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

tnlb tln1e hDQ the Work OF destruction mad Oc-
CURED In full view of them all. They stood for
moment appalled, by the awful scene and then
cry OF horror arose from the lips of every man
who had seen nearly hundred of his fellow
creatures perish in an instant. Then, with one
accord, they all rushed to the waters edge
nearest the point where the Eber had foun-
dered. The natives ran into the surf far be-
yond the point where a white man could have
lived and stood waiting to save any poor
creature who might rise from the water. There
was no thought of the war between Germany
and Samoa There was no sign of enmity
against the people who had carried off their
king and banished him on a lonely isle
thousand miles from his native land. The saw
age forgot the oppression which civilized
people placed upon him, and he now held out
his hand to save human life, caring little
whether it was that of friend or foe. At
hrst 1t seemed as If every man on the Inflated
steamer had gone to his death; not even a
hand appeared from the place where the Eber
sank. But the breakers on the reef had hidden
few struggling men who had come to the sur
face and struck feebly for the shore. Pres
emily man, who had not been noticed before,
was seen clinging to the piling under a small
wharf near by. Willing hands soon grasped
him and drew him upon the shore. He was a
young man with a handsome, boyish face and
wore the uniform of an officer. He proved to
be Lieut.. Gaedeke, and he was the only officer
of the Eber who was saved. He was in a dazed
condition and unable TO realize his escape
Lieut.. L. q. Fillette, the marine officer of the
NIpsic, who has been in charge of the guard OF
the American consulate for several months
took the German officer by the arm, led him to
the consulate and provided him with dry cloth
ing. -Four sailors from the Eber were seen
struggling In the water near shore about the
same time. They were quickly rescued by the
natives and also taken TO the American con-
sulate. None of them seemed to know how
they escaped. They felt themselves at the sur
face of the water and were soon grasped by
natives and taken ashore.
There were six officers and seventy men
on the Eber when she struck the reef, and of
these five officers and sixty-six men were lost.
Lieut. Gaedeke, the surviving officer was al
most heart-broken over the sad fate of his fell
low officers and men. He stated that he was Off
Ger OF the watch, and was on the bridge when
the Eber went down. The other officers were
below and were probably crushed to death.
Soon after the ship sank, ne found himself
floating on the water and, without being aware
OF any effort on his part, drifted ashore and
was saved.
1t was about o'clock in the morning when
the Eber foundered. During the excitement
attending the calamity, the other vessels had
been, for the moment, forgotten; but it was
soon noticed that the position of several of them
had become more alarming. The Adler had
been swept across the bay, being for moment
In collision with the Olga, and was now close to
the reef, about two hundred 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 the
reef and turned completely over on her side.
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. He deck was at right angles
with the water, and was facing the
shore, consequently that portion of the
vessel was well protected from the storm.
Most OF the men who were struggling In the
water had but a few feet to swim to reach the
deck, where they chung to the guns and masts
in safety. OF the 1870 officers and men aboard
twenty men were drowned or killed when the
steamer was capsized. All of the officers in
Guiding Capt Fritz, who was in command of
the German squadron, were saved. Many of
the Adler were badly injured, among them
being Capt Fritz, who received a severe shock
and a number of cuts and bruises. The natives
stretched a 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 were not taken off till the next day.
They chung to the wreck during the long, weary
hours of the day and night and were greatly
exhausted when the storm subsidized and boats
could be sent TO take them off, The bottom of
the Adler, however, formed such a protection
against the storm that the men aboard were
comparatively safe
Just after the Adler struck, the attention of
every one was directed toward the Nipsic. She
standing off the reef with her head to the
wind, but the three anchors which she had out
at the time were not holding. The steamer was
beating back toward the point where the Eber
went down. 1t was only by the most skillful
management that her officers and crew were
save q from the same fate that befell the Eber.
The Nipsic also narrowly escaped destruction
by being run into Dy the Olga, and it was the
blow which she received from that vessel that
finally sent her ashore.
The Nipsic had on all the steam it was posi-
bic for her to carry and had just succeeded in
getting clear of the reef when the little
schooner Lily got in her track and was cut
down. The Olga was bearing down on the
rTSS to avoid collision aR With the E5s wSsn
she struck the Lily. The schooner sank in a
moment. There were three men on her
Capt Douglas, pilot living in Apia, Anthony
Ormsby, a trader, and a Hawaiian native. All
three struck out for the Olga, but only one
was saved Douglas sank underneath the Olga
twice, but finally succeeded in grasping one of
the anohor-chains and drew himself up on the
steamer. Ormsby almost reached the chain,
but was washed away and drowned The
Hawaiian was swept out to sea. Life-buoys
were thrown to him from the Calliope and Van
dalia, but he was not able to save himself.
The Nipsic got well away from the reef after
she struck the Lily, and her men had attached
u hawser TO heavy eight-inch rifle on the for
ward deck and were preparing to hoist the gun
overheard to assist her anchors, when the Olga
again bore down upon her. The Olga struck
the Nipsic amidships; her bowsprit passed over
the port side of the Nipsic, and, after carrying
away boat and splintering the rail, come in
contact with the smOkestack. The smokestack
struck fairly in the center and fell to the
deck with a crash like thunder. Ii was diff
cult to realize for moment what had happened.
Great confusion occurred; the crew believed
that the steamer was going down and the men
ran up the rigging for safety. The officers al
layed their fears as well as they were able. The
iron smokesta rolled from side to side with
every movement of the vessel and the men ran
TO keep clear of its track. Heavy blocks were
placed under it, but by that time il was found
again approaching the reef. 1t was an anxious
moment for all Oh board. They had seen the
Eber strike on the same spot and it seemed
certain that they would go down in the same
way. Having lost her smokestack, the
Nipsc was unable TO keep her steam
power up and it was useless to attempt
TO steam out from the reef in the face of the
wind. Capt. Mullane was upon the bridge at
the time and remained cool and collected dur
ing the dangerous moments. Several men
stood by their posts nobly but many were
demoraliZed and refused to listen to order.
1t was plain that in another moment the
Nipsic would be upon the reefs and probably
every man board would be lost Capt
Mullane saw that any further attempt to save
his vessel would be useless he gave the
order to beach her. One anchor was slipped
and the few pounds of steam which could still
be used, kept the vessel in deep water until
she had cleared the end of the reef. Boxes of
salt norlt and other inhammable material were