The morning news., 1889-04-14

There were three men aboard OF her. All
three struck out for the Olga, but only one
was saved.
AGAIN RUN DOWN.
The Nipsic got well away from the reef
after she strucky the Lilly, and her men
had attached hawser to heavy S-inch
rife on the forward deck and were prepar-
ing to hoist the gun overheard to assist her
anchors, when the Olga again bore down
| upon her. The Olga struck the Nipsic amid
ships, her bowsprit passed over the port
side of the Nipsic, and after carrying away
boat and splintering the rail, carried
away her smokestack. Having lost her
smokestack, the Nipsic was unable to keep
steam power up, and ii was useless TO at
| tempt to steam out from the reef in the
face of the wind.
BEACHING THE NIPslC
Capt Mcmillan saw that auy further at
tempt to save his vessel would be useless so
he gave an order to beach her. One anchor
was shipped and the few pounds of steam
which could still be used, kept the vessel in
| deep water until she had cleared the end of
the reef. Boxes Of salt pork and other in
| flammable material we're thrown into the
furnace to keep the fire. Her head was put
| around to the shore, and she had straight
course of hundred yards to the sandy
beach in front of the American consulate.
Her engines worked as hard as the limited
| amount of steam would permit When the
| Nipsic struck her engineers did not take
| time to stop her engines, and her propeller
continued TO revolve for an hour, while
| her bow stuck fast in the sand
about Nffteen yards from the waters edge
and the vessel swung around, forming an
| acute angle with the line of the shore.
oAPsIzING OF THE BOATS.
Orders were given to lower two boats.
Cal ..1 4.,NA h4rN fall
| did not work properly, and before the boat
was lowered one end dropped. The men
were thrown into the water and drowned.
| The other boat, containing DR.. f.. Il. Derr,
the ships surgeon, and half dozen sick
men, were lowered in safety, but it capsizsd
| before it reached shore. All Of the
men half swan, half fioated, until they
| came within the reach Of natives who were
| standing waist deep in the surf, when they
were pulled out on the beach. Several men
on the Nipsic ran to the rail and jumped
overheard, among them being Lieut. E. G.
| Davenport. Tney all reached the shore IN
safety except two sailors, who were swept
out into the bay and drowned.
PLUCKY OFFICERS.
| By tins time every man aboard had
| crowded on the forecastle. The natives
rushed down 60 near the bow of the steamer
and shouted to those on deck above to
throw a line. Double hawsers were soon
made fast from the deck to the shore, and
tine natives gathered around the lines to as
sist the men off. Senmann Taea, chief of
| the Apia district, and Salu Anu, King
| Mataafa's secretary, directed the men in
| their work Capt. Muilan insisted upon be
| ing the last man to leave the ship. He
finally found himself on deck with Lieut.
John A. Shearman and two sailors. He
ordered the sailors to leave, which they did.
ESCAPE OF THE CAPTAIN.
The captain being unable to swim did not
| care to trust to the descending rope by
means of his hands and legs as all the
Others had done, so he procured an empty
| water cask, which he attached to the
| hawser. When he was seated in the cask,
| Lieut. Shearman stood alone on the deck
| and started his brave commander down the
| rope The plucky lieutenant then climbed
| down the rope in the usual way, and the
| Nipslc was left alone to battle with the
waves Lieut.. Fillette Of the marine corps,
who was in charge of the consulate, had an
| ticipated the destitute condition in which
the men would be. ard had ordered
a quantity of dry clothing from
a neighboring store. As the men
were taken into the consulate, he
provided them with dry suits Of clothes,
and did everything possible to make them
as comfortable as circumstances would per-
NIT. Vice Consul Blackjack and several
| other persons also assisted in relieving the
men, and DIR. Dren and his apothecary we're
busy for several hours in administering re-
storatives to those who were exhaused. The
| Nipsic, Adler and Eber were the smallest
! war ships In the harbor.
| STILL AFLoAT.
The four large men-of-war, Trenton,
| Calliope, Vandalia and Olga, were still afloat
and well off the reef. Nearly all the sailing
craft had gone ashore. The Trenton stood
we'll out into the bay, her steam and
ancors barely holding her head up TO the
| wind The Olga was rolling terribly. The
| Vandalia and the Calliope were
close together nearer the reef
| than the other vessels. They were
| both bearing back against the reef near the
| point where the wreck of the Adler lay
| The Calliope was nearer the shore, and her
bow was close to the stem Of the Vandalia
The great waves were tossing the two yes
sells about, and they were coming closer
| together every minute.
FRIGBTFUL CRASH.
The space between the men-of-war was
next seen to close together, when suddenly
the great prov. of the Englishman rose
| high in the air on the crest OF an enormous
wave and came down with full force upon
| the port quarter of the Vandalia. The iib-
boom OF the Calliope was carried away aud
the heavy timbers Of the Vandalia were
shivered. Every man who stood upon the
poop deck of the Vandala was thrown
| from his feet by the shock. A hole had
been torn below the rail and water rushed
| into the cabin.
1t was impossible TO ascertain the extent
of the damage in a moment, but at the
time. it seemed that the Vandalia had re-
ceived her death blow. Men rushed up the
matches believing that the steamer was
sinking and it was only after a great
effort that the officers persuaded them to re-
turn to their posts.
HEADING OUT FOR SEA.
Just after this collision Capt. Kane of the
Calliope determined TO make an effort TO
steam out OF the harbor, as he saw that to
remain in his present position would lead to
another collision with the Vandalia or
| throw his vessel on the reef. He accord
| ingly gave orders 10 ship all the anchors.
The Caliope's head was swung around to
the wind and her powerful engines were
worked to their utmost capacity 1t was
an anxious moment on board the corvette,
as with her anchors gone she had nothing
but her engines TO depend on 10 keep her of
the reef.
| 'TwIXT LIFE AND DEATH.
| The steamer seemed 10 stand still for n
moment. and then the rapidly revolving
propeller had its effect, for the vessel moved
up slowly against the great waves which
/ lIoka ovar har howQ and dDOdad her deelr