Omaha daily bee., 1889-07-08
A LETTER FROM ApIA.
Mataara Disperses HIS Men Waiting
For NcYs From berlin.

[CopyriDht, 1882 by Neio Tork associated Prcss.l
ApIA, Samoa June 90, (per Steamer Alex
andria), July THE steamer Alameda
touched at Apia and took away nine officers
and sixty men of the United States frigate
Trenton, who were left hero when tho
steamer Rockton sailed for San Francisco
last month with four-fifths of thesurvivors of
tho recent hurricane. Admiral Kimberly
and two staff officers and five men will re-
main in Apa. The admiral stated that the
department had probably issued orders under
the impression that the United States man
of-war Alert was here, but as no Amer
can war vessel was at Apa now he
did not care to abandon the place entirely.
Hundreds of natives stood on the shore and
gave the American sailors q parting cheer
Quiet has prevailed at the Samoan islands
during the past six weeks, and the political
situation OF the country has assumed peace.
ful aspect. Tho only war vessel here now is
the German gunboat Wolf, which arrived
from New Zealand Juno l5. The Nipsic has
gone to Honolulu for repairs under convoy
of the Alert. These two ships left here for
Auckland MAY Q, but returned six days later,
the commanders reporting that after going
$50 miles the Nipsic's broken and impro-
vised rudder became so unmanageable
that slow progress was made, 1t
appeared impossible to reach Auckland
before the last week IN May, whom severe
weather might be expected on tho New Zea-
land coast Captain Mullen was reprovod by
Kimberly for having returned, whereupon
the former asked to be relieved of his COM
mand. Tho admiral at once detached him
and ordered the lieutenant commander OF the
Trenton to take command of the Nipsic. He
also ordered the Nipsic and the Alert to
proceed to Pago Pago at once, take in coal
and again sail for Auckland. The orders
wore afterwards changed and Honolulu was
made the destination of the ships instead of
Auckland. The vessels sailed for Honolulu
June |. Chief Engineer G. w. Hall, of the
Nipsic, being Ill with dysentary was ordered
home. At Leon, while making for the
steamer, he died. His home was at Syra-
cuse N
Some time ago Mataafa wrote to Tamasese
expressing the desire that peace be pro.
claimed. The latter replied that he was
willing to stop fighting for the present, but
nent peace until the result of the Berlin
conference was learned here. Mataafa
abandoned his Notifications early IN May,
sent his men home and moved to the eastern
end of Apla He said that he desired to
show Kimberly and the American people he
would do all IN his power to promote peace.
He said he was ready to abide by the decis-
ion of the Berlin conference
Mataafa gave n feast to which he invited
200 foreign residents and officers of all ma
tions No Germans attended. He made
speech thanking Kimberly for bringing about
peaceful state of affairs.
Most of Tamasesc's men have left camp
and have gone gone. A number of them
visited Apia recently and were unmolested.
A German saloonkeeper accidentally shot
an American sailor named Barnhard Richlln
while handling revolver in his saloon.
Corporal John Nichols, of the Trenton
marine guards was accidentally killed by
falling lumber May 4.
a box has been received from the state de-
partment at Washington containing sl,100
worth of gold and silver watches and 50, 900
in gold coin to be distributed among the ma
tives who rendered assistance to the Amer.
ican ships during the hurricane.