Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-03-31


the illness of Commander Wilson, said
eThe Trenton, which was Admiral Kim
berly's flag ship, was the best wooden
vessel in the American navy and the best
ship of the old navy. The Vandalia was
another fine vessel, and had been thor
oughly refitted in Mare Island navy
yard at considerable expense just before
she sailed"
Engineer officers recall the fact that
the Trenton, which is set down as hav-
ing a speed of l26 knots, when in the
Red Sea astonished the Englishmen by
running away from the crack vessels OF
their fleet rated at IA and 16-knot ves-
sells. She was launched in New York in
1877, at the navy yard. She was ship
rugged, 253 feet long, As feet beam,
drew 20.6 feet and was 5000 tons
displacement or about 800 tons more
than the Boston and the Atlanta. She
had APO officers and men aboard when
che sailed from home. The Vandalia
was built at the Boston Navy Yard and
launched in 1876. She was PIG feet
long, 80 feet beam, II draft and 2, 100
displacement. She was rated as 12
knot chip and carried 200 officers and
men. The Nipsic sailed away from the
United States with her complement Of
officers and men aboard, making the
total strength Of the American feet at
Samoa 500 men, or nearly double the
strength of the German forces.
THE GERMAN SHIPS.
The Olga has 276 men, the Adler 128
men and the Eber 67 men, yet with one
half of the number of American forces
these unfortunate vessels appear to have
lost more than twice as many men.
Some Naval officers think that this is an
indication that the American vessels bad
greater structural strength than the Ger
man ships, or that superior seamanship
was shown.
CAPTAIN sELFRIDGE ON THE HARBoR.
Captain Selfridge, U. S. N, was found
at the Navy Department this morning,
pouring over q chart of the harbor of
Apia, which he visited several years ago.
He said that while it was very bad har-
Dor, it was the best on the island Of
Upola. Like all of the Pacific island
harbors, that of Apia is formed by coral
reef encircling the island at short dis
tance from the shore. The anchorage
space available for the men-of-war was
contracted, being about 1000 feet wide
at the mouth of the harbor. The bottom
is sandy, affording a slight hold for
an anchor, and the harbor is exposed on
the north. On each side of the entrance
are coral reefs, which are awash at high
| water and are surrounded by shoals.
The depth of the water ranged from four
to eight fathoms, pretty deep water being
found close in shore, which would en-
able ship to get close in. Hurricanes
or cyclones at Apia are usually from the
southwest, and revolving in the harbors
| tend to force vessels on the rugged reefs
or rough shores. The last hurricane oc-
cured at Apia just six years ago. For
tunately no men-of-war were were in the
harbor, but every merchantmen was
driven ashore or wrecked, houses were
destroyed and palm trees uprooted.
WASHINGTON, March 30.-It is said at
the Navy Department that Admiral
Kimberly's cRblegram, containing the
news, cost between 500 and 5000. Tele-
grams of inquiry were received by Com
modore Walker from the mother of
Lieutenant Sutton and the wives of Cap
tain Schoonmaker and Paymaster Arms.
i Suitable replies we're made aud tele-
gram was sent to Editor ]. Roche, of the
Boston Pilot, informing him of the death
of his brother.
Lieutenant Edward E. Haydn (re-
tired), in charge of the meteorological
division of the photographic Office, who
is regarded as quite an authority
on the subject of marine storms,
says that cyclonic storms are
a feature of the South Pacific
region. They have motion exactly the
reverse of those occurring in the north
ern hemisphere, but otherwise have
about the same characteristics. Their
path is parabolic, and they occur several
times year in some years. 1t again
happens that two or three seasons go by
without storm. An experienced sea-
man can detect the approach of such
storms in the West Indies, but the same
rule might not hold good in Pacific
| waters.
ALBANY, N. Y, March 30.-The vile
of Captain @. Schoonmaker, the Inflated
commander of the Vandalia, lost in
| Apia, resided in this city several months,
caring for his three daughters, who attend
st. Agnew's school.
INFORMATION AT BERLIN.
The following telegram was received at
the Department of State this afternoon
| from Minister Pendleton at Berlin: "The
Foreign Office has been officially in
formed that in typhoon at Apia the
Eber and Adler were totally lost, and
that ninety sailors are dead. The Olga
stranded with no loss. Three American
and all the merchant vessels in the port
were lost. Sixty Americans are dead.
The English warship was damaged and
has gone to Sydney.
WHEN FULL NEWS MAY COME.
Admiral Kimberly's dispatch is taken
to indicate that he has already mailed an
account of the wreck. BY sharp work, it
may have been possible for him to have
caught the mail steamer which arrives at
San Francisco April 18th next, in which
case full advices may be expected here
on April Goth.
SCIENTIFIC NOTES ON THE DISASTER.
The terrible disaster at Samoa will
give special interest to the following
statement, furnished for publication by
Lieut.. G. L. Dyer, U. s. N, Hydro
grapher to the Bureau of Navigation,
one of the divisions OF the photographic
Office. The division of Marine Meteor
ology has charge of all data received by
the Department relating to the meteorol-
ogy of the various oceans of the globe,
but the facilities for publication are such
that not one-tentL part of the information
at hand can be published, and almost
all the time of the division is taken up in
the preparation of the monthly pilot
chart of the North Atlantic. This great