower made its way across the Atlantic in search of the New World. Captain Jones had instructed all passengers to remain below deck, There was a fierce storm going on.
 Mr. Howland was a young man full of adventure. He was wanting to see what exactly was going on above deck. He had come on the Mayflower employed by Governor Carver, to assist the saints in the establishment of the new colony. Technically he was an indentured servant to the Governor, but his spirit was too adventuresome to be referred to by that description.
 Mr. Howland opened a hatch. The rains poured in fierce, as did the winds. The air felt so fresh as the stench of our living conditions escaped through the opening. The rains poured in so hard anyone sitting ten feet from the hatch were drenched with the cold salty water. It was dangerous to become wet in the cold air, but hard to resist the freshness.
  Mr. Howland climbed up on top deck and closed the hatch.

  Within minutes we heard the cry of a crew member "Man overboard!" Mr. Howland had been thrown into the depths of the Atlantic.
  The saints below weren't sure what to do. They looked at Governor Carver who was yelling "I told him to stay down here with us! I thought he was sick and needed fresh air. I didn't know he was going on the top deck."
  Somehow Mr. Howland had grabbed on to a rope that was draped over the side of the ship and in the water near him. Some of the crew members fought their way toward him as the storm kept blowing hard against their bodies. Later a crew member told my father he thought sure he would drown, particularly as he would disappear in the waves and then suddenly appear again. Yet, he held on to the rope as he continued  yelling for help, muffled at times by the fierceness of the high waves.
  Captain Jones opened a hatch partially and yelled to everyone to remain where they were, he didn't want to lose anyone else.
  A crew member suddenly yells to Captain Jones "We got him!" A couple of the crew had grabbed a large fish hook and Mr. Howland was able to climb on. They pulled him close to the ship, got some more ropes around him, and pulled him up to the deck.
  Captain Jones opened the hatch he had been using, and the crew members lowered Mr. Howland back down to our deck.

  He was shaking violently. He looked at me and smiled a little. Blankets and whatever other clothing were wrapped around him as they pulled off all his wet clothes. Mr. Howland became ill with respiratory infection, but was able to recover. Who would think John Howland would live to have ten children and eighty-eight grandchildren, yet...he did.

  The scurvy was among us as well. People were so exhausted and the fatigue was only worsening. Some were having to use the chamber pot frequently, if they made it that far. Others encountered swelling in their legs while still others had sores in the gums of their mouths... to the point of losing their teeth. Fresh meat, fresh fruit, anything fresh...I could hardly remember what it taste like. There were a few livestock on the upper deck, yet they looked worse than we did.

 Our conditions were horrible and I began to see death in numerous faces. Their eyes spoke so loud. People were losing hope. Mrs. White was close to birth. Another indentured servant to Mr. Fuller, a William Butten, was close to death. People were wondering if the French or Spanish would be waiting for us to attack, or the savages, when or if we ever arrived.
 My doublet (jacket) was so filthy and dirty it had become stiff. I was dirty, my hair felt like I had mixed it in mortar, and the lice and bug infestation only added to our loss of hope. How could we go on? I am grateful we had not awaken any of the sea monsters of the deep.

  The storms had ceased, the sun emerged, and as we were opening the hatches, a crew member from high above in the crow's nest, shouted "Land!"

"When the Saints go marching in" Take a Ride on the Mayflower...part 5

  I was told we were into the second month of the voyage. The big hour glass on the top deck that I had been able to see in earlier calm days was no longer visible. We were all in the 'tween deck. It was horrible. Time, days, months, had all become a blur to me. My brother Bartholomew was sick, and Remember, my older sister could not stop vomiting...she was so seasick. Her weight had decreased rapidly and I was scared...were we all going to die out here?
  I am so grateful Captain Standish was with us. He was short in stature and his temper even shorter. Yet, his sheer look of determination gave us strength to face another hour of these god awful surroundings.
  And poor Mrs. Hopkins...she was about to give birth....

  There was talk that we might yet turn back and return to England. In our prayer meeting one morning, it had been decided to go on...to the New World. We committed ourselves and all we had to God. I remember thinking...I hope God had remembered to get on board with us in Plymouth (England). We needed His help so very badly.
  Mrs. Hopkins was about to go into contractions any time now. It was the rocking of the Mayflower from the fierce westerlies that seemed to plague her the most. "Just for a moment's rest" she kept repeating...well she was screaming.
  Captain Jones did have a surgeon among his crew members. His name was Mr. Giles Heale. He had given him orders to care for all those sick and for any suffering from injuries during the voyage...particularly those of the crew.
  Honestly, we did not have a lot of confidence in the young Mr. Heale. Mother said he had just completed his apprenticeship in London as a barber-surgeon and the Mayflower was his first job as a doctor. I heard comments from various ladies of my group nearby." He may be able to cut hair, pull a tooth, or mix an ointment to relieve one in dire pain, but we prefer not to have him near Mrs. Hopkins who was about to give birth. " Thank God we had midwives who were experienced in this sort of thing.
  Suddenly Mrs. Hopkins screamed...her water had broke!

  The midwives had gathered the things they could to assist. It was obvious Mrs. Hopkins was hurting badly while Mr. Hopkins appeared in temporary shock, holding a small bible in his right hand.
  The baby was born, a little boy! Everyone seemed to perk up in spirit as appeared in his "New World.". He was alive, yet he was weak. He didn't seem to have the energy I had seen in other births, yet he was alive...in such terrible conditions.
  After everything had settled a bit and Mrs. Hopkins seemed a little more comforted, Mr. Hopkins announced to all it was a boy and they had named him "Oceanus" in honor of the voyage to the New World. Captain Jones, Captain Standish, along with other members of the crew wished the couple well and offered congratulations on the birth of their new son. Mr. Heale had brought Mrs. Hopkins a mixed ointment for her to drink and calm her nerves. The midwives attending Mrs. Hopkins were complimentary to Mr. Heale's concern, and thanked him.
  Oceanus is of Latin origin meaning ocean. In my school studies this word is connected to pagan writings, not one of our Christian faith. Yet, for this occasion, the name seemed quite appropriate.
  As I stood nearby leaning on a cannon (the gun deck was a part of the 'tween deck), my face was splashed with saltwater from the closed hatch of the cannon portal. Although the Mayflower was not in peril danger of sinking, there were numerous leaks on the ship itself. At that moment however, it felt good to feel water on my face. I do hope Oceanus and I live to see another day. Mother handed me a hardtak and suggested I take a sip of her beer. It had been quite a day already.

"When the Saints go marching in" Take a Ride on the Mayflower...part 4

  "The dangers were great, but not desperate; the difficulties were many, but not invincible...their ends were good and honorable...and therefore they might expect the blessing of God."
                                                                               William Bradford, Governor of Plymouth Colony

  As we sailed into the North Atlantic to our new home in the New World, the first few days were accommodating. We were able to get out on the top deck to get fresh air and sun. Many were sick from sea sickness, both those of our group of around forty and the "strangers", those who were not Separatists.
  In our group, I noticed some contention between those who had boarded the Mayflower from Holland and those from England. Yet for the most part there were simply too many problems facing all of us; sickness, food supplies, water rationing, and we could not wash our clothes or ourselves. One day I was on the top deck and could hear a couple crew members mention the "westerlies". The one man said he could feel them comin' in his bones. The other man agreed. They seemed nervous the Mayflower had started her voyage so late in the year. Since the death of their one evil crew member, crew members seemed more sympathetic to our cause. The one man even smiled at me as he could see I was listening in on their conversation. He asked my name and I replied: "Annie." Both men exchanged pleasantries. The other man said I was a brave lass.

And sure enough, the westerlies came.

  Westerlies are severe crosswinds that blow across the north Atlantic about the time the Mayflower was trying to pass through. It was horrifying. The ship rocked continually...and quite violently. It was all we could do from being thrown fiercely into one another's laps. Mr. Rigdale's daughter Maggie had been thrown against a beam resulting in a large bump on her head. Mr. Rigdale arose to help her and as he did he was slammed against a ceiling rafter and received a large deep gash on the left side of his head. He was already seasick and the injury caused him to sit on the floor in his own vomit. Others came to their aid.
 As we tried to hang on, attention was given to the pregnant women. People sacrificed their own bodies by leaning up against these ladies to protect them from being thrown about. These winds seemed to go on for days.We became weak and exhausted from lack of food and drink. Finally, the winds ceased...at least for a while.
  Food was passed around for us to eat. It was all cold food like salted fish, dried grain, and of course the tasty hardtacks. The water in the barrels was not safe to drink so we all drank beer; the young, old, women, and children. It was what we called "small beer," not as potent as ale, yet safe to drink.

 I could hear Captain Jones on the top deck yelling for his men to lower some sails, the crosswinds were too strong and could damage the Mayflower. Suddenly, there was a crack. It almost sounded like lightening had struck the Mayflower, but it hadn't. The crew members were running on deck advancing toward the center of the ship. Captain Jones continued to yell to lower the sails and began calling for the ship's carpenter to estimate repairs. A main support beam of the ship had cracked and the ship was in danger of peril. The carpenter arrived and surmised the damage of the beam. He climbed down from the beam and looked up once more. He spoke to the Captain saying it will break soon if we cannot find a way to support it and close the crack.
  Mr. Eaton, one of the saints from Bristol (England) then spoke to the carpenter saying some of the men from Holland had brought a large screw jack to build homes in the New World. Perhaps it could cement the crack in the beam and hold till we got to port.
  The crew members and a few of the Holland saints went down to the cargo deck and retrieved the large jack. They managed to place it next to the beam and close the cracked part of the beam until it was secure against the main beam. I heard the ship's carpenter say the screw jack was in place and would not move from it's position. It may hold!

  There was joy and relief among all of us. Captain Jones reached out his hand to the men from Holland in appreciation for the screw jack they had provided. The winds were still blowing.
 Mr. Warren, a merchant who was a part of our group, spoke up and offered all to bow our heads in a moment of grateful prayer, and to request His blessings on the screw jack, that it might hold the beam for the duration of the trip. We all bowed our heads in that moment of silence...including the Captain and his men.
  I will forever remember that moment in my mind; in the midst of rain, wind, blood, vomit, cold, and of all us wore and hungry...we gave thanks.