The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-03-09
HCANNOTBET TRUE.
Story Of the Naval Fight
in Samoa.
a rrEE SKwsraPEK FICTION.
The German ships would s@ sunk
by Amerissn GHas ous Of Ter
pedo Range.

NEW T0RK. March She Nsu YORK
Herald of this morning prints three col
uznns Of comments relative to the repcvsess
blowing Up ct the United srsses sh4u
Aipsic at samoa by the German cruiser
Olga This report, printed in the Herald
OF March 5 ss 3 dispatch from Breslan.
where the Information OF such eiicouuser
was 4rst printed. Is The basis OF uluch
comment. according 10 the Hfruld ia
Washington, where its correspondence IN
teryfewed naval officers with the result
printed in the Herald this morning, and
from which the following epitomizssion is
commcsore secord had no knowledge Of
the Nipsie having been sunk by German
torpetios save Ms furnished BY the HERALD
Brez5xn F3zpasels. Referring 70 The torpedo
arua'ueut Of German gnEksaix, Csrnmo-
dorA serord aid. .Tne working rnnye or
these rorpedoes, 70 be fred with accuracy,
Is sbout 30 yards The German navy
use the schwartxkopff torpedo, which
is made In Germany aad nowhere
else. It contains about eS pounds
ol gun cotton. equal In force TO so pcunsix
OF gEnpowder fney are launched from
the side Of the snip. and after being prop
eriy simed are shot into the water. They
II the Nlpsic was within q short distance
OF The Olga il would have been impossible
fer her 70 have got away"
Commodore secord said the Nipsse
might have been in such position that Il
was impossible fer her 10 get out of tor
pedo range. provided that the reported en-
gagement actually took place II such
was the case 1t would fare very badly with
her. Concluding, the com nodDre added;
The Trenton and yandalia must be there
by this time, aud il anything should have
happesed 10 the Nipsic .yon may rest as
srred they win be heard from Admiral
Kimberly Is a courageous officer he viii
stand no nonsense, aad II there Ia any
trouble he win give an excellent account
OF himself"
Commodore Harmony, assistant secre
tary of the navy department. was disposed
sinking of the Nipsic. de said: OF
course | do net thiHk there Is any
truth in the report. but upon the
statement of a possible condition I
make my comments. II the Olga
did bofnhard the town and injure Ameri-
can property aud American citizens the
commander OF Nlpsic would protest first.
and then, falling 20 secure protection TO
our interests. would open ire naval
oftieeF has all the discretion anyone has
He can make war without orders IL in his
Judgment the circumstances demand IL
To the Herald correspondent Admiral
Porter said: "As understand il. the Of
hcers who were sent down there were un-
der instructions TO be very careful and con-
seryasiye. aud therefore IL Is not likely
they were provoked into such q rupture.
do not think the report true, for
many reasons have noticed
several sensational items in the German
papers OF late of a disparaging nature as
to the United States Again. ii a shell was
exploded between the decks of the Olga, ii
Is not likely she was In condition 20 use
torpedoes on the Sipslc. An officer know
s~.rr L. F<s.a - =
0lga's water line. lying as they were.
close together, and that would settle her. -
Regarding the auth .nticity OF the news
of the encounter, the Herald refers 70 the
fact fhst q German ship with the news
might have reached Auckland within four
or five days of the occurrence and cabled
the fact TO Germany. while the American
dispatch officer stationed there by the
navy department would be Obliged 10
await the arrival of the regular steamers.