Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-14


a dazed condition, and unable to realize.
his escape.
-Four sailors from the Eber were
Quickly rescued by the natives, and also
taken to the American consulate. None
OF them seemed to know how they es-
capped. They felt themselves at the sur
face of the water, and we're soon grasped
by natives and taken ashore. Ihere
were six officers and seventy men on the
Eber when she struck the reef, ana oi
these five officers and sjxty-slx men
were lost.
THE DOOMED ADLER.
It was about 6 o'clock in the morning
when the Eber foundered. BY this time
the Adler had been swept across the
bay, being for moment in collision with
the Olga. She was now close to the reef,
about 200 yards west of the point where
the Eber struck. Like the Eber, she
was approaching her doom, broadside
on. In half an hour she was lifted on
top of reef and turned completely over
on her eide. Nearly every man was
thrown into the water.
Fortunately, however, the Adler was
thrown so far up on the reef that when
she turned over on her side, nearly the
entire hull was out of the water. Most
of the men who we're struggling in the
water had but few feet to swim to reach
the deck, where they clung to the guns
and masts in safety. OF the 130 officers
and men aboard, twenty men were
| drowned when the steamer capsiZed.
The natives stretched rope from the
shore to the deck of the Adler during
the day and number of sailors escaped
in that way, but the rope parted before
all had left the vessel, and the others
we're not taken off until next day.
About 10 o'clock in the morning the
excitement on shore, which had quieted
little just after the Nipsic struck, COM
menced to grow more intense.
THE cALLIoPE's ESCAPE.
AS the Vandalia and Calliope were in
most dangerous position, collision be-
tween the two vessels seemed inevitable,
and they were both bearing back against
of the Adler lay. The Calliope was
nearer the shore and her bow was close
to the stern OF the Vandalia. Great
waves were tossing the two vessels
about, and they were coming closer to-
| gether every minute.
SHE CoLIdDEs WITH THE vANDALIA.
The space between the men-of-war was
seen to close together. Suddenly the
great iron PROV of the Englishman arose
high in the air on the crest of an enor-
nous wave, and came down with full
force upon the port quarter Of the Van
dalia, The crash was awful. The jib-
boom of the Calliope was carried away,
and the heavy timbers of the Vandalia
were shivered. Every man who stood
upon the poop-deck of the Vandalia was
thrown to his feet by the shock. A hole
had been torn below the rail, and the
water rushed into the cabin. At the time
it seemed that the Vandalia had received
her death blow. The men rushed up the
matches in the belief that the steamer
was sinking, and it was only after great
effort that the officers persuaded them to
, return to their posts. Just after this col
lision Captain Kane, of the Calliope, de-
termined to steam out of the harbor, as
he saw that to remain in his present po-
sftion would lead to another collision with
the Vandalia or throw his vessel on the
reef. He accordingly gave the order tc
let go all the anchors. The Calliope's
head was swung around to the wind and
her powerful engines were worked tc
their utmost capacity.
| CRITICAL POSITION.
1t was an anxious moment on board
the corvette, as, with, her anchors gone,
she had nothing but her engines to de-
pend upon to keep her off the reef. The
steamer seemed to stand still for mo.
ment, and then the rapidly revolving
propeller had its effect, for the vessel
moved up slowly against the great waves
which broke over her bows and flooded
the decks from stem to stern. Every
tension was strained in the desperate
struggle against the storm. AS foot by
foot she passed abreast of the Trenton
great shout went up from over 400 men
aboard the flagship, and three hearty
cheers were gwen for the Calliope.
"Three cheers for the Trenton and the
American fag' was the answer that
came back across the angry waters. The
Calliope passed safely out of the harbol
and steamed far out to sea, returning
after the storm abated. She sustained
little injury outside of the loss Of all hel
boats.
GETTING ASHORE OFF THE NIPsIC.
When the Nipsic struck, the seas were
r bling so high under the bow of the
steamer that when the men had ad-
vanced 10 feet down the ropes, which
were stretched to the shore, they would
often be entirely submerged, and moth
ing but the noble efforts of the natives
prevented them from being washed off
and carried away by the current. As
soon as each man would come within
reach, be would be grasped in the strong
arms of half dozen Samoans and car
ried to the Consulate. Most of them had
but ecant clothing. Captain Mullan in.
sisted upon being the last man to leave
the ship.
| CAPTAIN MULLAN's ESCAPE.
He finally found himself on deck with
Lieutenant John A. Shearman and two
sailors by his side. He ordered the
sailors to leave, which they did. The
Captain being unable to swim, he did
not care to trust to descending the rope
by means of his hands and legs, as all
the others had done, so he procured an
empty water cask, which he attached to
a hawser, and when he was seated on
the cask Shearman stood alone on the
deck and started his commander down
the rope. The Lieutenant then climbed
down the rope in the usual way, and the
Nipsic was left alone to battle with the
waves.
THE TRENTON AND OLGA.
Admiral Kimberly, Captain Farquhar
and Lieutenant Brown stood upon the
bridge of the Nipsic the whole day and
directed the movements of the Trenton.
AS soon as the steam gave out the miz-
|