The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-04-14

heart was melted to pity ''God help
them" was passed from one man to an
other. The sound of music next came
across the water. The Trenton's band was
playing
L"THB STAR sPANGLED BANNER"
The thousand men on sea and shore had
never before heard strains of music at such
a time as this. An indescribable feeling
came over the hundred Americans on the
beach who listened to the notes of the
national anthem, mingled with the howl of
the storm. For moment they were silent
| and then they broke forth with cry that
RENT THE AIR,
and reached the struggling men on the rig
ging OF the Vandalia. The men who had
exhausted every means during the whole
of that awful night of rendering some
assistance to their comrades, now seemed
inspired to greater efforts. They ran about
| the beach eager to do something even
at the risk of life itself. They
| looked dispairingly at the roaring torrent
OF water that broke upon the shore and
knew that no boat could live in such sea-
Brayely as the Samoans had acted there
was not one of them who would again ven
| ture into such surf, where certain
death would befall them. Three officers
who had been untiring in their efforts dur
ing the day-Lieutenant Sherman and En-
! olSHS IOWeu anu JOueS- prOCureu Il DOdb
and got it ready to launch at the moment
the sea should cubside. Several natives
and one or two Nipsic sailors volunteered
| to go in the boat and with the three officers a
sufficient number OF men were secured to
man the oars but the storm did not
abate in the least, and there was
no opportunity during the whole night to
take the boat out to the vessels. The col
| lision of the Trenton and Vandalia, which
everyone thOupht JVOnl6 latter,
| vessel to pieces, proved to be salvation to
the men in the rigging. Notwithstanding
THE TREMENDOUS FORCE OF THE WAVES,
the Trenton dragged back slowly and
when her stern finally struck the Vandalia
with a great shock, she gradually swung
around broadside to the sunken ship, AS
soon as the vessels touched the men
IN the mizzen rigging craWled out of the
yards and jumped on the deck of
the Trenton. The men escaped
just in time, for as the last left the yards
the mlzzen mast o. the Vandalia fell with
crash on the side next the shore. The men
on the main mast escaped in the same way.
The main must fell soon after the mizzen,
and it is believed several men were killed
in the rigging. If so, they were killed by
the fall or drowned before the men escaped
from the rigging. The men who escaped
to the deck of the Trenton had chung to the |
Vandalia's rigging nearly twelve hours. |
All were weak and exhausted, and many !
had received severe injuries The Trenton |
was rapidly filling with water, and but little |
could be done for the rescu of the men. The |
storm was raging furiously at midnight, and |
the stern of the Trenton was forced back |
against the reef. The waves continued to |
beat over the deck, but her draught was so |
great that after she had settled entirely on |
the bottom she was still about her usual |
hni IF hn md I
to be no great danger of her going to |
pieces before the men on board her could |
be taken off. Little could be done on shore |
but wait for the morning. Lieutenant |
Shearman, Ensign Purcell and several per-
sons patrolled the beach until early morn |
ing, in the hope Of rescuing any poor fellow |
who might be seen struggling in the |
waves. Long before a ray of dawn |
appeared crowds began to gather on shore |
again By 5 o'clock the wind lad abated, |
though the sea was very rough. Natives |
volunteered to man a boat to go to the |
Trenton, Seumanu, chief of Apia district, |
took charge of the crew. 1t was still very
dark and the trip was most perilous; but |
the natives put the boat through the cur
rent in safety and reached the bow of the |
Trenton. They were given a hawser which |
they took to shore and made fast. All |
hands were ordered TO remain on |
the ship as the storm having sub
sided, there was no immediate |
danger. AS soon as it became light |
more haWsers were stretched to the shore |
to guard against danger in the event of a |
storm coming up. Two boats manned by |
natives in charge of Zernmanie and Ian
laanae commenced the work of removing |
the Vandalia'S men from the Trenton. A |
few had arms and legs broken and nearly |
all were badly cut and bruised There We're |
very few, especially among the officers, who |
could walk without assistance. BY noon |
nearly eight hundred American sailors were |
on the streets of Apia, besides a couple of |
hundred from the German ships. The Ger
mans remained at Mataefel, where the |
German residents live, but the American |
sailors wandered from one end of town to |
another
THE SALOONS WERE CROWDED
with them and it was not long before many
were disorderly. Vice-Consul Blackjack, |
recognizing the gravity of the situation, is |
sued a peremptory notice to all saloon |
keepers, regardless of nationality, not to |
dispose of any more liquor. Soon after this |
an additional marine guard of fifty men |
was sent ashore from the Trenton to aid in |
preserving order A warehouse was OBJ |
tanned as quarters for the shipwrecked |
sailors, and a large number were sent there. |
The Nipsic was found to be in fair condition, |
and her officers and men were quartered on |
board Contracts were made with various |
parties for feeding the sailors, but it was a |
difficult matter to provide for them all dur
ing the first day.
TEMPORARY HOSPITAL
was provided for large number of men in
jured and suffering from exhaustion. DR.. |
White, of the Trenton, took charge, and |
other surgeons assisted him.
DR.. Harvey, of the Vandalia, though |
greatly exhausted, went to work in the
hospital, but soon broke down and was
Frustrated from nervous exhaustion for
several days. DR.. Cordles of the Vandalia,
though suffering from a dislocated knee
cap, was moved into the hospital in chair
and faithfully attended to the suffering
men.
1t is difficult to imagine the confusion
prevailing on the shore during the first day
of the storm. All the blankets and mat
tresses that were saved were water-soaked /
and had to be spread in the sun to dry,
many new ones were furnished.
The men were econtroled with great diff
Guilty many being placed under arrest
Captain Fritz, the senior German officer
was asked to cooperate with them in pro-
viding,, police protection, but notified the
Americans that he was afraid to trust his
men as guards, as the American sailors
would attack them. He requested the
Americans to take full control of the town,
and this was done and
ORDER WAS GRADUALLY RESTORED.
Sunday evening the English war ship
Calhope was sighted. Much anxiety had
been felt on her account, and there was
that she was safe. She entered the harbor
this morning and aVaTV ono in tnuxyD aup |