The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-04-06
HERO OF THE TRENTON
ON THE DAY OF APTA


TO the Editor OF The Washington Times:
Hero Of the Trenton on the Day of
Apia." Under this caption your es
teemed paper referred, in its issue of
the 25th ut. 10 that deplorable event
which brought mourning TO many hearts,
both in this country and abroad. The
fourteenth anniversary of that sad ca
Iamtty occurred about two weeks ago.
The day of Apia had many heroes,
and. no doubt. Commander Brown, L. s
y. was one of them My recollection
Of that period is very vivid, having par
ticipated in many Of its trying scenes on
board the I. S. 5. Vandalia. which was
the only one of the three American yes
sells which went TO the bottom of Apia
haThor during the storm. Your article
failed to mention the presence of the
[. S S NiDsic. The stated fact which
named Commander Brown as in command
Of the Trenton is probably erroneous
Admiral Kimberly was on board the
Trenton in supreme command. while the
commander proper Of the Trenton was,
TO my recollection, Captain Farquhar
with Lieutenant Commander Lyons as
executive How, therefore, Commander
Brown could have commanded that yes
sci at that time, with at least three SUI
perior officers present. is not quite lucid
Your article mentioned. as wrecked
men of-war, two German and one Eng
fish boats There was but one English
vessel present, the Caliope, and she
managed TO get out to sea during the
storm, after inadvertently giving to the
! VandaIia the death blow which sent the
| latter to the bottom. Commander
| Browns recollection seems somewhat
defective Probably he got the Vandalia
and Caiope badly mixed.
President Harrison's sending a cable
| gram Of congratulations tc Commander
| Brown must have been quite feat,
there being. even now. no Geographic
| communication with the Samoan Islands
| by reason of the non-existenCe Of a cable
! on the latter.
To give to the world the news of the
catastrophe of March Is and i. 1889, a
vessel was dispatched from Apia to Aus
tralia, as the nearest point of telegraph
ic communication.
| without question was the presence OF
the Trenton at Apia instrumental IN
many lives being saved from destruc-
tion. as the entire number Of survivors
of the Vanda1ia. VINO were cIinging 10
| the rigging of that submerged vessel,
managed TO reach that goal by means
OF hawseT.
On the other hand. It is my opinion
| and I dare say z weIl-founded one, that
had the Trenton never reached Apia-she
arrived about four days before the
storm-the history which chronicled the
destructive hurricane might have as
sumed a comparatively harmless form.
as 1t Is a well-known fact that permits
sion to leave the harbor while the storm
was brewing was withheld by the com
| mander-fn-chief who came with the
Trenton.
There were many whose health be
came impaired during the havoc. anC
probably may remain so. Among these
in particular is one whose meritoriouE
services remained wholly unreeognized
But why? Because there was nobody Il
call attention to same, nor was h.
| specially commended
The medical department of the Van.
dalia, OF which the apothecary was tbs
only remaining active member. coulC
not very well commend the services o
himself. and yet upon him devolved al
/ extraordinary task. Both physicians haC