Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-04-15
The Opinion of Commodore Walker on
the Samoan Disaster

The Opinion of Commodore Walker on
the Samoan Disaster.
WASHINGTON April 14th.--The long and
graphic report of the disaster at Samoa was
read with great deal of interest here. The
naval officers generally we're of the opinion
this evening that no blame could be at
tached to anyone for loss of ships and life.
They were not inclined to hazard any de-
cided opinion in regard to the handling of
the various vessels Commodore Walker,
Chief of the Bureau of Navigation and act
ing Secretary of the Navy, probably voiced
the general feeling when he said to
an Associated Press reporter tonight:
ANY man who gives an opinion,
is simply guessing. We do not know how
matters stood, and it would be merely
guess work to say what might have been
done. Ii is impossible to tell much about
it. There were some fine men and excellent
officers on those ships, and we know that
the vessels were lost. Admiral Kimberly
is splendid officer and a fine man. Cap
tain Farquhar, Commander Mullan, and
Captain Schoonmaker, of the Vandalia,
who lost his life, were excellent officers.
They doubtless did all they could. think
probably there is no blame to be attached
TO any one"
Commodore Walker thought the escape
of the Calliope was largely a matter of
luck. she probably owed her sur
vival," he said, to the fact that she had
more steam power than any of the other
vessels. The dispatches show she had very
hard work in getting out of the harbor,
only making about one-half mile an hour
again the Colliope may have been
more favorably placed than the German
and American vessels. Our vessels may
not have been able to go against SO fearful
gale, and if they had been it may be they
were not able to turn around so as to go
out, but" said the Commodore, "we can't
tell it's all guesswork."
1.-The management of the vessels" Com
modore Walker said, seemed to have
been about the same after the hurricane
struck them. A mistake that seems to
have been made was in staying inside the
harbor, but this was the case of our hind
sight being better than our foresight. The
vessels may not have had time to get OUT,
there Was no telling though but what some
of the vessels might have gone down with
all on board, even if they had
put to sea. IL was probable
however they would have pulled through.
But there" said he, the judgment of the
officers would come in, and no doubt they
would do what seemed best. They may
have thought blow was coming up, but
that they could weather it. They all took
the same course and were all caught IN the
same box" THE men could not do
great deal" said Commodore Walker; "in
these hurricanes the wind blew everything
down, and seas were heavy almost beyond
exception" He remembered hurricane
in the Barbados which blew down large.
heavy stone buildings, and RACED almost the
entire town and this seemed to have been
such storm. The Idaho, United States
war vessel, was once caught at sea IN hur-
ricane, and though she escaped. she was
never any good afterwards. The wind was
so fearful that it forced the oakum out
from between the planking of the ships
deck and twisted the vessel all out of
shape until it resembled twisting withes in
wicker basket. The deck was SO badly
sprung that you could go down below and
see through the crevices what was going
on above. 4 little more and the vessel
would have foundered.
The Commodore sententiously expressed
his opinion of the hurricanes by saving
" don't want any hurricanes in mine. We
were more fortunate than the Germans"
be said, " in not losing so many men, but
this was our good luck. They were all
lighting for their lives, and did everything
they could. All the vessels adopted the
same course, and none of them could
do anything much. 1t might been that
had only one vessel been in the harbor she
could have beensaved." Admiral Porter
was seen, but he had not yet read the pub
lished reports and therefore could not ex-
press any opinion of the situation in the
light OF the fuller particulars received.