The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-04-15
4HB STORM AT ARIA,
The Details Of the Wrecks at
the Samoan Islands.
FIRST REPORTS CONFIRMED.
The Storm Cost Hundred and Fifty
Lives and Three Million Dollars
Worth of rroperty-Names
OF tho Victims,

NHANANA hAP 1AAkSNANAA iah hNulluGu uLu
after the officers and crews of the
wrecked vessels had come ashore the
evidence OF the awful destruction was
presented on every side. The German
survivors remained in that part OF the
town where tho property Of the German
trading company is located, but the
Americans were to be seen everywhere.
The officers had lost their uniforms and
were dressed as common sailors. Ad.
miral Kimberly was the last to leave the
American iagship Trenton. lie went
at once to some rooms which had been
provided for him in n house OF an Amer
lean resident, The Associated Press
correspondent found the Admiral few
hours later sitting on one Of the porChes
OF small house facing the harbor.
There was m expression OF great anx-
iety on his face rs he sat watching the
wreck OF the American men.of-war.
"Is it not awiul?" he remarked 10 the
correspondent. "In all my experience
on sea, | have never seen u storm to
equal this one, | can hardly realize yet
the full extent OF damage which has
been done. My chief anxiety now is to
get these eight or nine hundred sailors
back TO America. 1t would be Of no use
for them TO remain here and must get
them homo as quickly as possible. l
shall either telegraph to Washington for
steamer to be sent from Sun Francisco
to take the men back or will charter u
ship in Auckland. They may got back
soon in some way"
The Admiral was asked in regard to
His experience during tho storm, but he
had little to say OF personal nature.
lie continued:
"The fires OF the Trenton went out at
10 o'clock in the morning and our rud-
der and propeller were carried away at
the same time. No one can realize the
force with which the rudder was struck.
suppose piece of wreCkage fOulcd it,
The pilot wheel whirled around with
terrible velocity, every spoke in ii was
broken, and one of the men at the wheel
had leg broken. The great volumes OF
water poured in upon the berth deck
through the lawsG.pipes fire room which
soon flooded and tho fires were put out.
The hawse-pipes should never have
been placed where they were. 1t was n
piece Of faulty construction which
Government officials Ind been
asked to remedy several times.
II fthey had been located OIL the
deck above the water would not have
come in. consider this indirectly the
cause OF the loss OF tho Trenton. Alter
eur steam gave out We used our storm
sail, and sent the men into the rigging
and used them as sails. The ship was
handled skiliully. 1t would have been
impossible for rs to steam out Of the har-
bor, as the Calliope did, as our engines
were not powerful enough. We put on
every pound VI steam that would carry,
and with three anchors out We were not
able to hold up against the storm. We
fought against it us long as we could do
so, but we were finally driven back upon
the shore"
The Admiral spoke feelingly Of the
death OF Captain Schoonmaker and other
officers and men who penshed.
Confusion was present everywhere in
Apia during the first few days after the
storm had disappeared at the end OF the
week, The quarters OF the ship wrecked
sailors had been made more comfortable,
and the duly routine duty was properly
attended to. Consul BlaCkloCk's orders
prohibiting the Rale OF liquor to sailors
had good effect, and very few drunken
men were to be seen. The town is still
under marine guard in charge OF Captain
Huntington, and Mataafa's police have
also assisted in maintaining order. The
men from the Trenton and Vandalia
have iormeda barracks and have erected
temporary tents for shelter. Tho Nipslc
men arc still living aboard their vessel |,
and the German survivors are quartered
in a warehouse belonging to German
firm, Working parties are kept busy all
The time OH the wrecks OF The Trenton
and Vandalia, and articles OF every
description have been brought ashore
from the vessels and piled together in q
large yard. Divers have been at work
and many articles were saved IN that
way. The saics from both vessels con-
taining large amounts OF money were
recovered.
The Monongahela aud MohiCan aio
xpeCted to arrive here soon. King
Malieto came down from his camp few
DAYS ago. A light rain had fallen the
night before and the water hal leaked
into many Of the tents occupied by snil.
ors, Mataaia pointed out to Admiral
Kimberly tho danger OF sickness break.
ing out among the men on account oil
thiB exposure, and on behalf Of his own
'p60ple, he offered to vacate all the Sa.
moan hoases in ApiR and allow the
American sailors to have tho use OF them.
Admiral Kimberly thanked AlataafN
warmly, but stated to him that II would
be almost impossible TO control the
men II they were scattered around
among tho native houses. There is
no Immediate danger Of tho supply Of
provisions being exhausted. Several par
ties with whom contracts have been made
for the feeding OF men have plenty ol
provisions on hand, and tho steamer
Lubbock will arrive from Sidney In q few
days, and u fresh supply will be obtain
Gd from her. The officers aud men o.
lie Vandalia lost nearly everything. A
,roat many on the Trenton Jared bul
little better. The officers arc scattered
MI over town, md have secured such nc
Commodations as they can find. Many
arc living In native houses,
Tho storm does not seem 10 have
changed tho political situation Of Samoa
40 iar as tho natives are concerned
10th tho parties arc still cnCamped II
ihe samo positions they have occupied
ior several months past. Mataaig's tner
Iayo not given the slightest lntlmatlot
ihat they intended to take advantage o
thc unpreparCd condition Of the Ger
mans, ma and Il Ia not thought they viii
make any attack upon Tamascse,S t9Stct
ncndlnp tho German conference. I'M
tiernan Consul, Dr. KnappC,, % Stil
nurgninR a splloiul course, which ha
Always characterized his administration
OF the affairs here, notwithq qtandlnR tn
work Of The Bamoans III saving the live
Of tho Germans lnring the Storm
a. 4 AL NuNa4 Al a