, 1889-03-09
MAKING A WAR.
A Sensational Story From San
Francisco.
Reported Blowing Up of the
War Vessel Nipsic
By the German Corvette Olga at
Samoa.
A Doubtful Story.

SAN Francisco, March S.-Great
prominence is given by the papers to a
rumor that an American man OF war was
sunk in Samoan waters in a fight with the
German corvette Olga. No credence is
given to the report. The steamship Ala
media, which left here for Australia Fer.
9, touched at Tutuilla, the southern island
OF the Samoan group, Feb. % and arrived
at Auckland March 3. Had any ngag
ment occurred at Apia she would proba-
bly, have learned the fact at Tutuillia and
carried the news to Auckland, where the
fact could have been cabled.
WASHINGTON, March S.-The story of
the engagement of the German man OF
war Olga and an American man Of war in
the harbor of Apia is generally disoredited
at the navy department. No information
upon the subject has been received at the
department of state. 1t was said there
the news of an event of such importance
would surely reach the United States at
least as soon as a German seacoast city.
The Nipsic. which is supposed to be the
American vessel referred to in the Ger
man publication, is rated as a wooden
vessel of the third class with six guns.
The Vaudalia and Trenton, which have
doubtless reached Samoa by this time,
are also wooden vessels carrying eight and
ten guns respectively as their main bat
teries.
Most of these guns are of smooth bore,
but naval officers say at short range and
against unarmed vessels such as theGer-
man boats now in Samoan waters, these
cannon are Just as efficient as rified ord
nance. Unless the German g~unboats
have also been reinforced the American
feet now at Apia is regarded as superior
in offensive power, as its vessels are fresh
from repairs and the crews are strong in
number.
Secretary Blaine this evening, in an
swer to an inquiry, said the report of the
conflict between German and United
States war vessels at Samoa was in his
opinion unworthy of credence. He re-
gardcd it as a mere stock jobbing rumor,
having no foundation whatever. Com
modore Walker, of the navy department,
held similar views.
New YORK, March S.-No credence is
given to the SchieSsische Zeitun1 story
cabled from Dresden to the Herald about
a fight between American and German
pen .of-war. Even the Herald charac
terized it as sensational.
SAN Francesca, March S.-Despite
the denials of the report which appeared
in the papers this morning to the effect
that an American war vessel had been
blown up with torpedoes during the fight
with the German Corvette Olga at Samoa,
the opinion here is strongly inclined to
place reliance in the rumors and the poo
pie are greatly excited. Private advices
received here tonight furnish strong
grounds for belief in the truth of the re-
port.
These advices are that the New York
Herald is in receipt of a telegram from
james Gordon Bennett at Paris confirm
ing the cablegram of this morning.
1t is also currently reported here to-
night that a naval officer in Washington
telegraphed to day to an officer at Mares
island hayward here confirming the dis
patch. Naval officers at this point say
the German gunboats did carry torpedoes.
None of the American vessels now on the
way to Samoa are supplied with these
missiles.
The New York Herald Of this morning
prints three columns of comment relative
to the reported blowing up of the United
States ship Nipsic at Samoa by the Sa-
moan cruiser Olga. This report is printed
in the Herald of March s, as dispatched
from Breslau, where the information of
such encounter was first printed, Is the
basis of much comment, according to the
Herald, in Washington, where its CORES.
pondeuts interviewed naval officers, with
the results printed in the Herald this
morning.