The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-03-31
of the dead officers Of the Vandalia in,
forming them of the sad affair.

/
The dispatch concerning Captain
5choonmaker was sent to his widow at
Kingston, n. Y, where his brother
Judge Schoonmaker, Of the Interstate
Commerce Commission, also resides
Captain Schoonmaker entered the Navy
from New York "a an act
ing midshipman, September, 2e, 1862
tie was made midshipman In June,
1850, and successively passed through
the grades of passed midshipman, mas
ter, lieutenant, Lieutenant commander,
commander, and captain. He was pro-
NOTED to the last named position Obto-
ber 9TH, 1885, aud on October 9th, 1888,
was placed in command of the Vandalia.
Lieutenant Francis /. sutton, the son
of City Chamberlain Sutton, of Rome.
\. T., was one of the brightest men 10
the marine corps. He entered the Naval
Academy as a cadet midshipman on
June 81, 1877, graduated in 1882, and was
made q second lieutenant In the marine
corps in July /, 1888. He was the junior
first lieutenant In the corps, having been
promoted on March Q, 1888.
Lieutenant sutton was only engaged
as temporary commander of marines on
the Nandslia. lie was detailed from the
MohicaD 10 the Vandalia until the regu-
isrly detailed commandant OF marines
could report. He expected to be trans
ferred to the Nohican when the Wanda
liza tell In with that vessel.
Paymaster's Clerk John Roach was the
brother of James Jeffries Roach, the
poet, who IS associated with John Boyle
O'Reilly on the Boston PiIot Mr..
Roach's home IS at lion, n. 7.
The wife and child of Paymaster Arms
reside at the Crawford House In New
London, Conn. Paymaster Arms was
born in Connecticut. He was appointed
acting ant-paymaster in 1854. He
served on the Tgscarora and Terror. and
was commissioned paymaster in 1871.
Captain Thomas o. Selfridge, who Is
familiar with the harbor of Apia, was at
the photographic Office at the Navy De-
partment this morning, examining charts
of the Samoan Islands. when United
Press reporter saw him. Captain Sci
fridge said that he thought the harbor
of Apia an exceedingly dangerous one
The whole island of Opoiu, on which Apia
il situated, he says, is surrounded by
coral reefs. The bottom Of the harbor is
of sand, which affords but poor anchor
age and none at all in such p gale "a
that which destroyed the vessels. The
entrance TO the harbOr is from the north.
a very heavy surf prevails just outside
tho coral reefs, and the wafer inside OF
these ranges from 30 to 70 feel
in depth. 1t is Captain Selfridge's Opin.
ion that the hurricane came from the
south and drove the vessels on the coral
reefs. While the hsrbor IS three miles
wide, there Is only about third Of
mile of water lefl which 10 navigable for
vessels the size of those lost, and it Is
very easy 10 understand how the disaster
Occurred. Captain Selfridge said that a
terrible hurricane swept over Apia har-
Dor about six years ago. There were no
vessels in the harbOr at the time, but
houses and cocOanut groves In and about
Apia were swept away like straws.
NEWS FROM AUCKLAND.
AUCKLAND, March 90.-Later dis
patches about the hurricane at Samoa,
In whlch the American aud German war
vessels were wrecked, state that the
storms occurred on the l5tf OF this
month. At the first approach or The
hurricane the vessels all attempted 20
put to sea, but the English man-Of-war
CalIlope was the only one that was able
to get out of harbor. Merchantmen also
The bark Peter GodeHrey, an
other bark, and seven coasting vessels
were wrecked. Four persons axe report
ed to be drowned. The Calliopo was
bound for Sydney. The GodeHFey had
Just arrived from Syndey.
OTHER SHIPS TnAT HAVE BEEN LOST.
WASHINGTON, ID. C., March 30.-The
disaster In Apia harbor Is the seyerest,
80 far as the the destruction of vessels IS
that the Navy has yet expe.
rienced by storm at sea. There have
been Instances, however, where larger
numbers of lives were lost. The most
notable OF these naval disasters was the
sinking of the Albany of the West In |
lies In 1883 Neither the vessel nor the
700 persons on board Of her were ever
heard OF. In 1858 the United States slOop
)f war LaNanle went down in the Pacific /
and was never heard from. Not one OF
her officers and crew of 200 were ever
found In 1868, the brig Bainbrldge
went down off Cape Hatteras, and only /
)ne negro was saved. The Monongahela /
was washed ashore at Santa Cruz by a /
idal wave In 1857, and landed on top OF
some houses. She was finally launched /
and repaired, and Is now In use by the
layg