Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-14

knee-cap. Notwithstanding his injuries
however, he struggled in the water unit
he reached the line and was drawn VI
on the Trenton. The mainmast of the
| Vaudalia fell soon after the mizzen sno
it was believed that several men were
still in the rigging. Ii 30, they were
killed by the fall or drowned.
R1PLEY's CLOSE CALL.
Before the men escaped from the rig
ging Ensign Ripley was in the maintop
determined to make an effort to reach
the shore. He crawled out on the yard
and jumped into the sea. He was swept
over to the stern OF the Nipsic, but not
being able to draw himself up he swan
to piece of wreckage near the shore.
He remained there few minutes and
then swan into the current. After a
hard struggle he got through the current
and was washed upon shore. Utterly
exhausted he sank down in the water
and was just about being washed out by
the undertow, when Lieutenant Shear
man and Ensign Purcell, who were
patrolliDg the beach, saw him and
dragged him out of the water.
The men who escaped to the deck of
the Trenton had clung to the Vandalia' g
rigging nearly twelve hours. All were
weak and exhausted, and many received
severe injuries. The Trenton was rapidly
filling with water and but little could be
done for the rescued men. The storm
was raging furiously at midnight and the
stern of the Trenton WIS forced back
against the reef. The waves continued
to beat over her, but her draught was so
great that after she had settled entirely,
she was still about her usual height out
of the water and there seemed to be no
great danger OF her going to pieces before
the men on board of her could be
taken off.
WAITING FOR MORNING.
Little could be done on the shore but
wait for the morning. Lieu enant Shel-
man, Eusign Purcell, and several other
persons patrolled the beach until early
morning in the hope of rescuing any
poor fellow who might be seen struggling
in the waves. Long before ray of
dawn sppeared, crowds began to gather
on tie shore again.
VOLUNTEER REsCUERS.
By O'Clock the wind had abated,
though the sea was still very rough.
However, number of natives volun.
teered to man boat TO go out to the
Trenton. Zumann, chief of the Apia
district, took charge of the crew. 1t was
still very dark, and the trip was most
perilous one, but the ratives put the
boat through the current in safety, and
reached the bow of the Trenton. They
were given q hawser, which they took
back to the shore and made fast. But
little was done, however, until daylight.
All hands were ordered to remain on the
ship, as, the storm having subsided,
there was no immediate danger. AS
soon as it became light, two more haw-
GERS were stretched from the Trenton to
the shore to guard against danger in the
event of the storm coming up again.
Two boats, manned by natives, COM
menced the work of removing
the Vandalia men from the
Trenton. Those who were badly
iDjur ed we're the first to come ashore. A
few had arms and legs broken, and near
ly all were badly cut and bruised. There
were very few, especially among the Of
fcers who could walk without assist
ance. Willing hands lifted them out of
the boats and carried them to the neigh
boring houees. A shade of sadness
would come over the faces of all when
the names of Captain Schoonmaker and
other officers and men who had lost their
lives we're mentioned.
KING METAAFA VISITS THE SCENE.
King Metaafa came down from his
camp early in the morning for the first
time in several months He went down
on the shore and directed the natives in
their work. He then went to the Ameri-
can Consulate and offered the services of
all his men to Vice-Consui Blackjack.
He expressed the greatest sorrow on ac-
count of the sad disaster and feared that
the American people would blame him
for being the cause of the war ships COM
ing down to Samoa to be lost in the
storm.
1t was not long before the greatest con-
fusion and disorder prevailed on shore.
The Trenton's men commenced to leave
the vessel, and when they reached the
shore there was no place for them to go.
By noon there were nearly 800 American
sailors on the streets of Apia, besides
several hundred more from the German
ships. The Germans remained at Ma
tafele, as the lower end Of Apia, where
the German residents live, is called, but
the American sailors wandered from one
end of the town to the other. The saloons
were crowded with them, and it was not
long before many Of them were disor-
derly. Vice Consul Blackjack, recog-
nizing the gravity of the situation, issued
peremptory notices to all saloon-keepers
in town, of whatever nationality, forbid
ding them to sell or in any way furnish
liquor to American sailors, and notifying
them that, if they did not obey this order,
a SQUAD of marines would be sent to their
places and all liquor found there would be
emptied into the street. Lieut.. Flllette
did all in his power to preserve order,
but his small guard was unequal to the
task, and he had to write to Admiral
Kimberly, who was still aboard the
Trenton, asking that an additional ma
rine guard be sent ashore to police the
town and protect property. The Admiral
complied with this request, and Captain
K. w. Huntington, a marine ofhcer OF
the Trenton, was sent ashore with
guard of about forty men. The next
thing to be done was to provide food and
quarters for the shipwrecked sailors.
Through George Coprs, a wastehouse be-
longing to the firm of VIM. Macarthur q
Co. was obtained and the men we're sent
there for the time.
CONDITION OF THE NIPSIC.
A hasty examination was made of the
Nipsic, and though there was consider
able water in her hold, che was found in
fair condition, and her officers and men
were sent aboard as quickly as possible.
Contracts were made. with various parties
for feeding the sailors, though it was a
difficult matter to provide them with