The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-04-18

difficult to realize for moment what
had happened. Great confusion oc-
CURED. The crew believed that the
steamer was going down and men ran
up the rigging for safety. The officers
alleged tqeir fears as we'll as they were
able. The iron smokestack rolled from
side to side with every movement IF
the vessel and men ran to keep clear of
its track. Heavy blocks were placed
under IT but bp that time it
was found the Nipsic had swung
around and was again approaching the
reef. 1t was an anxious moment for
all on board They had seen the Eber
strike on the same spot, and it seemed
certain that they would go down in the
same way. Having lost her smoke
stack the Nipslc was unable to keep
her steam power up and it was useless
to attempt to steam out from in the
face of the wind.
Captain Mullen was upon the bridge
at the time and remained cool and col
lected during the dangerous moment
when the excitement on the Nipsic had
reached the hishest pitch. Several
men stood by their posts noblY, but
many were demOraliZed and refused to
listen to orders. 1t was plain that in
another moment the Nipsic would be
upon the reef and probably every man
ron board would be lost. Capt. Mullan
saw that any further attempt to save
his vessel would be useless so he gave
the order to beach her. One anchor
was slipped 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 inflammable ma
terial were thrown into the furnace to
keep up the fires. Her head
was put around to the shore
and she had a straight course of
100 yards to The sandy beach in front
of The American consulate. Her en-
gineS 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 reyolve for
an hour while her bow stuck fast in
the stand about fifteen yards from the
waters edge and the vessel
swung around forming an
acute angle with the line
of shore. Orders were given to lower
two boats. Five sailors jumped into
one boat but the falls did not work
| properly and before the boat was low
cred one end dropped and the men
were thrown into the water and
drowned. The other boat containing
DIR. +. d. Derr, the ships surgeon,
and half a dozen sick men
was lowered in safety, but
| it capsiZed before it reached
shore. All of the men half SWAN and
half fiOated until they came within
reach of the natives who were standing
waist deep in the surf, when they were
pulled out on the beach. Several of the
| sick men were much exhausted but
were quickly removed to the consulate
and revived in a few hours.
Several men on the Nipsic ran to the
rail and jumped overheard. among
them being Lieutenant r. G. Daven-
port. They all reached the shore in
safety except two sailors who were I'M
able to swim through the
current and were swept out
The rai G continued D an to po GG"a and
clouds of flying sand grew thicker
every mement. Above the roar of the
wind and waves could be heard the
voices of officers shouting to the men
on deck. With the cries and singing
of the Samoans as they stood battling
against the surf, risking their lives to
save the American sailors. Nearly all
American and English residents of
Apia were OH the shore in front of the
consulate and there seemed to be a
willingness on the part of every man
to render whatever assistance WAS In
his power.
Ensign j. l.. Purcell, of the NipsIc
who had been on shore during the
night was up to his waist in water
helping to rescue his comrades from
their perilous position. On board the
NipSic the excitement which had pre-
vailed among the men just after the
fall of the smokestack had subsidized
and there was no attempt made tt
leave the vessel in disorder. Captain
Mullan and several other officers stood
by the rail where the haw
, sers were made fast and di
, rected the movements of the men
and all of whom were in any way sicl
or wounded were allowed to leave frs
!, and after that the men came down TIT
ropes quickly, The seas were rolling
so hagh under tee bows of the steamer
that when the men had advanced thu
feet down the ropes they would Otter
be entirely submerged ard nothing
but the noble efforts of thu
natives prevented them from being
washed Loft and carried away b,
2 the current. AS soon as each mai
would come within reach he would b
2 grasped in strong arms of half a dozel
Samoans and carried to the consulate
Most of the men had but scant cloth
3 ing; few had tied some articles il
their handkerchiefs which they held OF
2 to.
Captain Mullan insisted upon Delni
l the last man to leave the ship. IL
finally found himself on decl
l with Lieutenant John a. ShearmaI
and two sailors by his side. He order
r ed the sailors to leave, which they did
d The captain being unable to swim df
: not dare to trust to descending tn
r rope by means of his hands and legs a
. all of others had done, so he procure
{ an empty water cask which he attache
8 to the hawser when he was seated il
: the cask Shearman stood alone o.
B the deck and started his brav
: commander down the fOpe. Th
e plucky lieutenant then climbed dow
the rope in the usual way and the Nil
sic was left alone to battle with tn
q waters