The morning news., 1889-04-14
.SAMOA'S Big STORM.
A Graphic Story Of Its Fury and
Its Horrors.
The Heroism of Our Sailors
StukingIy Illustrated

en seemed on the POINT OF Belng
rnqulfed in the Whirlpool of Death
The star-Spangled Banner Played
bv the Trenton's Band, When the
Vessels Annihilation Seemed the
Question of But Minute-The CALI
one Cheered by the Americans as
She Made Her Plucky Run Out Of
4 the Harbor
4 SAN FRANC1sCo, April 13.-The steam
i shin Alameda of the Oceanic line, Com
rnander H. ]. Morse, arrived here at Q
o'clock this morning having sailed from
sydney March 90 She had one of the
4 rous,best trips in her experience, encounter
jno GALES until she reached Honolulu. She
Il stonped at Tutuila, an island of the Samoan
i aroup. at 10 o'clock on the morning of
March 30 where she found the American
schooner Equator with the mails and ten
cadets from the American war ships
wrecked at Apia.
HEADED FOR APIA.
Commander Morse, upon learning of the
disaster to the American ships, at once
sailed for ADa On the way he met the
Il mail cutter and received the German mails
4 from Apia. The Alameda took on board
8 thlrty-six wounded seamen, and Lieut..
4 Ripley and twenty-nine wounded seamen
8 are to come up on the Honolulu steamer
q The Alameda brought the following naval
Il cadets from the man-of-war Trenton: r.
Stocker, f. w. Hebbs, B. c. Decker B. w.
81 Wells, w. S. Cloke, G. w Logan, and R.
s. Jackson, and naval cadets H. A. Wiley, L.
81 A. Stafford, and j. A. Lejeune Of the Van
ddha.
A TOTAL LOSS OF S., ,000, 200.
The mail advices per the steamer Almeda
"a from Samoa bear date Of March 50. The
ii hurricane of March 16 and II is described
Fl as the most violent and destructive ever
Fl known in the South Pacific, and as a result
Fl the fleet of SIX war ships and ten other YES
sells were ground to atoms on the coral reefs
| in the harbor and thrown on the beach in
nj front of the little city of Apia; and 142
III officers and men of the American and Ger
n man navies sleep forever under the reefs,
or lie buried in unmarked graves,
thousands of miles from their native lands.
81 The property destroyed will reach So, ,000, 900
E in value. The United States frigate
M Trenton, the flagship of the Pacific squad
4 ron, which arrived here from Panama
IA March II lies within a stones throw of the
N American consulate, a total wreck. The
81 great hull of the magnificent vessel which
steamed into the harbor few weeks ago,
rests on the bottom, fast going to pieces.
III WRECK OF THE VANDALIA.
III The United States steamer Vandalia,
III which arrived from San Francisco Feb. 23,
III is buried out Of sight between the Trenton
81 and the shore. Her shattered foremast and
Il smOkestacs rise from the water to mark the
spot where the gallant vessel struck and lay
for twelve hours before the awful torrent of
water which swept four officers and thirty
Ell nine from her deck and rigging. Her COM
mander, Capt. Schoonmaker, was among
/ the first who perished in the waves.
81 The United States steamer Nipsic lay
several days alongside the Vandalia with her
DOW high on the beach, and within five feet
OF hewater's edge. The vessel, though
/ badly damaged, was hauled off a few days
after the storm, and is the only war ship
ailoat in the harbor. Sew eral of the officers
and crew are living aboard All Of the
Nlpsic's officers are safe, but she lost five
men by the swsmping of boat and two
Others who jumped overheard were also
* drowned The three American men-of-war
& we're swept ashore almost at the same point.
LOSS OF THE EBER.
1t was on the little German gunboat Eber
lat the greatest loss of life occurred. The
Eper had complement of six officers and
seventy men. Five men were ashore during
Ine storm. When the vessel struck the
r7el sne sank completely out of sight, and
a minute later there was not a vestige OF
ner TO be seen, and all on board were lost
except one officer. Lieut.. Gaedeke, and four
sailors. The other five officers and sixty-siS
men were either instantly killed when the
essei crashed 60 pieces, or were drowned
I'd lAe roaring torrent of water that broke
upon the reef. small part of the Eber's
tIo" was afterward washed ashore near an
american vessel. This, and few pieces
VI Wieckage near the point where she struck,
S.e lne only portions Of her that have even
7el seen since the moment she went down.
s. S.st on the edge Of the reef, about 500 yards
80 OF the Trenton, is all that
remains of the Adler. the flagship of the
German squadron in Samoan waters. The
Il TlIIeI was washed on top Of the reef and
"hed completely over on her side. She
~ eLhalned IN that position SINCE and is
i.ost entirely out of the water, Nearly
+ y man aboard was thrown into the
aler' when the Adler struck, but only
,,'. AMY sailors were drowned, and all her
OIeers were saved
WHERE THE OLGA LIES.
r. ,le ,ierman corvette Olga is fast upon
~ i w.. y iat about quarter Of mile east
.Le Amecican vessels. While the storm
as aging and the vessels were fighting
lueir lives, the Olga came into collision
Il nearly every other man-of- war in the
v's.5l aLor ana was badly damaged above her
- me 1t Is thought that she can be
''"su oil. No lives were lost on the Olga
ESCAPE OF THE cALLIoPE.
ine only other man-of-war in the harbor
ue British corvette Calliope, which
fF''I.Iu here in February and relieved the
aISt Her machinery was very power
,.,. -. ala she was capable of steaming at a
ro u sixteen knots an hour, but she mar
10y escaped going ashore at the same
ave with the Adler, but just as she was
l 70 strike the reef she slipped her
.tg1ors, and, in the face Of terrible wind
'''led out Of the harbor and put to sea.
LOSS OF THE MERCHANTMEN.
lne merchant vessels which were wrecked
e principally small craft. Nearly all of
h were thrown on the reef near the
60 A Of the Adler, but one or two Of them
saled with slight damage. One of these
w. schooner belonging TO the German
,.allng Company, and she was made ready
0oAce 70 send TO Tutuia to meet the
eanle Steamship Company's steamer
- posa, from San Francisco, so that
"0"' OF the disaster could DO forwarded to