Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-03-31


sailed
Engineer officers recall the fact that the
Trenton, which is set down as having a
speed of 1916 knots, when in the Red Osa,
sssonished the Englishmen BY easily run
ming awsy from crack vessels Of their fret.
She was launched in New York in 1887 at
the nsvy yard. she had 400 officers and
men aboard when she ssiled from home
The Vandalia was rated - knot ship and
carried 200 officers and men. The Nipsic
sailed fiom the United States with loO Of
6cers and men aboard, msking the total
strength Of the American fleet at Samoa
500 men. OF nearly double the strength Of
the German forces.
The Olga had 267 men. the Adler 12S
men and the little EbeI 81 men, yet, with
one-half of the number of ths American
forces these unfortunate vessels appear to
have lost more than twice as many men.
some naval officers think this is an indica-
tion that the American vessels had greater
structural strength than the German ship,
o. that superior seamarship was shown
The Fleet at Apia.
The Nipsic was a wooden 7essel, and
was built in 1878. After two cruises she
was rebuilt at the Navy Yard, Washing
ton, in 1879. She was bark-rigged, 1S5
feet long snd 50 feet beam. Her displace-
mant was 80 tons and indicated speed
ten knots. Her battery consisted Of one
aight-iuch muzzle-lOsding rifle, four nine
inch smOOthborss, one sixty pound breech-
loading rifle converted Parrot, which was
located on the torecastle. In the second
Sly batter, one three-inch rifle howitzsr,
one twelve-p- under and one short gatling
gun. Tn addition TO these there were sixty
Holchkiss ritl ss of the latest improved pat
tern in her armory, besides the usual mum
Der of pistols and side arms allowed by
re.ulauon for vessels of the Nipsic class.
TIE Trenton and Nandalia we're larger
than the Nipsic. The Trenton was a ship
rggsd wooden cruiser of ten guns and Of
300 tons displacement. The Vandalia
was also q bark-rigged wooden cruiser Of
. 1000 tons, with battery Of eight guns,
mostly smooth b0res.
Tue Olga was the most formidable of the
German vessels at Apia. She was an IN
srmored and unprotected single-deched
cruiser of 2.2O0 tons displacement, and
wss built in 1Ss0 Her principal battery
consisted of eight six-inch KTupp r.tl IS,
and o number Of Hotchkiss revolving can
mons The Adler and the Eber were not
ass large OF as strong as the Olga, the Adler
carrying four and the Eber three krupp
rifles.
Career Of Capt. sehOOnmaker.
Captain Cornelius N. SchoOnmsker,
commanding the Vandalia, who lost bis
life a. Apis, had a totol sea service Of ft-
teen years. with an additional thirteen
vears ard i've months on shore duty and
abOu. SIX years unemployed
He was appointed from New York in
1851 He became 3 midshipman n 1859
was msds lieutenant at the outbreak OF
be rebellion, and Ia 1866 became lieu
tenant commander. Eight years later be
20, bis full rank as commander, becoming
captain ia October, 1856. He was a mem
Der of the Ulster county family Of Sch)on-
makers.
How the News Came.
The difficulty of obtaining telegraphic
news from the Samoan Islsnds is very
great. The dispatches rec.ived last night
ana LlLa morning ON Lue Ass JLlalcA 1 I IS
were first taken from Apia to Auckland,
New Z.aland chou, . 600 miles, by steam
er. The news was then transmitted by
cable fJom New Zealand 10 Australia,
thence to Baniogariis, thence to Siuga-
pore, thence TO Penang thence to Madras,
therce 90 Bombay, thence to Alden, thence
to S0sz. thence To Alexandra, thence to
Malta. thence to Gibraltar, thence to Lis
bon. thence 20 London and thence to New
York, Is distance cf more than II, 600 miles.
Peudle-on 70 Blaine.
The following telegtan was received at
the Department OF STATE THIS afternoon:
BERLIN, March 30.
IT, Secretary Blame Washington.
The foreign office has been officially in
formed tina. i1 s. yphoon at Apia the Eler
ard Adler were totally los, ard tina, 80
ssilors are de5d. The Olga stranded with
no losses TEsee American and sll mer-
chant vessels in port were lost. Sixty
Americans ore dead The English war
ship was damaged and has gone to Sydney.
PENDLETOS.