The morning call., 1891-06-23
TWENTY OF THE DEAD.
Remains of Victims Of the Sa.
moan Hurricane.
Scenes in Apia Harbo--Wr the Stranded
War-ships Dynamite Used to Blow
Up the Vessels.

The brig Sea Wait arrived in port yester-
day from Apia, Samoa, having on board the
remains of twenty of the poor fellows who
lost their lives in the terrible disaster of
March is, 1889. The names Of the dead
are: Paymaster ArmeS and Payclerk John
Roche, of the United States steamer Van
dalia, and seamen T. q. Dorne, Frank
Lessman, Joseph Hewitt. Joshua Harp and
F. j. Howard. The remainder have not
| been identified. The remains were inclosed
in metallic eases. lined with wood, each
case being about four feet long.
Soon after the brig Sea Wait came to an
anchor, the steamer Ivy ran alongside. and
the twenty coffius were transferred TO her
deck for transportation TO Mare Island,
where they Will be buried with all possible
hOnors.
The brig has on board about 10 tons of
wreckage. most of which is from the Tren-
ton. 1t consists of copper, scrap-ir0n and
junk, and Will be discharged here. Part of
| her cargo is the big metal ram Of the Tren-
ton, which weighs over ten tons.
WHAT IS LEFT OF THEM
The vessel was boarded last night by 4
/ CALL representative IN quest of news, and
the following facts relating TO the wrecked
war-shipS were learned The guns Of the
Trenton and Vandaia were taken to New
York some time ago by the United States
waT-ship Monongaheia, and what was left Of
! the American ships was purchased by a
! company from this city.
! As soon as possible f0rceOf men and the
necessary apparatus for doing the work
were sent to Apia and the process Of strip
ping the vessels Of everything of value be-
gan. TIE Trenton was the first ship at
tackled. The decks were cut out and
dynamite used to enable the divers t0 get at
the machinery. Most of this has been re-
| moved, and the noble ship now is in three
! pieces. The sides have been blown apart
and with the stern have slid of the reef int
I deeper water. A vast amount Of copper
has been taken from the hull, and VIII we'll
repay the wTeckeTs for their work.
THE vANDALIA NEXT
Work on thu Trenton will be finished by
the middle of July, when the men Will be-
gin 10 strip the Nandala At the present
time this latter vessel lies in a better posi-
ton Tor Work than the Trenton did. She
has only seven or eight feet of water over
her al low tide.
The wrecks of the two German war-Ships
! Olga and Adler, are still IN much the same
condition as they were left by the cyclone.
The Adler Is lying on her port side. and is
high and dry al low water. Some of her
machinery has been taken out by the Ger
mans on the Island. The Olga is in four
fathOms of water, and from her the native
divers have recovered a few pieces of ma
chineTy and some junk. 1t is expected that
at least two years will be spent in COM
plotting the work Of stripping all four of the
vessels. The wrecking company recently
purchased the bark Alicia, which was con-
demned at ADia, and have fitted her out as a
wfecking vessel.
4 DASTARDLY DEED.
The Sea Wait came very near going to the
bottom herself before she left 4 pia. On
April 23d. while the crew were at dinner,
some one bored a twO-inch hole through the
vessels side below the water line and then
drove d plug into the opening in the skin.
Tie noise made by the water running into
the vessel attracted the attention Of one Of
the crew aud an investigation was at once
made. The pumps were sounded, when
three feet Of water was found in the hold.
Divers were at once set to work and the hole
soon found and plugged. Suspicion fell on
one of the sailors and he was arrested, but
there was nothing to convict him of the das-
tardly act and he was acquitted and came to
San Francisco in the vessel.
The brig will dock at the seawall to-day
and it is expected that one of Whitelaw's
vessels viii have 10 be employed to lift the
heavy piece of metal which formed the ram
of the Trenton to the dock.