Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-04-29
The Wreck at Samoa.

!
The full account of the Samoan
| disaster, received from the New York
associated press agent, shows that
the loss of the American vessels was
not due to any negligence on the part
of the officers, or to lack of fuel, as
some have supposed. The storm was
the most terrific ever experienced at
Samoa and steam was as pOWerless
as sail against it. The English war
ship "Calliope," the only vessel in
the harbor to escape uninjured, was
saved solely by the greater strength
of her engines, which enabled her to
steam out into the open sea. The
struggles of the many ships against
the furious elements, and their grad
ual yielding, one after the other, to
their fate, was witnessed by hundreds
on shore unable to render assistance.
The German ship "Eber" was the first
to strike, crashing broadside on the
reef. Five men only out of seventy
six passed through the surf alive.
The "Adler" soon followed, but was
fortunate enough to strike in such a
way that only twenty of her men
were lost. The next victim was the
"Nipsic." Her captain determined
to waste no time in a fruitless battle
with the tempest and boldly ran her,
head on, upon the beach. The Off
GERS and crew were, with few eXcep-
tions, dragged on shore by natives
and sailors. The larger vessels, the
"Trenton," ''Vandalia," :" "Olga" and
"Calliope," were in the meantime
"bucking the blizzard" in the outer
bay. The last-named, after q collis-
ion with the "Vandalia," decided to
trust wholly in her engines, cut her
anchors, and after time of doubt
steamed steadily out to sea. The
"Vandalia" struck the beach soon
after. Her position was unfavorable
and only small part of the crew
were rescued, by means of a line
from the shore. Others remained
lashed in the rigging, and dropped off
one by one as their strength was ex-
hausted by the exposure to the cold
and rain. The officers and men dis
played great GOODNESS and heroism
during the conflict with the storm,
but none bore them more bravely than
the ssTrenton," the last vessel to drift
down upon the terrible reef. Lieu
tenant B. G. M. Brown, the navigat-
ing officer, saved his ship from total
destruction by crowding the crew into
the port rigging, SO that the condens-
ed mass of humanity could be used
like sails in keeping the vessel off the
reef, at the same time throwing the
weight on the right side. Saved from
this danger, the ''Trenton'' drifted on
to the "Olga,' and as she seemed
doomed, and was determined to go
down with colors flying, the stars and
stripes were raised, the first flag
shown that day. The collision was,
however, comparatively harmless, and
the sETrenton' again drifted on
straight toward the EVandalia.
Then, as it seemed certain that both
vessels were about to be crush
ed to pieces, the four hundred
fifty men Of the ''Trenton' united in
three hearty cheers for the poor fell
lows who had been clinging for twelve
hours to the "Vandalia's" rigging,
arousing a faint cheer in response.
AS the vessels came still closer, the
''Trenton's" band broke out into a
rendering of the ''Star Spangled Ban
ner,' which reached the ears of the
thousand intensely excited people on
shore. The collision proved the sal
vation of the men in the ssVandalia'
rigging, as they dropped to the
"Trenton's" deck and were rescued
with her crew the next morning.
The conduct of the natives during and
after the storm was most noble.
They saved many lives, were most
active in their efforts to relieve the
distress of the shipwrecked sailors,
and finally, as a token of special
friendship for the Americans, pro-
cession of several hundred natives
marched to the American consulate,
singing, each bearing in his hand
presents of chickens, vans, tara,
cocoanuts and other offerings.
Henry q. Pearson, postmaster of New
York city. died recently at Highwood,
n. j.