The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-09-08
Continued from Third page }

is still accepted as the reason for her
disappearance. Two years later, says !,
the Philadelphia Times, there was an
other mysterious disappearance A
sloop-of-war, called the Levant, with
about 200 men on board disappeared
as completely as the Albany. She
was off Hawaii when last seen |
No wreckage from her was ever found
and no memento of her fatal cruise
was left Communication in those
days was slow and it was many months
before she was given up entirely.
A piece of wreckage picked up near
Cape Hatteras in 1868 carried the only |
survivor of the brg-of.war cambridge
which had gone down in a cyclone
carrying more than 200 people. The
survivor was a colored Couk.
In January, 1870, the British ship
Bombay ran into the United States
corvette Oneida in the harbor Of Yoke.
hama. The Oneida was lost with II2
men. Captain Eyre of the Bombay
did not even stop to see how much
damage he had done, and when the
matter was investigated by the Admir-
atty he was severely censured.
Two famous disasters to United
States vessels were the wreck of the
Monongahea in 1867 and the wreck
of the Wateree in 1868 The Monon
gahela was picked up by tidal wave
carried over number of large build
ings on the island of Santa Cruz,
knocking one of them down, and was
left high and dry in the streets of the
city. She was blocked up by work
men and launched again, and she is
now on the active list of the navy.
There is no record of fatalities con
nected with this accident In the
accident to the Wateree, which was Of
a similar character, only one man was
killed. The Wateree was side wheel
iron ship of 100 tons, designed to do
b blockading duty in the narrow rivers OF
the South She carried a very heavy
battery, drew only nine feet of water,
and, having a rudder at each end,
could steam in either direction. She
was almost fiat bottomed, being de-
signed to carry battery and crew OF
nearly twice the tonnage of the ordinary
model. This is what saved the lives OF
her crew.
The Wateree was stationed at CaIlao,
Peru, during the bombardment OF that
city by the Spanish in 1866. She
cruised up and down the Pacific coast
for two years, and in August, 1903, was
anchored off africa, Peru, where she
had towed the storeship Fredonla.
She remained at anchor at AFRICA over
hauling engines and boilers preparatory
to going to San Francisco. africa was
a rich town Of some 10, 900 inhabitants,
picturesquely situated in valley which
ran up into the AIDES. On one side
was a perpendicular cliff 500 feet high
and on the other side the mountain
slopes. Twice africa had been nearly
destroyed by earthquakes.
On August 8, 1868, about 4 O'CLOCK
in the afternoon, the men on the
Wateree felt violent trembling of thu
ship and saw a cloud of dust approach
ing from the southeast. They saw tn
hills moving and heard heavy rum
bling like thunder. The ship reeled bu
righted herself again, and when the
cloud of dust had settled the whole
town was seen to be in ruins. The
officers of the Wateree remembered
the tidal wave which had stranded the
Monongahela in the straits Of St
Thomas, and began Immediately It
take all precautions. Additional anchors
were put out, the matches were battenec
down, the guns were secured, and lite
lines were stretched fore and aft. The
people on the shore were crying for as
sistance, so a landing party of fort,
men, with a crew of thirteen, wen
ashore. A boatkeeper was left il
charge of the boat but minute afte
the crew had landed the earthquake
shock had returned, the pier wa
wrecked and the boat was hurled
against the cliff The boatkeeper saw
what was coming, and, taking the boa
flag in his hand, he waved a farewell t
his comrades as the boat went down
The Wateree was carried three mile
inland and her bones are there yet