Evening journal., 1889-04-01
THE SAMOAN DISASTER.
Further Particulars of the Awful
Calamity.
THE SHIPS DRIVEN ON THE REEFS

crowds of People ON the shore Unable to
Render Assistance--what Is said by
Naval omccrs at washIngton--oueen
yictoria's sympathy.
LONDON, April - Particulars Of the disas-
ter to the German aud American war vessels
at Samoa have been received as follows: The
Eber was blown ashore and struck the reef
first, at an early hour in the morning. She
ank almost Immediately in deep water.
Nearly all Of the men who were below deck
were drowned When the Adler struck her
masts were shivered and her rigging parted.
Several Of her crew swan through the surf
and were saved, among them the. captain and
few officers. After the Nipsic grounded her
crew succeeded in lowering boats, but six
men We're drowned by the capszing Of a boat
In the surf. The captain Of the Vandalia was
stunned by being thrown against gun and
was washed overheard before he became con-
scious. Several others were washed over
board by the waves, while others were
drowned in their endeavor TO swim ashore.
Many Of the Vandalia's crew clung to the
rigging, and the Samoans and others on
shore tried in vain to rescue them. The bot
tom Of the Nandalia was completely stove in
and the Trenton was thrown upon the Van
dallas wreck. The Olga withstood the fury
of the gale for day and night, but at the
dawn of the following day she went ashore.
The officers Of the Eber, with one exception,
were lost and with them seventy-six men.
The Nipsic lost seven men. The vandalia
lost her captain, four officers and forty men
The Adler lost fifteen men. The Nipsic
grounded ON a sand bank
BERLIN, April l-When the loss OF the
German and American war vessels was re-
ported TO the emperor he could not conceal
his emotion at the disaster and was visibly
affected for some time
WASHINGTON, April 1.-The Samoan dsas-
ter continues 10 be the exciting topic Of CON
yersation IN official circles today, but no
further information was received at either
the state or the navy department.
The first authentic information concerning
the details Of the disaster win probably not
be received until the arrival OF the Alameda.
which Is due at San Francisco April Is.
Naval officers, speculating ON the cause of
the great disaster, suggested that In getting
under way the vessels were driven ON the
outer reef Of the harbor The large loss.
comparatively ON the Vandnlia Is accounted
for by supposing that she must have been
ground into pieces by collision with another
vessel. probably one Of the German iron.
clrds. The Bleaching Of the Nipsic it is said
may have been due 10 the fact that she wa.
closer in than any other Of the vessels wher
struck by the storm
a cable message conveying 70 the presi-
dent the condolences OF Queen Victoria was
received at the British legation
Count Arco the German minister, received
no information from his government concern.
ing the changes that may have been ordered
in Samoa.
"Fewer lives were lost by the engulfing Of
the United States and German vessels al
Samoa said Admiral Porter, "than II a
battle had been fought for the ownership Of
the islands Besides, regard II as practic-
ally settling the question regarding the coral
reef which has caused so much dispute and
both governments have been taught salu-
tary lesson. Although / have not mad a
personal inspection OF the samoan islands, /
have been to Tahita, which, like other
islands in the Pacific, is the work Of that
Industrious creature, the coral insect,
and where dangerous reefs abound AS
is frequently the case, in that part of the
world, the hurricane must have come upon
the ships 50 suddenly that neither officers nor
men could take precautions for safety. NV
experience has been that neither steam or
sail avalls much in such storm, and the
probability is that the English vessel, the
Calliope, was some distance from Apia.
headed for Sydney and does not owe her
safety simply TO the fact that she had steam
up. The navy department days down no ex-
Iii. "a d.. .l..44 4.
or maintaining the suppy.of fuel ON board a
vessel. That matter Is left 10 the discretion
Of the commander. There seems TO have
been a shortage Of coal, however. The sup
ply ordered from Philadelphia recently, will
probably not reach Pago Pago for three
months, as it will have 10 20 around Cape
Horn in a sailing vessel y
SAN Francisco, April THE storm which
caused the disaster at Apia was a repetition
on q larger scale Of the one by which the
Constitution and number OF other vessels
were wrecked month previously. At that
time the gale came from the north, and the
harbor being utterly unprotected from that
direction, ii was impossible for sailing vessels
to protect themselves. The English man-of-
was Calliope found herself in an extremely
dangerous position on that occasion For
tunately she had been outside the harbor
practicing her guns before the gale came up
and had a full head of steam on. She was
thus enabled to put 70 sea, where she rode
out the storm In safety. The German ship
Eber was not so fortunate. She was unable
70 make headway against the storm, and was
in imminent danger of being driven ON the
reef, but the Olga sent the line aboard OF her,
and she was thus tOwed into safety.
Capt. Holland, Of the schooner Bonanza.
now III berth for Tahita and who has had
much experience in the south seas, saws
March was always a bad month for hurri-
canes, and that experienced ship masters
were constantly on the lookout for them al
that season. There is no harbor which offers
refuge in case Of such storms. The only
safety is in putting TO sea- While there i,
some times warning before hand for as mucl
as twenty-four hours OF the approach Of !
gale Of this kind, at other times il comes en-
tirely without warning. Capt Holland di,
not consider for a moment that the escape o
the Calliope was due to superior seamanshil
ON the part Of her officers. She probably ha1
steam up at the time. or perhaps lay on th
3uter berth, so that she could escape NOR,
readily. But if this hurricane came up a
suddenly as they often do there would be n,
time TO get up steam before the gale was a
its height
Rescue of Four Sailors.
PORTLAND, Ore, April News has been