The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-06-30
OCEAN DISASTER.
Appalling Result of a Collision of
British Warships.
The Great Battieship Victoria SUNK by the
Camperdown Over Four Hundred
Officers and Men Perish-Vice
Admiral Tryon Lost.

LONDON. June 24.-The colossal Brit
ish battle ship Victoria. of the Med
iterranean squadron. one of the largest
war ships of the nation. which carried
the flag of Vice Admiral Sir George
Trvon. X. C. B.. was sunk off Tripoli,
a town northeast of Beyroot, Syria. to-
day by the British hattleship Camper
down. also belonging to the Mediter-
ranean squadron and under command
OF Capt Charles Johnson, and at least
400 lives were lost
An enormous hole was broken in the
side of the Victoria through which the
water poured in torrents. The immense
hull at once began to settle and before
those on board of her could cast loose
their small boats she went to the bot
tom. CARRYING down with her nearly all
on board.
About $50 of the officers and crew
managed to get out of the suction of
the sinking vessel and were rescued
Among those lost was Vice Adm
Tryon.
Rear Adm Albert II. Markham. of
the Trafalgar, the flagship of the rear
admiral in the Mediterranean. has tel
egraphed TO the admiralty from TripoE.
under date of to-day. as follows: 81
regret that while maueuvering eff
Tripoli this afternoon the Victoria and
Camperdown eollided. The Victoria
sank in fifteen minutes in eighteen
fathons OF water She lies bottom up
permost. The CamperdOwn's ram
struck the Victoria forward of the tur-
ret on the starboard side. Twenty-One
officers were drowned. Two hundred
and fifty men were saved. The injury
to the Camperdown has not yet been
fully ascertained. but it is serious and
will necessitate her going on dock for
repairs. propose to send the surviv-
ors to Malta
The complement OF officers and crew
of the Victoria comprised Geo men
The scene Of the calamity was off
Tripoli. Il seaport town on the eastern
Mediterranean. fifty miles northeast of
Bevroot. Syria and a comparatively
short distance from the island of Cy-
pr1s. 1t was in that part of the sea
that she met with a serious accident in
January. 1892. and in January of last
/ wear the Victoria ran aground of the
! Greek coast near Platea and she was
I only fioated after an immense amount
OF labor and expense. Hon. Maurice
! Bourl1e. captain Of the Victoria and a
I son OF the late Earl OF Mayo. the young
/ est post captain il the British navy,
was held responsible for the January
accident and was severely reprimanded
/ by court martial
As soon a. the officers of the Victoria
! said that there was danger in their
: ship laundering orders were given to
close the collision bull1heads in order
! to keep the water in the compartment
into which the Camperdown had showed
+ her ram The sailors tried to obey the
! order but the ship was making water
! to fast to allow of action and while the
! men were still at work the vessel. with
her immense guns and heavy top hamp-
er. turned over and carried them down.
/ The Victoria was a single turret ship
/ carrying two 110-ton guns mounted in
a forward turret. coated with Is inches
of compound armor. one 1G-inch 29-ton
gun firing aft and brOadside auxiliary
armament OF twelve 6-inch 5-ton guns
She carried twenty-one quick firing and
eight machine guns She was of TO-
40 tons displacement and $4,000
horse power. She was launched April
.. 1SS7. was protected by eighteen inches
of the finest steel armour and had
a maximum of speed of 11-2 knots per
! hour. She was one Of the largest iron
clads in the English navy being $40 feet
! long and 20 wide. IN the Transportation
building az the worlds fair is model
of the Victoria, of steel and nickel, and
. COSTING :. 800.