The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-04-17

bly, draw himself up. His hold upon the rope
was soon broken, but he continued to float
under the stem of the Nipsic several times,
throwing out his arms weakly in vain attempts
to catch something. Once or twice his hand
caught roDe but his grasp was broken and
he finally sank under the vessel Lieut.. Sutton,
a marine officer of the Nandalia, died in much
the same way. Weakened by long exposure
and the terrible strain to which he was sub
iected he was unable to retain his hold longer
and was finally washed overheard and drowned.
During the remainder of the afternoon there
followed succession OF awful scenes OF death
and suffering. The storm had not abated in
the least. The wind continued to blow with
terrible force Waves that seemed like noun
tains of water rolled in from the ocean and
broke upon the reef and over the Inflated Van
dalia. Sheets OF water which fell from the
clouds were beaten up from the shore, were
beaten up against the houses like hail. while
men who stood out in the storm were obliged to
seek shelter often to escape the deluge of rain
and sand which cut their flesh like a knife, and
even the natives would occasionally run for
safety behind an upturned boat or pile OF
wreckage.
The Vandalia continued to settle and the few
men who had not already taken 10 the rigging
stood up on the poop deck as the vessel was
almost entirely under water amidshlps. so
many had crowded into the mizzen rigging that
there was no more room there and number
of officers and men, who HAD selected the poop
deck on account of Its elevation, rushed across
the gun deck to take refuge in the main and
foremasts owing to the volume of water which
was pouring over the wreck. This most
perilous undertaking. Almost twenty-four
hours had elapsed since any man aboard had
tasted food, and all were weak and faint from
hunger and exposure. Men were now being
swept from the docks and rigging half q dozen
at a time, and few who felt themselves
growing too weak to hold much
longer, jumped into the water, deter
mined to make one last effort to save themselves.
Nearly every man who jumped or who was
washed into the water succeeded IN reaching
the side of the Nipsic, and a number OF them
climbed up on deck with the aid OF ropes.
Those who reached the deck assisted the others
who were struggling in the water, and many
lives were saved in this way, but many poor
fellow who reached the Nipsic's side unable
to hold on to the rope long enough 10 be drawn
up and the sea would wash him away and
sweep him out into the current. None OF them
came near enough to the shore TO be reached
by the natives, and those who once got into the
current were carried out and drowned. The
people on shore saw the men sink before their
eyes and were powerless to save them. The
brave Samoans, urged by their chief, redoubled
their efforts TO save the drowning men, and as
a consequence two natives who got too far out
in the surf were drowned.
By O'Clock the Vandalia was resting her
whole length on the bottom. The only part of
her hull which stood out of the water was the
after-part of the poop deck and the forward
part of the forecastle. Every man was in the
rigging AS many as could be accommodated
there had climbed into the tops and sunk
down exhausted on the small platforms.
Others chung to the ratlines and yards with
the desperation OF dying men expecting
every moment 10 be their last. Their
arms and limbs were bruised and
ropes A number had been badly injured
by falling about the decks and many poor
creature was so numbed with cold and eI-
posture to the biting rain and so weak from
want of food that he sank almost into state
of insensibility and cared not whether he lived
or died. Lieut.. Culven, DIR. Harvey, DIR. Cordeiro
and Engineer Webster we're the officers In the
foretop. In the maintop were Lieuts Wilson and
Heath and Ensigns Gibbons and Ripley. Lieut..
Carlin, who was the last mar to leave the
deck had climbed into the mlZzen-top,
where he sank utterly exhausted. His legs
hung down through the opening to the plat
FORM and a sailor who was sitting underneath,
approaching the noble work OF ms officer, took
the lieutenants legs IN his hands and rubbed
them until the blood circulated freely. More
than one man who was climbing 10 the ratllnes
gave way under the terrible strain and fell to
the deck, only TO be washed over the side OF the
sh ip and drowned.
Several persons on shore succeeded in making
a hawser fast from the deck of the Nipsic to
the shore, and the Vandalia men who had es-
caped 10 the Nlpslc reacneu the suOfe IN llllt
way. The stem of the Nipsic had by this time
swung out straight from the shore, so that the
distance between the two vessels was not more
than twenty yards. 4 white man named Wick
ering, who had been watching the scene from
the shore, went aboard the Nipsic and threw a
line to the Vandaia. A sailor caught it and
small rope was made from the foremost of the
Vandalia TO the stem of the Nipsic, a few men
escaping in that way, but before all on the
foremost could be taken of the line parted.
The Nipsics stem then swung back to
the shore and it was impossible TO get another
line across. This was the only connection the
Vandalia had with the shore during the whole
day. As the sailors from the Nandalia came
ashore and went to the consulate for dry
clothing they were surrounded by people max
ing anxious inquiries in regard to the safety OF
friends aboard. The rain and sand were so
binding that it was impossible to distinguish
faces from the shore. though the ship was
lying within a stones throw of the beach. The
sailors were very much confused in regard to
who had been lost.
The terrible scenes attending the sinking of
the Vandalia had detracted attention from the
other two men-of-wsr which still remained