Wichita eagle., 1889-04-14
WORSE Than WAR.
Continued from First Page.

]
For few days preceding the hurrican
had been steadily falling, but no on
anticipated the storm which commenced
to set in Friday afternoon, March Is. B.
II o'clock that night the wind had in
creased to gale and nearly all the wa
ships had their engines working
to relieve the strain upoi
their anchors. The crews OF
most of the sailing vessels threw out ex
ira anchors and then went ashore. Rair
commenced to fall at midnight and The
wind increased in fury. Great waves
were rolling in from the open ocean and
the pitching of vessels was fearful. Every
man was kept at work. The Eber com
menced to draw her anchor at midnight
and an hour later the Vandalia's were
also dragging. However, by using full
steam power they both succeeded in keep
| ing well off the reef and away from the
other vessels. The wind blew stronger
and stronger and rain fell in torrents.
By 8 o'clock the situation had become
alarming Nearly every vessel in the har
Dor was dragging their anchors and there
was imminent danger of collision. A
panic began to break out among the mer
on several of the vessels and they were
| kept at their posts with great difficulty
| On the shore the bowling of the wind
among the trees and houses and the crash
ing of falling roofs. had aroused many
persons from their beds and figures were
seen cropping the streets looking fer some
spot of shelter from the tenn
| pest. The tide was coming In
rapidly and waves were washing all
over the street, hundred feet above the
usual nigh water mark. The spray was
! thrown high in the air and beat into the
/ windows of houses nearest the shore. Rain
I fall la eli nd nd an yyh NJ
| were wandering about in the storm, shield
! ed their faces with small pieces of board
! or any other articles that could be used as
protection against the wind and sand.
| The natives seemed to realize more than
any one else that the storm would result
in awful destruction. People gathered IN
little groups and peered out into the dark
ness across the sea of foaming waters.
WAITING FOR THE CRASH.
Through the blackness of night could be
seen lights of the men of war. and even
above the rushing and roaring of the wind
and waves the shouting Of officers and
men on board came family across the
water and struck terror to the hearts of all
who listened. 1t could be seen that the
vessels were dragging, as the lights were
moving slowly in different directions and
apparently crossing and recrossing each
other. Every moment it seemed as though
two or more of the great war ships were
about to come together, and the watchers
on the beach waited in breathleSS anxiety
to hear the crash of the collision and to
see the vessels go down to destruction.
A little after 5 o'clock the
the scene and revealed spectacle not
often witnessed. The position of the YES
sells was entirely changed; the wind which
was blowing from the northeast had swept
them from their former mooringS and
they were all bearing down in the direc-
tion of the reef. Black smoke was pour
ing from their tunnels showing that des-
perate efforts were being made to keep
them up against the wind. The decks
were swarming with men clinging to
masts or any other object on which hold
could be obtained. The bulls of the war
ships were tossing about like corks. One
moment the vessels seemed to stand al
most upon their beam ends and the next
instant their sterns would raise out of
rudders and rapidly revolving pro-
pellers. Then the prows would be lift
ed high in the air only to plunge into the
next wave and deluge the ships with tor
rent of water. Several small sailing YES
sells had already gone ashore in the western
part of the bay. The Trenton and Van
dalia being further from shore than the
binding mist. The vessels most plainly
visible were the Eber and Adler and Nip
sic. They were very close together and
only few yards off from the reef.
THE "EBER" DOOMED.
The little gunboat, Eber was making a
desperate struggle, but every moment
was being drawn nearer and nearer the
reef Her doom was certain.
Suddenly she shot forward as
if making last struggle
to escape destruction. The current, how
ever. bore her off TO the right and her
PROV struck the port quarter of the Nipsic.
The shock carried away several feet of the
Nipsic's rail and one boat. The Eber then
fell back and fouled with the Olga but
neither vessel sustained much damage by
the collision. The two vessels, however,
had checked the Eber'S progress and she
to save herself. She swung around broad
side to the wind and drifted slowly towards
the reefs. Awful seas broke the little
vessel and forced her on to destruction In
a moment great wave rolled in towards
shore; the Eber was lifted high on its
crest and carried broadside on the reef.
She came down with awful force and in an
instant there was not a vestige To be seen.
She struck fairly upon her bottom, rolled
over toward open sea and disappeared
from view.
SAVING FRIEND AND FOE.
Every timber of the gunboat must have
been shattered and half the poor wretches
aboard of her crushed to death before
they felt she waters closing about their
heads. Hundreds of people were on the
beach by this time and the work Of
destruction had occurred III full view of
them all. They stood for moment ap-
palled by the awful scene and then a cry
of horror arose from the lips of every man
who had seen nearly hundred of his fell
low creatures perish in an instant. Then
with one accord they all rushed to the
waters edge nearest the point where the
Eber had foundered. The natives ran into
the surf far beyond the point where
q white man could have lived and
stood waiting to save any poor creature
who might rise from the water. There
was no thought of war between Germany
and Samoa; there was no sign of enmity
against the people who had carried off
their king and banished him on lonely
island thousand miles from his native
lands. The savage forgot the oppression
which civilized people placed upon him
and he now held out his hand to save a hu-
man life, caring little whether it was that
of a friend or foe.
THE ONLY OFFICER SAVED.
At first it seemed as if every man on the
ill-fated steamer had gone to his death, as
not even a hand appeared from the depths
where the Eber sank. But the breakers
on the reef had hidden a few struggling
men, who had come TO the surface and
struck out feebly for the shore.
Presently man who had been
noticed before was seen clinging to the
nil oil arf- nv
ing hands soon grasped him and drew him
upon the shore. He was a Young man