The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-04-02
SAMOA'S CAPITAL
AND HARBOR

1t was on December 80, 1897, that 1 left
Samoa the last time, so that exactly fifteen
months have elapsed since my second visit
for the Record to that storm center of civ
ilization in the south seas. At that time
Americans were the favorites of the ma
tiyes out of all the foreigners represented
in the colony ION the beach," 1t Is I'M
possible for me to realize the remarkable
change that must have taken place since
then in island affairs to bring about the dis
putes that have been reported during the
winter, eliminating in the battle just an
nounced by cable from Auckland. OF the
dealings of diplomacy, politics and COM
merce. native and foreign, during 1898 I
have no knowledge other than what all
have read in the dispatches, but it may be
possible for me to clear up some of the OBJ
coming from such distance.
The harbor and city of Apa, the COM
mercial metropolis of this Polynesian
group, are on the north side of the island
of Upolu, second in size of the Samoan
archipelago A cable reaches that part of
the world SO we must wait for news upon
messages forwarded to Auckland and San
Francisco by the mail steamers. There are
Oul iNO liueS VI luiS SeINiCe Inc oceanic
Steamship company, owned by Claus
Spreckles, of San Francisco, sends a steam
er from that port every four weeks with
the Australian mails, touching at Honolulu,
Apia, Auckland and Sidney 1t is a four
teen-day voyage to Apia and five days more
bring the steamers to Auckland and a cable
station. In addition, the Union Steamship
company, of New Zealand, dispatches
vessel every four weeks from Auckland,
calling at Tonga, in the Friendly islands,
next to Apia, then at two ports in the Fiji
islands, thence returning to Auckland, and
another every four weeks, which sails first
to Tahiti, in the Society islands, next to
Apia and thence back to Auckland. Three
vessels every four weeks, therefore, take
mail to Auckland and one to San Francisco.
The stranger reaching the Samoan capital
sees from the deck of the steamer a cres-
cent bay opening in a wide sweep before
him, crescent so unguarded that it seems
to be no harbor at all, but a mere road
stead open to the swells of the Pacific
From point to point, the width of, the bay,
is about one mile, while from the middle of
the line which would connect these points
the bay cuts into the shore about one-half
bow and the line from point to point the
string. Where the string is imagined there
Is line of coral reefs, sharp as knives and
but few feet below the surface of the wa
ter. The long swells of the Pacific change
on these reefs in calm weather into whirl
of foam, and in storm into breakers that
will be remembered. There is one narrow
opening in the reef, and into that the pilot
OF STR itrIf
ty that there will be one more wreck added
to the long list of this "harbor" If any
thing goes wrong. Once inside there is
good anchorage in all weathers except hur-
ricanes little less than half a mile from
shore.
The entire circuit of the bay from point
to point by the beach road, which is the one
street of the settlement, is less than two
miles. 1t is populated throughout its whole
length, and to the visitor this is what is
known as Apia. But Apia is far more re-
stricted term in the native application, and
| 1t is this fact that accounts for some Of the
| obscurties in the cablegrams. The west
ernmost point of the bay is Mulinuu the
historic home of the Samoan kings. Next
| comes Matafele, where the German inter-
ests have concentrated. Then a bridge car
ries the street over little river, the Null
lvai, and Apia proper is reached, where the
AMERICAN ana BRUSH lnuuenceS nave gath
cred. Crossing another little river, the
Vaisingano, one leaves Apia and enters
Matauta, named for the eastermost point
of the bay, to which it extends Passing
this point, the road runs along the shore
| line of the island and the open sea past the
British and the American consulates, pass
| ing four other villages named as distinct
| by the natives within two miles.
Just as 1t was in Chicago few years
ago an impossibiity for a stranger to tell
| that he had crossed a municipal boundary
| between Lake View, Chicako and Hyde
| Park, so 1t is in Samoa. To the stranger it
| is all Apia, but to the resident the villages
| and their respective rights are very dis
| tinct 1t Is Apia that has been subject to
| the authority of the consular board of three
nations, under the treaty of Berlin. Except
| as to land titles and the supreme court and
| the Interpretation of the right of succession
| to the throne, the foreigners are virtual in
| terlopers everywhere else. y
| The cablegrams tells US that Admiral
| Kautz issued a proclamation calling upon
| Mataafa and his chiefs to return to their
| homes. Mataafa evacuated Mullnuu," this
| being the westernmoSt point of the bay
shore and the place where Samoan royalty
always dwells. Then as result of proc
lamation issued by the German CONSUL up
holding the Mataafans, the latter assem-
| bled in large force and hemmed in the
town." this meaning Apia, the foreign cons
cession. THE Americans then fortified Mu-
linuu The rebels barricaded the roads
within the municipality" meaning Apia,
land seized the British houses" The rebels
| ignored an order to evacuate, with a threat
of bombardment, and commenced an at
tack in the direction of the British and
American consulates," thus turning from
the American forces at the west and die
recting their attack eastward. Then be-
gan the bombardment Of the native VIII
lagos.
1t will be seen that these movements oc-
cupied very small range of distance. The
hnplha rdrnent of tha nhlinec villa