Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1889-04-04
An the merchant vessels anchored at samoa

|
Auckland:
Take such steps with regard to Nipsic and
| wrecks and sending men home as you may
deem proper. Full power givnn you.
Monohgahela sailed Tor Apia February sist
Tracy.
TUE n4RBoR OF APIA.
WASHINGTON, March 3O.-Captain Self
ridge, U. 3. NJ, was found at the navy de-
partment this morning peering over chart
OF the harbor OF Apia which he visited sew
eral years ago. He said that while It was
very bad haIbor It was the best on the
Island OF upoIa. Like Gil OF the Pacific
Island harbors that OF Apia Is formed by
coral reef encircling The island at a short
| distance from the shore. The an
| chorage space available for mon
of.war is contracted, being about 1000
feer wide ut the mouth Of the harbor. The
bottom is sandy anording slight hold for
an anchor and the hArbor is exposed on the
north. On each side OF the entrance are
| coral reels which are awash at high water
| and are surrounded by shoals. The depth
OF water ranges from 10 fIthoms
pretty deep water being found close
In shore which would enable a
| ship to get close In. Hurricanes
or cyclones at Apia are usually from the
southwest and revolving in the harbors
tend TO force vessels on tho rugged reefs or
rough shores. The last hurricane occurred
at Apia Just six years ago. Fortunately no
mon of wAx were In the harbor, but
every merchantmen was driven ashore or
wrecked, houses were destroyed and palm
trees uprooted.
VINO Is also familiar With the Samoan
Islands, that the English man-of-war owed
her escape to the fact that she had steam
up and was enabled TO push out to sea-
The number of vessels lying in tho small
harbor was source of danger to them in
dividually, forif one dragged her anchor she
wonld very probably collide with and carry
away another ship which might otherwise
have held securely. The news Of the dis-
aster created u profound sensation at the
navy department and everybody from the
secretary down freely expressed bis regret
Secretary Tracy could not see cause to
condemn any one. The officers In COM
mand OF the vessels we're competent men
and had doubtless adopted all proper pre-.
cautions against disaster but these hurr,-
canes which assumed cycloniG proportions
were simply irresistible as was proved by
the extent of the loss OF vessels. Tue de-
partmont OF state was without otfieial news
of the wrecks until copy OF Admiral
himberly's dispatch was sent over from.the
navy.
Naval Constructor Hlckborn who Il act.
lug as chief Of the construction bureau DUR
lug the illness of Commodore Wilson said:
'fhe Trenton which was Admiral KIM
berlys nag ship was the best wooden
vessel IN the American navy aud the hest
ship Of the old navy. The yandalia was
| another fine vessel and had been thor
ouRhy reltted IN the Mare Island navy
yard at considerable expense Just before
she sailed. Engineer officers recall the
fact that the Trenton, which is set down as
having speed OF 1875 kLots, when In the
Red Tea astonished the Englshmen by eat-
ily running away from crack vessels OF
their fleet rated rs II and 10 kuots. She
was launched In New York IN 1877 at the
navy yard. She was ship.rigEed, 253 feet
long. As feet beam, drew 20.6 and was
S,9DO tons displacement or about 800
tons more than the Boston and At.
lAnta. She had 420 officers and men
ABOARD when she sailed from hone. The
Han1aiia WIS built at the Boston Navy Yard
ana launched IN 1876 She was 2l6 feet long,
81 lset beam, Ia draft and 2 100 tons dis
placement. She was rated as a IZ-knot
ship and carried 200 officers and men.
The Ntpslc was a vessel OF the old war
navy but after sIA years repairing at the
Washington navy yard she emerged In 1879
ai practically new vessel, littla but the
old keel remaining, She WAS bark rugged,
lS6 feet long So feet broad, drew li3 fset,
displaced l,375 tous, and wRs a slow vessel
as Things now 60 being set down as d little
over 10 knots In speed. She called
from the United States with $50 officers and
..yUatu MaEiuG tue tosgi stleA,.lr 80
| ~ m4rlean tiee, III 9ar,Oa SOC m-U Al
nesrl. l9n2'" rs Strength u the Ct aim
atees. s.V "a VS.. 2, mon, the s,i ~.
lzo mon, and tue ilttle Eber ~ men. Yet
with one half OF the number Of the Ameri.
can forces these unfortunate vessels appear
10 have lost moro than tWlcaias many men.
some naval officers think this is an indica-
tion that the American vessels had greater
structural strength than thektierman ships
or that superior seamanship was shown.
FURTHER 2EpoRrs OF THE HURRICANE.
a London dispatch describing the terrible
disaster nj Samoa, says the hurricane burst
upon the harbor suddenly. The German
/ man-oi.war Eber WAS the first vessel TO drag
her anchor She became unmanageable and
| was driven heiPiessly on the reef which
| runs around the harbor. She struck, broad
| side on, at O'clock In the morning. The
| shock caused her TO lurch and to stagger
back. and she sank In n moment In deep
water. Most OF her men were under
hhtchesi and scarcely aou OF them es-
| capped.
The German war ship Adler was the next
| TO suGtumb She wins lifted bodily by a
4 gigantic we've and cast on her beam ends
on tie reef. A terrible struggle tor life an
| susd among the officers and sailors aboard .
MANY pilinSst Into the raging surf and
| struck out, some reaching the shore 10
! safety. Others ciung to the rigging until
i the masts teil. on the latter two gained
! the shore safely. phe captain Of the Adler
and several other officers we're saved.
Ia the mesntimetho United States steamer
/ Nip5tc had been dragging her anchors and
/ drifting toward the snora. The captain.
/ however, managed 20 keep control and ran
| her on $ sand bank. Bouts were imnedi-
atelY lowered and tie whole company
l were saved, with the exception OF SIX mon
| who were drowned by the cgpsi4ing OF a
! boat.
| The United States steamer Yandslia waa
| carried h9tore the gale right upon the Tesf
| cne etruGk with terrible shock and the
| captain WINS hurled against Ggtling gun
| aud stunned, Before hs colld recover a
2re65 sea swept the deck and Washed him
I away.
Naa vessel sank 80 miles from the Nipsio.
Seyetal II the officers and men wetc
washed overheard and drowned nthsTt
perisaei while making desperate efforts to
swim % the snote. Some Iemalued fol
hours cllnRipg to the rigging, but heavy
waves dashed against them. and one BY one
tphY were swept away.
BY this uns might mad yet In. Many ma.
ives aGd Eufopeahs had gathered on The
sl9Te, nEd all were anxious to readei
la5istance Is tho wrecked vessels and thei,
unfortunate crews, but intkatss having
tHie1 On tie scene, they Were wholly IN.
abls 80 "a Of service,
soon 0ttsr the Nantalia had sunk tho
American war ship T;entoa broke from hGi
anchorage and vas driven upon The wteck
q ths Nandhlia, Rh nee ahe dristed to the
saotG lhe bottom Of The Frcnton was com
pIeteIf stove, md her hold was half full d
WATCH
Al morning broke tile Germaa raan.oi
var Olsa which had hitherto bravely with
ss00d the yale, although much hatterai b
hs heavy saas that constantly broke upUi
her bBatneunmansRc ablo. anu was driver
iapon hi ba9ch, whore She lay III toler
Ably favorable position
Tho following Is record OF the oilieen
aud ue4 loss
Eoar Fas captnin, all the other officer