The Washington herald., 1906-12-15
BROWN, HERO OF SAMOA, dies
Commander Prevents Wreck of Flag.
ship Trenton in Hurricane.
Quiek work Saved ship and Crew
Funeral Services TO BE Held i'm
EIkiRs, w. Va.

The body Of Commander r. VI. G. Brown.
who died at the Garfield Hospital yes
terday morning, was sent to Elkins, w.
Va, last night at II o'clock. The
body WAS accompanied by his daughter.
Miss katherine Brown. G. L. Henley.
Arthur Lee, Arthur Turner, and Clarence
Dillic, of Morgantown, w. Va.
1t was the wish Of his friends that the
funeral services be held in Elkins, where
the commander was well known and
loved by those who knew him. There
were no services in this city as was first
planned. so that the body could be taken
10 the station with military escort.
IN the year 1889 the United States
government sent q strong naval force
TO the South Pacific TO protect American
interests at Samoa and Commander
Brown-then lieutenant-was navigating
officer on the flag ship Trenton. In the
greatest naval disaster of the century
wrought by a hurricane that ragged in the
harbor for thirty-six hours, destroying
four men-of-war and completely wreck
ing ten other vessels. the Trenton rolled
IN a helpless condition for ten hours
without steam or rudder. She was in
imminent danger Of laundering Water
poured through the hawse-pipe and rush
ed down the matches into the fire and
engine rooms.
Brown Saves Flag ship.
With her stern but few feet from
the reef, skillful maneuver. suggested
by Lieut.. Brown, was the only thing that
saved the flag ship from complete de-
struction. Every man was ordered into
fHra -a1- A.
OF bodies was used as a sail The wind.
striking against the men in the rigging.
forced the vessel out Into the bay again
close to where the Olga lay. People on
shore rushed 10 tie waters edge and
waited TO hear the crash that they ex-
pected would send the two men-of-war
and their loads Of human lives TO the bot
tom. As the Trenton approached the
Olga the admiral gave the order: Let
the flag go up" In an instant the Stars
and Stripes nOated from the gan.
In the collision that followed. the flag
ship lost several boats and her heavy
timbers were shattered. She survived the
hurricane and in u later collision with
the Vandalia. which threatened to totally
wreck the latter. the strains OF The
Star-Spangled Banner" played from the
shattered deck Of the flag ship, cheered
the sailors in the rigging to retain their
gresp and nerved the crew Of the smaller
vessel TO Withstand disaster.
Rescue Crew of VandaIia.
When the TrentOns stern finally struck
the side Of the Vandalia, there was no
shock and she swung around broadside
10 the sunken ship. This enabled the men
on the vandalia to escape to the deck of
the Trenton, and in short time they
were all taken off.
As a consequence OF Lieut.. Browns in
spired suggestion. the crew of the Van
dalia. as wei as that OF the flag ship,
was saved.
Commander Brown was born at King
wood. ". Va, December S. 1S45, and
joined the navy In his twenty-first year.
lie was promoted 10 ensign four years
later Soon afteTward he became a lieu
tenant and was assigned to the United
States steamer Trenton, which rank he
was holding at the time of the hurricane at
Samoa in 1889. During the Spanish-Ameri-
can war he served at the navy yard at
Norfolk. Va. and was commissioned a
commander on the retired list Of the
navy on March "A, 1902.
He had three brothers-Maj. T. p. r.
Brown, OF West Virginia; John II. Brown.
and James Brown. of KingwOOd. W Va
and two sisteTs-MTs. Joseph MOTeland
OF MorgantOwn, W. Va. and Mrs. Will
lam p Totten, of Oakland, Nd