Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-23
THE CAMPER WN.

sumed the ships were engaged in simple ma
neuyers. lite availability in time Of war has been
amply demonstrated.
The British Location Mt Newport,
ASTAs reporter called at the British legation
this morning to learn any particulars in regard
to the victims of the disaster or the vessel that
went down. He info-m by an atte ndant
that Sir Julian Pauncefo:e and all the members
OF the legation were now in Newport, where
residence has been arranged for the season. A
com munication by mall and messenger il main
tnined between this city and the summer lega-
tion, SO that all business IL carried on as usual
NAVAL OFFICERS VIEWS.
What MAY Have Caused the Disaster and
the Lesson tn he Learned.
The terrible accident of Tripoli was almost
the sole topic Of conversation among naval of
GERS today. News Of it reached the Navy De-
partmeut early in the day and was quickly
spread to all its Offices. There are several Off
GERS now on duty here who are acquainted with
the officers of the British ship Victoria. and they
are naturally distressed at their awful misfor-
tune
According to the International hand the off,
ter with STAR reporter, were Of opinion that
the accident resulted from attempting danger
Gus evo.utions at close quarters.
WHAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED.
There may have been some mistake on the
part of the helmsman." said one high officer
who seemed to be regarded as an authority by
his brother officers. ''or else an accident oc-
CURED to the steering gear.
''All steering gear" he continued. sis liable
to give out at the most inopportune moment
1t is therefore more than probable that this
ryndf rnr, a.s1 A..
Have there ever been any accidents Of this
kind in our navy?" asked the reporter
NO ACCIDENT OF THIS KIND IN OUR NAVY.
None that / know of. You know We never
have had any naval maneuvers at sea on a large
scale. The recent naval review was probably
the largest aggregation Of naval vessels we
have ever had in this country, and
there were no special maneuvers on
that occasion to endanger the ships
Squadron maneuvers, you know, are
Just IKE the maneuvers o. a regiment or Q
brigade We have to change the formation
and direction Of the ships composing the
squadron, and to insure their safety from COLI
SION 1t Is imperatively necessary to accurately
regulate the speed and direction Of each ship,
as they sometimes, OF course. get into close
quarters: Why, sometimes they maneuver
these heavy bodies safe under
such circumstances necessitates very careful
handling. There are several elements to be
carefully observed The three most important
are speed, distance and the action of the helm.
The helm must be certain and prompt IL il
fails In Its action there lie danger at all times to
ships cruising in company, whether maneuver-
Ing or simply making passage in column"
Such ACCIDENTS VERY RARE
''such accidents as the present are extremely
rare" said another officer. "supposing speed.
the action of tho baI,, Nd oth.r v,a tors ~ th;.
sort to be all they should be, the safety of the
ship depends simply on the skill and Judgment
OF her commander. An incompetent officer ia.
OF course, an clement OF great danger, and
even the Judgment Of the most skillful
may fail at times, unless it is sup
ported by constant practice in feet evolutions
1t is for this that il has become the prac-
tice among nations with large fleets to keep up
constant squadron exercises. This is the case
particularly with the great squadrons of Eng
land and France in the Mediterranean They
usually consist of about twenty ships, which
are handled with marvellous ability and pre-
cision. The risk OF accidents sometimes must
be taken in order to educate the captains in
handling their ships in battle.
NosURPRIsE THAT THE VICTORIA SANK
at is no surprise that the Victoria sank.
Nothing could resist the destructive effects of a
ram like the Camperdown. which undoubtedly
tore through a number Of compartments. Any
one compartment of the Victoria could have
filled without sinking the ship. but with several
damaged, as was probably the case, she could
not remain aAoat. 1t is easy to believe
that several were penetrated when Won
consider tho impact of a mass of IL 600 tons
like the Camperdown, moving at the velocity
Of eight or ten knots, which is the usual
maneuvering speed Striking an object fairly
1t becomes almost irresistible, and no yes Ell
could possibly survive the force of such blow.
ONE LESSON TO BE DRAWN.
There is one lesson to be drawn from ,,;.
most deplorable accident That is the neces.
sity for the constan. training and the keepine
In state Of high efficiency of all officers liable
TO have command OF ships. The responsibility
OF An ofhcer so placed cannot be exareers.ed. -
COMMANDER cEApwIcKis VIEWS
Commander Chadwick Of The United states