Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-15
AN OFFICIALS OPINION.
Commodore Walker is Very
nOn-C0mmittal.
THE ACTION OF THE OFFICERS
Probably Fully Justified by the
Circumstances of the Hurri-
cane at Apia.
Associated Press DISPATCHES to the HERALD

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.
WASHINGTON, April 1.-THE long and
graphic report of the disaster at Samoa
was read with a great deal of interest
here. Naval officers generally were OF
the opinion this evening that no blame
could be attached to anyone for the loss
of ships and life. They were not in
clined to hazard any decided opinion in
regard to the handling of the various
vessels. Commodore Walker, Chief of
the Bureau Of Navigation, and Acting
Secretary Of the Navy probably voiced
the general feeling when he said to an
Associated Press reporter, tonight: Amy
man who gives an opinion is simply
guessing. We do not know just now
matters stood, and it would be merely
guess work to say what might have been
done. 1t is impossible to tell much about
it. There were some fine men and ex-
cellent officers on the ships and we know
that the vessels were lost. Admiral
Kimberly is splendid officer and fine
man, and Captain Farquhar Commander
Mullan, and Captain Schoonmaker of the
Vandalia, who lost his life, were excel
lent officers. They doubtless did all
they could. think that probably there
is no blame to be attached to anyone"
Commodore Walker thought the escape
of the Calliope was largely matter of
luck. She probably owed her survival,
he csid, to the fact that she had more
steam power than the other vessels. The
dispatches show that she had it very
hard working out of the harbor, only
making about half a mile an hour.
Again, the Oalliope may have been more
favorably placed than the German and
American vessels. Our vessels may not
have been able to go against the fearful
gale, and if they had been, it may be
that they were not able to turn round so
as TO get out; "but," said the Commo-
dore, 1--WE can't tell. It's all guess
work"
The management of all the vessels,
Commodore Walker added, seemed to be
about the same after the hurricane struck
them. The mistake that seemed to have
been made was in staying inside the |
harbor, but this was case of our hind |
sight being better than our fore sight. |
The vessels may not have had time to |
get out. There was no telling |
though, but what some of the vessels |
might have gone down with all on board |
even if they had to put to sea. 1t was
probable, however, that they would have |
pulled through, but there, said he, the
judgment of the officers would come in,
and they, no doubt, did what seemed
best. They may have thought that a
blow was coming up, but that they
could weather it. They all took the
same course, and were all caught in the
same box. Men could not do a great
deal in these hurricances. when
the wind blew like everything and
the seas were heavy almost beyond con-
ception. He rems mbered hurricane in
Barbados which blew down large, heavy
stone buildings and razed almost the
whole town, and this seemed to have
been srch storm. The Idaho, United
States war vessel, was once caught at sea
in hurricane, and though she escaped,
she was worthless afterwards, and the
wind was 30 fearful that it forced the
oakum out from between the planking of
the deck, and twisted she vessel all out
of shape until it resembled the twisted
withes in q wicker basket. The deck
was 80 sprung that you could go down
below and see through the crevices what
was going on above. A little more and
the vessel would have foundered.
The Commodore, in a sentence,
expressed his opinion of hurri-
canes by saying, 81 don't
want any hurricanes in NINE"
eve were more fortunate than the Ger
he said, Sin not losing SO many
men; but this was our good luck. They
were all fighting for their lives and did
everything they could. ALI the vessels
adopted the same course, and none of
them could do anything much out
of the way. Each boat had three
or four anchors down and kept steam
ing up to them. We were frequently
in collision and did not have much room
to move about. 1t might have been that,
had only one vessel been in the harbor
she could have been saved.
Admiral Porter was seen, but he had
not yet read the published reports and
therefore could not express any opinion
on the situation.