A LATER ACCOUNT.

Otago Witness, Issue 1950, 4 April 1889, Page 1

A LATER ACCOUNT.

Respecting the Samoan disaster, the following fuller intelligence is to hand under date March 18:—

In the forenoon of Fridayj March 15, the baro'taefcer went down to 29*10 — a sure indication that a heavy blow was imminent. In the afternoon of the same day it rose a little, and strong hopes were entertained that it would pass off, -as on: a previous occasion, when it went down secy low, and only a moderate gale was the result;. About 4 o'clock in. the afternoon it began to blow pretty stiff, and. it increased all night until it became a terrible gale with a frightfal sea running. The men-of-war had all steam up during the esrly part of Friday, and their commanders naturally, thought that they would be able to v steam up to their' anchorage fend hold their own against almost any wind or sea that was "likely" to come against* them. In this, however, they were mistaken, for all, except the Calliope, which steamed out of harbour in the very teeth of the storm, found they were gradualljSbeing driven before the terrible wind and sea that was driving right into the mouth of the harbour. The first to drag and go on the .reef was the Bber. This was between 5 and, 6 o'clock Saturday morning. A heavy sea carried her right on to the top of the edge of the reef ; the vessel rolled first on one side and then on the other; then she lurched heavily, staggered and shivered, and went down in deep water out .of sight with Captain Wallis and all his crew on board. Nearly all seemed to be below at the time. A few managed to struggle away from the sinking ship and struck out for the shore. One officer and nvft or six men landed in safety, but Captain Wallis and the rest of the officers and about 80 men perished ; » ' In about half an hour after the engolfment of the Eber, the Adler was lifted;bodily on to the reef and thrown on her beam ends with her decks facing the shore. Then commenced a fearful struggle for life. Many plunged boldly into the sea and' reached shore Bafely. Others clung to the rigging and bulwarks, and some were picked up by a boat. It was not long before the ship's masts and spars went, and then no sign of life on the vessel was left. The "captain and. some of his officers and men were saved, but about 20 or 25 lives were lost. It was thought that no one was left on board, but on Sunday when a boat went off to the wreck the doctor was found imprisoned in his cabin, still alive and comparatively unhnrfc. The wreck still lies on the beach a most melancholy looking object; v ••■■■■ It was not long before the disasters to the German warships were followed by an almost equal misfortune to the American vessels. Tfip German vessel Olga came into collision with the, Nipsic, and stove in the smoke Btack of the latter in such a manner as to render her steam power useless. She began to drag, and Captain Muller then decided to run her ashore in a safe place if possible. This he at length succeeded

in doing just opposite the ; American consulate on a sand; beach. She was safe, and had not an unfortunate attempt been made to land it is probable none of her crew would have been lost ; bat one of the officers ordered & boat to be lowered from the stern for the purpose of taking a line ashore. Almost immediately after Being manned it capsized, and . six or seven of the crew were drowned, the rest reaching shore in safety. The Nipsio appears to be comparatively uninjured, but there is little likelihood of her being floated off again. ', ; '"';,. It is asserted that the O!ga 'also came into collision with another of the American warships, the Vandalia, which commenced to drift towards the spot where the Nipsic lay beached. The commander of the Vandalia, Captain Schumacher, had been knocked against a gatling gun early in the morning, and he lay helpless en the poop— alternately insensible and delirious. The vessel's bottom must have been injured, for she began to fill, and when about 50yds westward of the Nipsicshe settled down. in the water deep enough for the sea to wash her tore and aft. | Seme of the officers were on the poop, and several were washed overboard and drowned. A number of the men reached the shore in safety, while others perished in the attempt. Captain j Schumaohet was 9wept into the sea and drowned. The rest of the officers and men mounted the rigging and clung to it all day long, though now and then their number was. lessened by an exhausted man dropping off into 'the water. The vessel was not more than 70yds from the shore, which was lined with hundreds of Samoans and Europeans, bat nothing could be done to help them. The natives rushed into the foaming surf and saved several of the swimmers, nearly exhausted. In one instance the natives themselves risked too much. They ventured into the current too far and two of them lost their lives. Another account says that when the Vandalia got hear the reef she tried to follow the Nipsic'a example and get on to; the sandy beach close to where that vessel lay. It was hoped at one time that she would be able to accomplish this, but being a larger vessel, drawing more water, and the ; tide being also much lower, she struck a sunken reef just opposite M 'Arthur and Co.'s store, and there stuck fasti terrible seas breaking over her from stem to stern, and she gradually settled down m the afternoon until nothing was visible bat her masts and the top of the bulwarks. It was a sight few people who saw it will ever forget. The rigging and tops of that ill-fated ship Covered with men, and the wind and rain and sea dashing against them. A rope was got from the Nipsic to her* and a few got off that way, but 1 it was soon found that it waaT safer to keep to' the masts;- There they clung until the flagship came down upon them," when most of them got on board of her. This was about 10 o'clock on Saturday night, co that they had been shivering on the rigging for over 12 hours. The warship Olga, the iargeafc of the German vessels, became unmanageable early in the morning, and continued to ran amuck against other vessels. Finally it was determined to beach her. This was successfully accomplished. She lies half way between the British and American consulates. No casualties are repotted on her. The; Calliope, the only British warship then in Apia Harbour, was ob3erved to be dragging her anchor early in. the ' morning j but having r good steam power she was enabled ' to make a good fight. Soon, however, it was evident that Captain Kane saw that the straggle would be hopeless. Collisions with one or two of the other vessels occurred, and her figurehead was carried away and drifted ashore, and the captain then decided to steam the vessel to sea. This was a matter of great difficulty, for other vessels -were in the way* and some amount of collision was unavoidable, but nothing serious happened, the ship was beautifully handled. She had to pass the Amerian flagship Trenton so close that if either vessel had roiled towards the other tbesyards would have come to grief. Fortunately, just in nick of time, the Calliope rolled outwards, and before she recovered the danger was over. As" she left the Trenton be- ! hind the crew of the latter gave her a hearty cheer; the crew of the Calliope responding, aad the officers of the Trenton lifted their iiats to Captain Kane. No doubt both thought, that their chances of weathering the storm 'were bat small— the one vessel going' out to sea in the face of such a terrible gale, and the other dragging helplessly down towards the reef. ■• ■ After the Calliope passed, the Trenton came slowly down in the direction of the Olga. The captain; of the latter vessel seeing that & collision was inevitable, owing to the Trenton's engines being powerless and the vessel, not under control, and also owing to its being impossible in the face of such a gale to steer clear, with great judgment slipped his anchors, veered round, and beached his vessel in the best manner and in the very best place he could have done. He saw that by holding on, the vessels, must have collided amidships, aha the destruction of both would* have been almost certain. As it was the Olga did not get away until her bowsprit came in contact ' with the Trenton's quarter gallery, both of which were carried away. The Trenton then came* on towards the reef, and it was feared that she was going right on to the place where the Eber had gone to pieces. • Fortunately the wiad changed a little, and by good management with storm trysail she was guided down along the reef and grounded very close to where the Vandalia was lying. It was newly dark by this time, and the storm of wind and rain appeared, to be as fierce as ever. Lines were thrown the Trenton' into the Vandalia' s rigging, and most of those who still clung there swung themselves across to the. Trenton's deck ; but someiailed, and falling into the water were drowned. Shortly after the mizzen and foremast went by the board. , The total loss of. life from the Vandalia was four officers and about 40 men, Next morning the wind and sea went down, and the ; survivors got safely; ashore. "What a | scene of desolation Apia beach presented on j Sunday morning! The whole foreshore was

strewn with wreckage 30 far as one coald see. Hundreds of natives sent by Malietoa, Mataafa, and under the command of Seumanataffa and Auai, did eplended work in caving lives, and assisting in every way they possibly could. They made no distinction between Germans and Americans, and they are certainly deserving of the! highest praise for the. brave and unselfish way in which they acted. All tfce merchant vessels in harbour, excepting tk little schooner of five tone, were wrecked or driven ashore, including the* barque Peter . GodeSroi. The schooner Lily, belonging to M' Arthur and Co., was cat down at her anchor dj the Nipsic. Captain Douglas, the English and American pilot, was on board at the time, also Mr Ormsby, trader fox M' Arthur and Co., and the schooner's cook. All were, of course, hurled into the water. Captain Douglas swam to the Olga, which was also close, and, after great exertion, succeeded in getting on board. Mi Ormsby also reached the side of the Olga, where a rope was thrown to him, but he seemed too weak to take advantage of it, and was .carried past and soon lost sight of. The cook was never seen after he was precipitated into the water; '■ -■■ ; ■■ Very little damage was done to the houses in the town, which shows it was not a hurricane of the severest type. A large number of trees were blown down, and people of experience say that the cocoanut crop is likely to be rendered useless for the next six months.