Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-14


waters edge, and peered through the
binding storm, waiting to hear the
crash which would send both men oi-Wai
and their loads of human freight to the
bottom. Suddenly the stars and stripes
were seen floating from the gait OF the
Trenton. Previous to this, no vessel III
the harbor had raised a flag, as the
storm was raging so furiously at sunrise
that the ceremony was neglected
MEETING HER DOOM CALAMITY.
II seemed now as if the gallant ship
knew she was approaching her doom
and had determined to 60 down with the
flag of her country floating above the
nearing the Olga's bow, and, Captain
Won ErhaId, believing that sure de.
struction was upon him, let 60 his
anchors and attempted to steam away.
1t was too late, however, for just as the
Olga commenced to move up against the
wind, her bow came in contact with the
starboard quarter of the fagehip. The
Olga's bowsprit and fgurehead were car
ried away and the heavy timbers OF the
Trenton's quarter were shivered. Sew
eral boats were torn from their davlts,
and the American flag, which had t1oated
from the Trenton, was carried away, and
fell to the deck of the Olga. Fortunately
the vessels drifted apart after the col
lision.
THE OLGA RUN IN THE MUD.
The Olga steamed ahead towards the
mud fats in the eastern part OF the
harbor. Captain Won Erhard had deter
mined to run her aground. The engines
were worked to their fullest capacity,
and it was only moment before Olga's
prov struck and the steamer lay en-
bedded in the soft mud in the safest part
of the bay. Not life was lost. The
waters beat over her during all the night,
but the only damage they did was to
flood her decks with water and carry
away several boats.
THE TRENToN's FATE.
The Trenton was not able to get out
into the bay again after her collision
with the Olga. She was not about 200
feet from the wreck of the Vandalia and
was slowly drifting toward the shoal. A
new danger now arose. The Trenton
was sure to strike the Vandalia, and to
those on shore it seemed that the huge hull
of the flagship would crush the Vandalia
to pieces and throw the hundred men
still clinging to the rigging into the
water. 1t was now after O'Clock and
the light was beginning to fade away.
In half an hour more the Trenton had
drifted to within q few yards of the
Vandalia's bow, and the men who were
in the rigging of the latter vessel trem-
bled with fear as they saw the Trenton
approach. Feelings hard to describe
came over the hundreds who watched
the vessels from the shore. Presently
the last faint rays of daylight faded away
and night came down upon the awful
scene. The storm was still raging with
as much fury as at any time during the
day.
TERRIBLE CONDITION OF THE MEN.
The poor creatures who had been
clinging for hours to the rigging of tho
Vandalia were bruised and bleeding, but
they held on with the desperation of men
who hang by thread between life and
death. The ropes had cut the flesh on
their arms and legs and their eyes were
blinded by the salt spray which swept
over them. Weak and exhausted as they
were, they would be unable to stand the
terrible strain much longer. They looked
down upon the angay waters below them
and knew that they had no strength left
to battle with the waves. Their final
hour seemed to be upon them. The
great black hull of the Trenton could be
seen through the darkness, almost ready
to crash into the stranded Vandalia and
grind her to atoms.
CHEERING SHOUT.
Suddenly a shout was borne across the
waters. The Trenton was cheering the
Vandalia. The sound of 450 voices broke
upon the air and was heard above the
roar of the tempest. "Three cheers for
the Vandalia," was the cry that warmed
the hea,ts of the dying men in the rig
ging. The shout died away upon the
storm and there arose from the quiver-
ing masts of the sunken ship response
so feeble that it was scarcely heard upon
shore. The men that felt that they were
looking death in the face, aroused them
selves to the effort and united in a faint
cheer for the flag ship. Those who were
standing on shore listened in silence for
that feeble cry, which was the saddest
they had ever heard. Every heart was
melted to pity. "God help them," was
passed from one man to another.
MUSIC AMID THE STORM.
The sound of music next came across
the waters. The Trenton's hand was
pldyIuk 1A0 DhuuOIs
A thousand men on sea and shore had
never before heard the strains of music
at such time as this. An INDISPENSABLE
feeling came over the hundred Americans
on the beach who listened to the notes of
the anatomical anthem, mingled with the
howl of the storm. For moment only
were they silent, then broke forth with
a cry that rent the air and reached the
ears of the struggling men in the rigging
of the Vandalia. Men who had exhaust
ed every means, during the whole of that
awful day, of rendering some assistance
to their comrades, now seemed inspired
to greater efforts. They ran about the
beach eager to do something, even at the
risk of life itself. They looked despair
ingly at the roaring torrent of water that
broke upon the shore, and knew that no
boat could live in such sea. Bravely
as the Samoans had acted, there was not
one of them who would again venture
into the surf, where certain death would
befall them. Three officers, who had
been untiring in their efforts during the
day, Lieutenant Sherman and Ensigns
Purcell and Jones, procured boat and
got it ready to launch at the moment the
sea should subside. Several natives and
one or two of the Nipsic sailors volun-
teered to go in the boat and, with the
three officers, q sufficient number OF men
were secured to man the oars. But the
storm did not abate in the least, and
there was no opportunity during the
uhola niuht IN taka tho boat ont TO the