The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-05-01

anticipated the hardest blow of the
season, the falling glass warranting his
prognostication. Thereupon he closed
his store and braced doors and Win
dows for hard storm.
At four P. NJ, the surf was being
beat upon the shore very heavily by a
steadily increasing sea, and no boats
were to be had by myself or two other
officers in which to return to the ship.
The men-of-war in port were sending
down their top-masts, and securing
everything on board for hard blow,
which, indeed, had already set in.
I, aud my two companions turned
in" at my cottage about ten o'clock,
having been obliged, just previously
to cut down large bread-fruit tree
near by in order to save the house
from being crushed in.
At 4:3O the next morning, March 16,
| was aroused from troubled sleep by
my friend, Mr.. Moors, who was calling
for helpers on the beach, saying that
either the "Eber" Germany or the
"Nipsic" (U. S. was coming ashore.
| was with him in two or three min
ules, and found his alarm all too true.
The "Eber," Il staunch little iron gun
boat, was being rapidly driven towards
the most dangerous reef in the harbor,
allowing not shadow of hope for her
safety, although not three hundred
yards from shore. The gale was ter
rifle, the rain and surf binding, al
most, and it was hard to make out the
different ships in harbor, however near
they were. On shore, trees were being
blown down, wharves and bridges
washed away, and wreckage of all
sorts washed up in the road.
At 5:25 a. m, the "Eber" struck the
reef, bounded up straight, then fell up
on her side and disappeared forever
The awful horror Of that moment will
never leave my mind: scores of fell
low-men perishing in call, yet l was
powerless to help them. However, we
did the best we could,-plunged into
the surf with lines to rescue any who
might be washed ashore. In three or
four minutes (they seemed hours at
that time) we picked up two men al
most exhausted, and one poor fellow
| already dead. Waiting reasonable
I time for any other living bodies to
come ashore, 1 left the surf, gathered
in few Samoans, and ran to a point
in Matafele, opposite which had
Judged that the German frigate "Ad-
| Ter" would soon be lost.
Alas too true: the "Adler" struck
where | expected she would at 6:20 O..
M. Taking in the situation and the
possibilities for saving those washed
ashore, ran to the store of venera-
ble looking and well-tO-do white man,
Il regret to say he is an Englishman)
where I found him and his son mailing
strips of tin over cracks in the door to
keep out rain. quickly begged him
for line Of rope to save life with as
he hcsitated / offered him twenty
dollar gold piece l had put in my pock-
ct. in case of need, before leaving
home. CThis was quite twenty times
the value of the rope asked for.) 1t
seems past belief that human being
(?) could refuse aid in such a time
but l was refused, and by the leading
man in the white church of Apia, the
man who occupies the chief seat i'll the
synagogue, and boasts the loudeSt OF
the blesscdness Of Christianity, and
what it has done for the Samoans. 1t
has doubtless done so much for the ma
tives that this old scoundrel has been
shared out. Some one has since told
ME that it was probably the old mans