Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-09
THE SAMOAN SENSATION.
Not Generally Credited at the State or
Navy Departments.

Not Generally Credited at the State or
Navy Departments.
HIsroHY OF TEE x1slo AND TIE sz1rs srxr TO
HH1 NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. or TEE eERMAN
vEssEIS NOW IN SAMOAN wArEns-rouI GER
HAn noxofAns on THEIR WAY rHEnH.
The sensational story about the sinking of the
q. 8. steamer Nipsic by the German vessel
Olga, at Samoa, finds but little credence at
either the State or NAVY Department.. Nothing
official has been received in confirmation or de-
| NAL by Secretary Blaine or Secretary Tracy,
and thus the negative assurance gains ground
that the story il what il known in America a. q
"fake;" In France, - 'canard," and in
Spain q 'bola." Naval Officers
discredit it because OF the manner in
which the news has been received
but admit that the thing il very possible. But
the general concession is that IL such an event
has occurred the inevitable result is war, and
further, that If there is war the United States
Is thrashed beforehand on the sea. The Ger
which Is are under construction, thus leaving
an available lighting force Of IS well Harmed.
modern. speedy, powerful ships, nearly all OF
them provided with torpedoes of the most
dangerous type. On the other hand, the
American navy, available at present, consists
l
type and construction, armed with guns OF
pattern long discarded, slow in speed and wide
ly scattered.
HISTORY OF THE NrPsIc.
The Nipsic has been at Apia for four months.
She was put in commission October 10, 1887,
at New York, and sailed from that port for the
Pacific January IS, 1885, She finally sailed from
Callao for Samoa Sept 23. 1888, arriving at
Apia November z, since which date she has
been stationed at that port. She is Differed as
follows: Commander Dennis W. Mullan, COM
handing; ieutenants. John NJ. Hawley, Rich
ard g. Davenport; lieutenant Gunior grade),
John A. sherman; ensigns, VIM. p. White,
John L. Purcell, Harry A. Field, Hilary P.
Jones; passed assistant surgeon Ezra z. Derr;
passed assistant paymaster, John Convine;
chief engineer. George W. Hall; passed assistant
engineer, Horace Prick, first lieutenant of ma
rines. 7. G. Fillette.
She is described in the naval register as a
second-rate vessel of the cruiser type, having
wooden hull and q screw propeller, and is
bark-rigged She is armed with six guns in her
main battery, mostly smooth bore, and Is rated
at 1875 tons displacement.
THE TRENTON AND vANpALIA,
which have undoubtedly reached Apia by this
time, are larger than the Nipsic, both being
second rate ships The Trenton is q wooden
cruiser, ship-rigged, with ten guns and $500
tons displacement. The vandalia is also a
wooden cruiser Of 2, 100 tons, bark-rigged and
carrying main battery Of eight guns, mostly
smooth bore.
THE OLGA Is THE MOST FORMIDABLE
of the German vessels now in Samoan waters,
being a sing lie decked cruiser, unarmored and
unprotected She is of 2,2OO tons displacement
and is about the size of the Vandalia, having
been built in 1880. The principal battery con-
sists of eight six-inch Krupp rifles and a num-
Der Of Hotchkiss revolving cannon. She carries
a supply-presumably about half a dozen--of
Schwartzkof torpedoes, which are similar to
the Whitehead. They are launched by torpedo
tubes. Her speed is probably somewhat
superior to that Of the vandalia her maximum
trial speed having been IA knots.
The other German vessels at Africa are the
Adler and the Eber, both of which are smaller
and weaker than the Olga. The Adler is about
$50 tons displacement. and carries four Krupp
8 and inch rifles; the Eber carrying three
5 inch rifles. The great superiority Of this
feet over the American vessels at Samoa lies
in the presence Of these torpedoes, of which
there is not one in the United States navy.
On some OF our vessels, however, there are
appliances known as 'spar torpedoes," which
are generally characterized as being worse
than useless.
GERMAN IRoNCLADs GONE TO SAMOA.
The Navy department has been informed Of
the departure, about q week ago, of four Ger
man iron-clads from Genoa, Italy, for Samoa
1t is not known whether they will sail by way
of the Suez canal or by way Of Cape Horn. In
either case, they will be at least sixty days en-
route. We have the Marion, Omaha, and DOL
phin at or near China and Japan, but all three
together would not be q match for one German
ironclad.