The Captain, The Missionary, and the Bell: The Wreck of the Steamship Atlantic

Book excerpt: The Captain: Isaac "Kip" Dustan, a well-respected mariner whose adventures were frequently recounted in the mid-1800s New York newspapers... The Missionary: Rev. Benjamin C.C. Parker of the Young Men's Church Missionary Society of the City of New York... The Bell from the Atlantic: Contains a history that spans more than one and a half centuries... On Wednesday, November 25, 1846, the steamer Atlantic left Allyn Point headed for New London, Connecticut. Less than an hour later, a steam pipe exploded, disabling the engine and leaving the Atlantic at the mercy of the winds and seas as it dragged anchor across a tempestuous Long Island Sound towards a rocky reef off Fishers Island. This true story follows the events of the twenty-seven hours following the explosion as well as the harrowing stories of many of the passengers that sailed aboard the Atlantic that fateful night. So much of life is about connections, seemingly chance meetings, lives intersecting with others, and encounters that could be luck, fate, coincidence, or faith. The wreck of the steamship Atlantic links the captain of that ill-fated ship to the missionary of the Young Men's Church Missionary Society of the City of New York and the bell from that ship, creating ripples that are still felt today.