Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-04-01

at tho dawn of the following day she went
ashore The off GERS of the Eber, with one
exception, were lost and with them seventy
six men. The A Her lost fifteen men. The
Nipsic grounded ON a sand bank.
AN OFFICIAL CONFIRMATION.
Admiral Kimber ly's Dispatch to the Navy
DEPARTING nt-The Death Roll.
WASHINGTON CITY, April Full con-
firnation of tho report of disaster to the
American and German squadrons at Apia,
Samoa islands, was received by the naval
office Saturday. A dispatch from Admiral
Kimberly, who is in command of the Amer
lean squadron, in formed the secretary of the
navy that every vessel in the harbor except
the British man of-war Calliope-which got
gone ashore, the Trenton and Van
dalia being total losses, and the
Nipsic beacbed with her rudder gone, and
the chances against saving her The Ger
mans also lost two ships, the Alga and Ad-
Ter, with the Ebe- beached like the Npsic.
The American Ioss of life was forty-six
mans ninety-six. Admiral Kimberly asked
authority to meet the exigency and full pow
ers were wired to him at once.
The names of the lost on the Vandalia are
as follows: Officers-Capt. Shoemaker Pay
master Arms, Lieut. OF Marines Sutton, Pay
Clerk John Roche and Quartermaster
| Michael Cashen Men-Henry Baker
w Brisbane Frank Jones. George
Jorden, NJ II Joseph, John Kelly,
Thomas Kelly, ~ Kinsella, G. p. Kratzer,
William Brown, Michael Craigin, Benjamin
F. Davis, Thomas c. Downey.
Magnus Erickson, S. C. Ghring, Adolph
Goldner, George German, Nathan r. Green,
Joseph Griffin, f. NJ. Hammar. John Han
chett, c. II. Hawkins W. Howat,
Charles Kraus, Frank Lessman, George
Merrange. Aylnler Montgomery. Thomas
Riley, H. P. Stalman, C. G.. Stan
ford, John Sims, &. Fl. Wells, John
Milford, Henry Wixted, All Kow, All Peck,
Pendang, TechoI
On the Nipsic-No officers, but the follow
ing men: George w. Callan, John Gill,
Joshua Heap, Thomas johnson, David
Kellcher, Henry Pontsell, William Watson
There was no one lost from the Trenton.
The Inflated Vsndalia had complement
of 200 officers and men. The Nipsic carried
the squadron, 400 making in all 500 officers,
| sailors and marines on board these three YES
| sells
The German corvette Olga carried 267
| men The Adler carried l27 men and the
| Eber 81, a total for these three vessels of
| 4Sl.
Capt Cornelius NJ. Schoonmaker, COM
| manding the Vandalia, had total sea-
service of fifteen years, and an additional
| thirteen years and three month on shore
duty, and about six years unemployed He
| was appointed from New York in 1854 He
became a midshipman in 1859, was made a
lieutenant at the outbreak of the rebellion,
and in 1865 became lieutenant commander
| Eight years later he got his full rank as COM
mander becoming captain in October 1886.
| He was member of the Ulster county fam
| lily of Schoonmaksrs.
Lieut. OF Marin es Francis f. Sutton was
appointed to the naval academy from New
York in 1877. He was graduated sixth in a
class of ninety-six, and after a cruise re-
turned to the academy for examination for
promotion and passed second. 1t was a
| mere accident that he was ON the Vandalia,
as he had been appointed to the Mohican, but
| took the place of officer who did not ar
rive in time to join the former vessel. His
| father is a resident of Rome, N Y At the
navy department Lieut.. Sutton is regarded
as having been one Of the brightest and most
| intelligent officers Of the marine corps, and
| his loss is greatly deplored.
| Paymaster Arms was appointed from Con-
| necticut in 1854 and has been in duty on the
Vandala since May, 1897 His family reside
at the Crawford house. New London
| Paymaster's Clerk John Roche was ap-
pointed from lion, n. Y. He was 20 years
Of age and man of athletic build. His near
est relative is j. lottery Roche, who is poet
and assistant editor of The Boston Pilot.
| News from Sam GA has to be carried 1900
| miles-from Samoa to Auckland-by ship,
and then comes al through Asia and Europe
and across the Atlantic ocean by telegraph
50 that full advices can not reach here for
some weeks.
The terrible news created profound SEN
sation at the war department, and the office
Of the secretary vas besieged by friends and
shipmates of those known to be in the
wrecked vessels-all anxious to know who
were lost Admiral Kimberly's dispatch
gave this informs ion. Lieut. Lucien Young
who is himself almost the sole survivor Of
the wreck of the ll-fated Huron, off Caps
Hatteras, looked sadly over the list of tn,
drowned and mar ked down poor Roche, the
paymaster's clerk, as an old shipmate gone.
One thing sugge sted was that the war ships
included only small fraction Of the vessels
lost. How many merchantmen with their
crews might have been swept out of existence
by the hurricane could not be told, but there
was every reason 20 suppose that the fatality
| was much greater than on the warships.
| This disaster is the severest, so far as the
destruction Of vessels is concerned, that the
navy has yet experienced by Storm at sea.
There have been instances, hcyAever, where
larger numbers Of lives were lost. The most
notable of these naval disasters was the sink.
ing of the Albany of the West Indies in 1853
Neither the vessel nor the 200 persons on
board of her were ever heard of. In 1858 the
United States slooo of war La Vante went
down in the Pacif and was never heard
from. Not one OF her officers and crew OF
200 were ever found In 1858 the brig Balm
bridge went down Off Cape Hatteras AND
only one negro WI saved.
The MonongaheIa was washed ashore al
Santa Cruz by { dial wave in 1857 and land
ed on the top of SO ne houses She was finally
launched and reps ired, and Is now in use BY
the navy. The 11ateree and the FREEDOMS
were capsixed by d. tidal wave, caused by a
earthquake. of he coast Of Peru. Tn.