Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-04-04

seas WRECKED I'm > Hurricane NJ Samoa
Many OAcers AM Hen Drowned.
AUCKLAND, n. z, March a-Dispatches
from Samoa state that the American men-
Df-war Vandalia, Treaton and Nipsic and
| the German men-of- wsr Olga, Adler and
| lent storm and tota1ly wrecked OF the
American CROWS four ofRosrs and forty
| six men were drowned and Of the German
| crews nine officers and eighty-seveR men
| lost their lives
TEE NEWS IN wAsHNgToN.
WAsHINGroes, March 3O.-Fhen tke tor
rible news concerning the awful disaster
at Samoa reached Washington but few Of
the department officials could be found,
but the information was of SO awful and
startling q nature that reporters were
rushed out to interview the heads
OF departments. Secretary Tracy was
completely overcome when told
of the reported disaster. The Navy
Department had received nothing officially
and Mr.. Blaine was SO shocked that he
could not speak word for some moments.
ExcrrEHENr IN BERLIN.
BERLIN, March 3o.-The news of the dis
aster at Samoa has created intense ex-
element here, but the general feeling is
that the report needs substantiation. The
Adler and the Eber were gunboats of
1,600 tons, and the Olga was q corvette Of
2 600 tons.
THE VESSELS AND CREWS.
New YORK, March 3O@Commander
Dennis W.. Mullan, the commander of
the Nipsic, was ordered to that duty Oc-
tober 1, 1881 He entered the service Sep
tember 90 1850. was promoted to Ensign
in October, 1853, to master in October,
1885, to Lieutenant in February, 1857, to
Lieutenant Commander in March in 1858,
and to his present grade in July, 1882.
This is his first command in the new
grade as. owing to some trouble with the
Navy Department officials, he was kept
off duty for over four years While not
regarded as one of the brilliant men of
the navy, he was a good fighting officer.
He was a native of Massachusetts, and
was of Irish parentage.
The executive officer Of the Nipsic in the
absence of Lieutenant Hawley was Rich
ard @. Davenport, or, as he is better
known in the service, Dick davenport.
His reputation as first-class officer in
every respect was vouched for by ali the
navy people here. He was q son of the
late Captain Davenport of the navy, who
was one of the most distinguished naval
officers of the late war and who COM
manded the Congress during the battle Of
Mobile bay.
The other officers attached to the Nipsic
were Lieutenant John r Shearman, of New
York; Ensigns w. p. White, John L. Pur-
cell, Harry A. Field and Harry P. Jones;
Passed Assistant Surgeon E. A Dorr,
Passed Assistant Paymaster John Cor
wine, Chief Engineer George W. Hall,
Passed Assistant Engineer Horace e.
Frick and First Lieutenant of Marines L
Glover Fillette.
The complement of the Nipsic was ia
marines and blue jackets, although some
of her short time men were sent home from
Samoa when the Adams left for San Fran
cisco in January last.
The Nipsic was wooden vessel and was
built in 1873. After two cruises she was
rebuilt at the navy yard, Washington, in
1879. She was bark rugged, 1S5 feet long
and 35 feet beam. Her displacement wal
l. 375 tons and indicated a speed of ten
knots. Her battery consisted of one 10
inch muzzle loading rifle, four 6-inch bore
one 60-pounds, which was located on the
forecastle. In the secondary battery one
3-inch rifled howitzer, one 12-pounder and
one short Calling gun. In addition t.
these there were sixty Hotchkiss rifles OF
the latest improved pattern in her armory
besides the usual number of pistols and
side arms allowed by regulation for vessels
of the Nipsic class.
The Trenton and Vandalia were larger
than the Nipsic. The Trenton was a ship
rugged wooden cruiser of ten guns and 81
$500 tons displacement The Vandalis
was O bark-rigged wooden cruiser of 2 1N
tons, with battery of eight guns, mostly
smoothbores.
As far as known the Olga was the mos
formidable of the German vessels at Apia
She was an unarmed and unprotected
single decked cruiser of 1900 tons dis.
placement and was built in $780, Hen
principal battery consisted of eight six.
inch Krupp rifles and a number
of Hotchkiss cannon. It is though
at the Navy Department that She
carried about half dozen SchwartzkoH
torpedoes which are similar to the White.
head torpedoes in that they are projected
from tubes beneath the water line. The
speed of the Olga was somewhat superior
to that of the Vandalia, her maximum
trial speed having been IA. The German.
also had in Samoan waters the Adler anc
Eber, which were not as large or as strong
as the Olga, the Adler carrying four and
the Eber three Krupp rifles. The great
strength of the German feet lay in its
possession of torpedoes.