The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-06-22
Iron Clad Vessels.

OuCH ulSdSleIS us Uue sinking Oh INC
German iron-clad war vessel, the Gros-
ser Kurfurst, are not uncommon. A
similar collision, which took place Sept.
2, 1875, in the English Channel, near
Kingstown, between the British iron
clads Vanguard and Iron Duke, re-
suited in the sinking of the former
vessel, without, however, any loss of
life. Six vessels, constituting the re-
serve squadron, left Kingston on the
previous forenoon for Cork. Soon after
they started dense fog came on, and
they were not only hidden from sight
of land, but also from sight of one an
other. The fleet, consequently, re-
manned within fifteen miles of their
moorings at Kingston for thirteen
hours. Four vessels were ahead, steam
ing slowly southwark, after the banks
on the coast had been cleared, and the
Vanguard and Iron Duke were bringing
up the rear. Shortly after midnight
the Vanguard suddenly saw large
sailing vessel Immediately before her.
Following the rule of the road, she put
her helm hard starboard. Her change
of direction brought her at right angles
to the Iron Duke, whose proximity the
fog had concealed. The latter was
seen when only cables length behind,
and escape was then impossible. The
Vanguard's engines were reversed, but
the Iron Duke came on with a momen-
tum of 10000 tons, and her ram tore a
great hole almost in the center of the
ship Just abaft the engine-room and be-
low the water-line. The water rushed
in, and her laundering would have
been matter of minutes but for the
fact that she was built in water-tight
compartments. Most of these were
open at the time, and at first an effort
was made to close those that had not
been injured, but its futility was soon
apparent, and attention was then ex-
clusively directed to saving life. The
doomed vessel remained atloat exactly
an hour, enough time to transfer every
soul on board safely to the Iron Duke.
When all had gone the Vanguard
turned around and sank in water deep
enough to hide all of her except the
top-gallant masts.
The loss of life on the Grosser Kur-
furst compares in horror with that by
other similar disasters heretofore re-
ported. By the sinking of the British
frigate Royal George, off Spithead, in
1882, Admiral Kempenfeldt and 600
men were drowned. The British frig-
ates st. George and Defense were
wrecked off the coast of Jutland, in
1911, involving together a loss of 1000
lives. The British troop-ship Birken-
head struck upon a pointed pinnacle
rock off Simon's Bay, near Cape Town,
Africa, Feb. 26, 1852, and 454 of the
crew and soldiers persisted. The Brit
ish troop-ship Lady Nugent foundered
in a hurricane in May, 1854, and 400
lives were lost. The boiler of the Aus
trian man-of-war Radetzky exploded
on Feb. 20, 1869, in the Adriatic Sea,
and 342 lives were lost The United
States steamer Oneida was run down
by the British steamer Bombay, in the
Japan Sea, in January, 1870, and 115
officers and men were lost. The Brit
ish Turrett ship Captain foundered near
Cape Finistere, France, on Sept. Z,
1870, and 500 lives were lost, including
Capt. Cowles, the designer of the YES
sci. Nov. "a, 1877, the United States
steamer Huron was wrecked on the
coast of North Carolina, and 104 lives
lost. The last disaster of the kind was
the laundering of the British troop-ship
Eurydice, off the Isle of Wight, on
March "a of this year, and the loss of
over 800 lives.