The New York herald., 1869-03-12
AUSTRIA.
Particulars Of the Explosion of the Austrian
Frigatc Radctzky.

Particulars Of the Explosion of the Austrian
Frigatc Radctzky.
Vienna Feb. 22) correspondence London Morning
Post
The first news OF this catastrophe was received
here by the naval section OF the War Ministry
about three p. NJ. on Saturday by telegram
from the commander OF the island and fortress Of
LISA, IN which IL Is stated that the optic tele-
graph stationed at Fort Wellington had sgnalied
the information that at q distance Of about ten
miles to the northeast OF the island an Austrian
irgate was blown up The e Go, commander aas q the
at Trieste and Zara and 10 the commander OF the
squadron at Gravosa, to proceed at once 10 the
scene OF the accident; and the iron-clad frigate
Ferdinand Max, as well as the gunboat Hum and
the steamer Andreas Hofer. were Immediately de-
spatched to Lissa with orders TO render any assist
ancc that was necessary and possible under the cir
cumstances.
out 10 the place where the accident had occurred,
and their return yesterday they eiegraphed that
OF the whole crew and marines on board bering
In all 364 besides the captain, only twentytree
had been able to save themselves by swimming
The Radclzky was under sail, on cruise for gun
practice ana had no steam up that the accident
could not have been CAUSED by Inc explosion OF the
According to the mcagre authentic reports which
have reached the War once aud the newspapers
wet cartridges were being dried In the pow
der ROOM The ammunition had been
packed and quantities OF powder were lying about
on the foor. ana the w0rkmen were consequently
commanded To enter the room only IN felt slippers.
They however, came in with their boots on
without putting felt slippers over them The powder
coming contact with the hard sOes Of the boofs
Ignited nom the friction caused thereby, and a
terrific explosion sent the vessel aud $40 men to
The list OF persons who have been saved contains
the names of the naval cadet Karl Barth, that
of the pilot Devcich the first mate and two
sa,lors-al of them seriously injured FIVE sailors
injured but slightly; the two quartermasters.
| the fireman and ten sailors escaped nnhurt All
| others perished among them were seven COM
mssioned officers, seven naval cadets, two phy-
sicians, aud i've engineers, VINO had almost all Of
them been present at the battle OF Lissa. The chap
| lain fortunately absent, and so was young
| cadet named Fritz, who was three days before
| the catastrophe trenoved to the hospital at
| Poa- The marines on board were nearly all re-
! cruts. There we're two powder rooms In the
| vessel-0ne IN front, near the bow and the other
! just underneath the officers cabin All the metal
| work In these powder rooms was made of copper
and the lanterns had panes set la Of so-called Ma
1 lenglas tMu5covy glass;
! Tue Radetzky was an iron-cIad steam frigate OF
1926 tons burden, with engines OF 800 horse power
| She was armed with twenty-nin 30-pounders, ana
| commanded by the naval Captain Adolpnus Ritter
Dauialik, OF Vienna, who at the battle or Lssa
AMER her cruise the Radetzky, which had only
been fitted out aud equipped on the lst Of TINS
month, was to proceed To CaseInuova there TO Join
! the squadron under the command OF Rear Admiral
| Won Pockh IN the Boche di Cattaro.
In ls4s' wnen Venice was oosSaaed es,ls oy she
| Colonel Parads and Captain schwarz-pubished
letter In the Gazette of Graz, In which they
solicited contributions Tor the purpose Of forming
| q fund-the Radetzky fund-with view OF pur-
| chasing war vessel for the Austrian navy. In
| 1853 the government added the balance to the
/ sums collected, and the Radetzky with that
| money built in England. The vessel was launched
| was In action against the Danes on Heligoand.
under the present Admiral Tegethon, on the 9th Of
May LISA Az shat me sne was commanaeu , co ~ vsP n
| pombshel During this engagement on Heligoand
cannon ball OF the enemy smashed the portrait OF
Field Marshal Radctzky, hanging In the fore cabin OF
i the captain, 70 atoms
The present accident is the second case OF a YES
sel Of the Austrian navy being DESTROYED In the open
| sea by q powder explosion In June, 1859, during
4 the Franco -Austro-I Italian war, the brig Triton
was blown up between Lacroma and Ragusa.
| OF the 40 men on board, only Cadet Won
Redesel was saved who IN still serving In the
Ambosk. who mad II Just before been sentenced to be
put in irons. Notwithstanding the heavy chains, he
| managed to keep himself on the surface OF the sea
people on board-among them also sou OF Minister
Bruck-werc drowned AT that time IL was sup.
! revenge, had wilfuy caused the explosion.
telegram from the commander OF LISA TO the
| naval sectiop OF the War ONCE, dated yesterday
evening gives the follov additional details:--
The explosion took place IN the powder room
| abaft while the metal was being cleaned. Cadet
iiartn was near the foremast when the explosion
took place, by which he was hurled into the sea.
ouariermaster Krans reported that he was IN the
| After ten o'clock he laid himself downn the cor
rldor near the foremast. lie was reused from his
| sleep by violent shock and the cry OF "Fire ~
| nc rushed 10 the hatchway but the steps were
| blown away, and he had TO creep into the battery
when he saw the destruction OF the hlnd part Of
the ship, which was on the point OF sinking The
water was rushing In from all sides, and he had just
time 10 throw himself into the sea through the port.
hole. Kraus Is or opinion That Quartcrmaster
Dogek, by incautiousy striking light, had caused
the explosion IN the powder room, where the aui-
muniti0n had been unpacked and cartridges spread
A second telegram from the commander OF Lissa
10 the naval section OF the War ONCE dated half
past seven this morning, which arrived here az ten
minutes to twelve A. NJ, states that the from
boat Hum arrived during the night. The
former had picked up the body OF .
and several pieces OF the lost frigate. The twenty
three persons saved were at the time the explosion
took place partly In the batterp partly on deck.
on duty Lieutenant lager, were on the commanders
| bridge.
the COMMANDER OF LlDga urglng Inc speedy trans.