J. McK.'s miraculous deliverance from a storm-tossed Atlantic voyage
Published October 11, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
J. McK. and his party were traveling on the S.S. Wyoming. The voyage lasted fourteen days and was plagued by heavy gales that struck four times, causing significant damage to the ship, including the loss of a boat and the wheel-house gear. Despite the danger and sea-sickness, they felt calm, believing in God's preservation of His servants. The purser noted that ships never go down with 'Mormons' on board.
In Their Own Words
“I am pleased to inform you that we have arrived safely within a few miles of Sandy Hook, after having experienced a most trying and dangerous voyage. Four times we were struck by strong gales, and had altogether about two days only of fine weather. We were obliged to bear up against head winds all the time, heavy seas often swept the deck, and on the 10th one boat was carried away and another disabled. Later on, the gear covering the back of the wheel-house was swept off. We are, however, thankful to be able to say that we are well, and by the grace of God delivered from the terrors of the mighty deep. The officers and crew were very kind, and the purser, in conversation with some of the brethren, remarked that he had never known a ship to go down with 'Mormons' on board. We felt calm, and sure that God would deal with us as He usually does by His servants and Saints in their journeys Zionward.”
— J. McK., The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 52, No. 5
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 3 February 1890 (Vol. 52, No. 5). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1890-02-03_52_5 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Full first-person account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 52, No. 5, February 3, 1890, p. 78 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1890-02-03_52_5
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