The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-24

be subject equally to British, German and
American control. War looked certain and
probably would have occurred had not a
great hurricane broke.
1t was really this prospect of war that
Sowed the seed which the whirlwind gath
cred, for the morning of the 18th began
with most alagning drop in the glass,
but fever heat was in the mems veins and
determined to see the international ques-
ton out to the very last. none of the YES
sells would leave the battle-shaped harbor.
The latter at noon were worked up to a
great pitch, and the warships were threat
ening TO roll their masts out.
stu they held on. The Trenton lay In
the narrow entrance, her crew building up
FOND hopes that there would be a clash
with the Germans before night came on
There was but II was an unlocked for
encounter, in which man had little to
say.
The Nipsic and the Adler fouled each
other at the beginning, and then the Olga
brushed sides with the Adler. The Eber
dragging her anchor more rapidly than the
others, was the first to strike the coral
reef where she went down with all hands
except four The Nipsic an hour later
drove over the roof and struck a sand pit
many of her crew being drowned In the
effort to get ashore.
The Adler came next, and smashed on
to the battered Eber. finally working clear
of her sister ship and banging down on a
spit with a broken back. The wind drove
her so high on this spit that when the sea
went down her hull was absolutely dry
The Calliope, in great danger of being
ground to pieces by the drifting Vandalla
and Olga, slipped her cable and working
against great odds, put to sea In this way
she was saved. The Trenton. with brok-
en- rudder and fires extinguished by an in
flow of water, lay helpless at the entrance.
and 10 get TO the open the British ship
had to steer between the reef and the
Trenton, fair way. with as much as a
quarter of street block to spare.
As the Calliope passed the Trenton the
crew of the latter broke into a great cheer.
led by Admiral Kimberley himself Cheer
after cheer followed until the Briton was
well in the open and safe. Blood was
thicker than water said one of the men
of the Trenton afterward In explaining
why all hands cheered. Soon after the
Calliope escaped the Vandalia crashed on
the reef The Trenton held on until
O'Clock of the 18th, when both her cables
parted like pipe stems. The hurricane
was at its worst then, and with railroad
train rapidity the ship darted for the
shore. The Olga was i'm her way. and
though more cable was paid out by the
German she could not dodge, and the Tren-
ton fouled her
Music in Deaths Face.
Only for a few minutes, though. The
German commander took the choice OF two
evils, slipped his cables. and with the aid
of steam and sail put his charge ashore
safely on the sand. The Trenton. In her
mad rush for the reef, approached close
enough to her sister ship, the Vandala,
to permit rockets to be fired, and In this
way lines were run out to the Vandala
and her crew taken off before the Tren-
ton finally settled alongside and pounded
there. Only one man was lost on the
Trenton, and II is part of the govern
ment records in Washington that Admiral
Kimberley had up his band blaring away
with Hail Columbia" as the ship was
dashing for the reef
The sinking of the German warship Iltis,
I'm typhoon in Chinese waters, was an
other marked instance of rare heroism
The Hits was lost July 23 1896, at a point
ten miles north of the Southeast Promon-
tory, which is a low reef-girted island w.
ing about thirty miles southeast of the
Shan-Tung Promotory. total of sew
enty-five officers and men lost their lives.
In all eleven were saved and these cluug
to wreckage for two days. The gunboat
sank stern first and her fore part re-
mained out of water. 1t is recorded that
after the vessel struck. all hands were
called to quarters, three cheers given for
Emperor William, and then all Joined
hands and sang a hymn as they went
down.
Sang National Hymn.
The Alden left Yo k hama June 20 Lon
don, with hfty-flve passe myers and crew
of seVenty-six, the majority of the latter
Lascars She struck the reef June i'm a
big storm, and only one llfeboat managed
to get away from her side, and the occu-
pants of this subsequently periSiled For
seventeen days immense waves broke over
the wreck, washing men, women and chill
dren into the sea. Miss Lloyd and Miss
Weller, missionaries al Foochow. were
among those who refused 10 go in the i'll
fated boat ana stood by the wreck The
two young women were among the first to
be enguffed after the lifeboat went away
on its last journey. Three steamers passed
within few days after the ship struck
but they went on without paying any at
tention to the distress signals of the Alden.
If they saw them. one Jubilee Day when
the whole of England was celebrating the
long reign of Victoria, the survivors of the
Alden, provisions almost gone, no prospects
of Succor and drenched and famished drew
together and sang God Save the Queen"
They had then been thirteen days on the
wreck. They were rescued four days later.
al least forty-five of them were, and land
ed half dead at Alden by tire steamer Mayo.
In an eighty-six were drowned.