The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-04-04
STORM AT SAMOA.
American War Ships Trenton al d
VandaIia Total Loss.
NIPSIC MAY BE SAVED.
The German Growers Ebar and
Adler Destroyed.
ENGLAND'S SHIP ESCAPES {!
More than Hundred and Fifty Lives
Sacrificed.
NIPSIC MAY BE SAVED.
ENGLAND'S SHIP ESCAP ES

AUCKLAND, maFcn ZS.-D6SpaGcn6S
from Samoa state that the American
men of war Vandalia and Nlpsic and
the German men of war Olga, Adler
and Eber. were driven on reef during
a violent storm and totally wrecked.
OF the American crews four officers and
forty-six men were drowned and of the
German crews nine officers and eighty
seven men lost their lives.
THE ENGLISH STEAMER ESCAPED.
AUCKLAND, March S0.-Later adj
vices received here regarding the hur-
ricane which devasted Samoa and
wrecked a number of German and
American war ships, says the storm
swept the islands on tho 18th inst. All
the war ships attempted to put to sea,
but only the English steamer Calliope
succeeded IN getting out. Merchant
vessels suffered severely. The bark
Peter GodeffIey, one otner bark and
seven coasters were wrecked, aud four
persons were drowned. The CallIope
sailed for Sydney. The Peter Godef-
frey was German bark and had ar
rived at Samoa from Sydney.
REPORT CONFIRMED.
WASHINGTON, March 30.-The navy
department has received Il deSp atch
from Admiral Kimberly confirming the
report of the disaster at Apia. The
Trenton and the Vandalia are Il total
loss. The Nipsic is on the beach and
may be saved. Two of the German
vessels are a total loss.
AdVices received by the naval au-
thorities here report the that the
storm ragged during the 18th and 18th
| instant. Seventy men from the EbeI
and twenty men from the Adler were
drowned. The Olga was stranded but
her crew was saved. Seven merchant
| vessels anchored at Samoa foundered
The following dispatch has been sem
| to Lieutenant Wilson for Admiral Kim
| berly, care American consul, Auck
land: Take such steps with regard Il
the Nipsic and wrecks and sending mel
home as you may deem proper. Full
power is given ycu. The Monongahel;
sailed for Apia February 21st.
SigLed) TRACY"
THE HARBoR AT APIA.
Captain Zelfridge of the United
States navy was found at the navy de
partment this morning, pouring over {
chart of the harbor of Apia, which h
visited several years ago. He said tina
while it was very bad harb3r, it was
/ the best on the island of Upola. Like
all of the Pacific island harbors, that a
| Apia is formed ny coral reef encir
cling the island at short distance
from the shore. The anchorage spac
available for men-Of-war is contracted
being about ] 900 feet wide at tn
mouth of the harbOr. The bottom i
sandy, affording slight hold for an an
Choir, and the harbor is exposed on tn
north. On each side of the entranc
| ins. "a
high water and are surrounded
by shoals. The depth of water range
from four to eight fathoms, pretty dec
| water being found close to shore whicl
would enable a ship to get close in
Hurricanes or cyclones at Apia are us
ually from the southwest and revoiv
ing in the harbor, tend to force yes
sells on the rugged reefs or rOugl
shores. The last hurricane occurred
at Apia just six years ago. Fortu
nately there were no men-Of-war in tn
harbor but every merchantmen wa
driven ashore or wrecked, houses were
destroyed and palm trees were uI
rooted.
1t is the opinion of Admiral Hal
mony, who is also familiar with the Sa
moan islands, that the English man
of-war owed her escape to the fact tina
she had steam up and was enabled t
push out to sea. The number of yes
sells lying in the small harbor was
source of danger to them individually
for if one dragged her anchors sh
would very probably collide with AM
carry away another ship which nigh
| otherwise have held securely.
The news of the disaster created {
profound sensation at tie navy de
partment and everybody, from the sec
tary down. expressed his regret. Sec
rotary Tracy could not see cause t
condemn any one. The officers in com
mand of the vessels were competen
men, and had doubtless adopted al
proper precautions against disaster
but these hurricanes, which assumes
cyclOnic proportions, were simply IRE
siStible, as was proved by the ext en-
of the loss of vessels.
| Lieutenant Lucien Young, who
himself almost the sole survivor of tn
wreck of the Inflated Huron, off Cap
HatteraS, looked sadly over the list c
the drowned and marked down poe
Roach, the paymaster's clerk, as a
old shipmate gone.
q The department of state was withou
official news of the wrecks until cop
of Admiral Kimberly'S dispatch wa
sent over from the navy.
The difficulty of obtaining telegraph
news from the Samoan Islands is yer
| great. The dispatches received las
night and this morning by the Associs
ted Press were first taken from Apia
Auckland, New Zealand, about tw
thousand miles by steamer
the news was then trans
mitted by cable from Nel
Zealand to Australia, thence to BaU
jouaryie, thence to Singapore, theme
to Penang. thence to Madras, thence t
Bombay, thence to Alden, thence
SueZ, thence to Alexandria, thence t
Malta, thence to Gibralter, thence t
Lisbon, thence to London, and theme
to New York,
1t is said at the navy department
that Admiral Kimberly's cable cor
tanning the news cost between 500 an
5000.