The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-04-17
The DISASTER AT SAMOA.
Concluded from second Page.


for hours to the rigging of the Nandalia were
bruised and bleeding, but they held with
the desperation of men who hang by thread
between life and death. The ropes had cut the
flesh on their arms and legs, and their eyes
were blinded by the salt spray which swept
over them. Weak and exhausted as they were,
they would be unable to stand the terrible strain
much longer. They 1ooked down upon the
angry water below them and knew that they
had no strength lett to battle with the waves.
Their final hour seemed to be upon them. The
great black hull of the Trenton could be seen
through the darkness almost ready to crush into
the stranded Nandalia and grind her to atoms.
Suddenly shout was borne across the waters.
The Trenton was cheering the Nandalia. The
sound of $50 voices broke upon the air and was
heard above the roar of the tempest. Three
cheers for the Vandalia," was the cry that met
the hearts of the dying men in the rigging.
The shout died away upon the storm and there
arose from the quivering masts OF the sunken
ship q response so feeble that il was scarcely
heard upon shore. The men who felt they
were looking death in the face aroused them
selves to the effort and united in faint cheer
for the flag ship. Those who were standing on
shore listened in silence, for that feeble
cry was the saddest they had ever
heard. Every heart was melted to pity.
GOD help them" was passed from one man to
another. The sound of music next came across
the water. The Trenton's band was playing
THE Star Spangled Banner" The thousand
men on sea and shore had never before heard
strains of music at such time as this. An in
describable feeling came over the hundred
Americans on the beach who listened to the
notes of the national anthem mingled with the
howl of the storm. For a moment only
were they silent, and then they broke forth
with cry that rent the air and reached
each of the struggling men in the rigging of the
Vandalia. Men who had exhausted every
means during the whole of that awful day of
rendering some assistance to their comrades
now seemed inspired to greater efforts. They
ran about the beach eager to do something,
even at the risk of life itself. They looked de-
spalrlngly at the roaring torrent OF water that
broke upon the shore and knew that no boat
could live in such a sea. Bravel as the Samoans
had acted, there was not one of
them who would again venture into the
sea, where a certain death would
befall them. Three officers who had been I'M
untring in their efforts during the day, Lieut..
Sherman and Ensigns Purcell and Jones, pro-
cured boat and got it ready to launch the
moment the sea should subside. Several
natiues and one or two Nipsic sailors volun-
teered to go in the boat and, with the three
officers, q sufficient number of men were pro-
cured TO man the oars. But the storm did not
abate In the least and there was no opportunity
during the whole night TO take the boat out to
the vessels.
The collision of the Trenton and Vandalia,
which everyone thought would crush the
latter vessel to pieces, proved TO be the
salvation of the men in the rigging.
Notwithstanding the tremendous force of the
waves, the Trenton dragged back slowly and
when her stem finally struck the side of the
Nandalia there was no shock and she gradually
swung around broadsde to the sunken ship.
AS soon as the vessels touched the men In the
mizzen-rigging crawled out of the yards and
jumped to the deck of the Trenton. The men
escaped just In time, for, as the last one left
the yards, the mizzen-mast of the Nandala
fell with crash on the side next to shore.
The men on the main mast escaped the same
way. Lieut.. Wilson, who was in the main top,
almost lost his life in passing from one vessel
to the other He crawled out on the yard, and
just as he was about TO jump to the deck of the
Trenton, he lost his footing and fell a distance
of twenty feet into the water. He was, how
ever, fortunate enough to reach a rope, with
the aid of which he commenced to draw him
self up on the deck. When he was almost
within reach of the deck his hands
slipped from the rope and he fell
back into the water. He struggled
strength was almost gone and he sank several
times. Finally he grasped the rope and was
drawn upon deck. The men in the foremost es-
capped by means of line thrown from the deck
of the Trenton. DR.. Cordeiro, who was in the
fore-top, in attempting to climb out on the
fore-yard, slipped and FELL striking the deck of
the Vandalia heavily and dislocated his knee
cap. Notwithstanding his injuries, however,
he struggled in the water until he reached the
line and was drawn upon the Trenton. The
main mast of the Vandalia fell soon after the
miZzen and it was believed that several men
were killed in the rigging. If so, they were
killed by the fall or drowned before the men
escaped from the rigging.
Ensign Ripley who was in the maintop, de-
termined to make an effort to reach shore. He
crawled out onto the yard and jumped into the
sea. He was swept over to the stern of the
H. IL. I ia
he swan to a piece OF wreckage near shore.
He remained there few minutes and then
swan into the current After hard struggle
he swan the current and was washed on shore.
Utterly exhausted he sank down in the water
and was about to be washed back when Lieut.
Sherman and Ensign Purcell. who were pa
trolling the beach, saw him and dragged him
out OF the water. He was taken at once TO the
consulate aud revived in short time.
The men who escaped to the deck Of the
Trenton had chung TO the Vandalia's rigging
nearly twelve hours. All were weak and
hausted and many had received severe injuries.
The Trenton was rapidly filling with water and
but little could be done for the rescued men.
However they were made as comfortable
possible until daylight. The storm was raging
furiously at midnight and the stern of the
Trenton was forced back against the reef. The
waves continued to beat over her, but her
draught was so great that after she had settled
entirely the bottom she was still about her
usual night 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
Little could be done on shore but wait for
morning. Lieut.. Sherman, Ensign 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 g ray of dawn appeared
crowds began to gather on the shore again. By
o'clock the wind had abated, though the sea
was still very rough. However, natives volun-
teered to man boat to go out to the Trenton.
Seaman, chief of the Apia district,
took charge of the crew. 1t was
still very dark and the trip was
a most perilous one; but the natives put boat
through the current in safety and reached the
bow of the Trenton. They were given a haw-
SER which they took back to shore and made
fast But little was done, however, until day
the ship, as the storm having subsidized there
came light two more hawsers were stretched
from the Trenton to the shore to guard against
danger in the event of storm coming up
again. Two boats manned by natives, in
charge of Senmaneu Pud Laluanae, commenced
the work of removing heVandalia men from the
Trenton. Friends crowded around the boats as
they touched the shore and eagerly scanned the
faces of the occupants to see who were among
the saved. Those who were badly injured were
first to come ashore. A few had arms and legs
broken and nearly all were cut and bruised.
There were very few, especially among the Of
ficers, who could walk without assistance.
Willing hands lifted them out of the boats and
carried them to neighboring houses. Eager