On January 30, 1873, the iron sailing vessel Loch Earn docked in Port Adelaide, Australia, to restock and take on passengers before continuing its journey north. Less than a year later, on November 22, 1873, tragedy struck.
In thick fog at 3am, Loch Earn collided with the passenger steamship Ville du Havre while crossing the Atlantic.
The disaster claimed 226 lives, including all four daughters of American lawyer Horatio Spafford: Annie (12), Maggie (7), Bessie (4), and Tanetta (18 months). His wife, Anna, survived and, upon reaching Cardiff, Wales, sent a heartbreaking telegram to her husband: “Saved alone.”
In 2026, the story returns to the city of Adelaide, Australia, with the premiere of the musical It Is Well with My Soul at the world’s second-largest fringe festival Adelaide Fringe.
This performance is being presented by the Maytide Theatre Company and auditions are now open. If you have a passion for acting, singing or both, why not audition for this wonderful production in 2026.
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While traveling to reunite with Anna, Horatio penned It Is Well with My Soul as his ship passed near the site where his daughters perished. The hymn went on to become a worldwide classic, sung in churches around the world.
When peace like a river, attends my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, You have taught me to know
It is well, it is well, with my soul.Refrain
It is well, (it is well),
With my soul, (with my soul)
It is well, it is well, with my soul.Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And has shed His own blood for my soul.My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
A song in the night, oh my soul!