The Forrest City times., 1893-06-30

away over to the starboard and with a great roll and plunge, buried her bow | beneath the sea. It was almost insta-
 neous. There was only q chance for A | lew Wild cries and the Victoria was al- | most submerged, bow foremost. with
 ner swiftly-revolving screws whirring
 clear of the water and high in the air 1 Ihose on deck were immedi- | ately plunged into the water. The men | below had not time to rush to the deck, | put found themselves groping for doors | ol rooms filled with water and com 1 pressed air. Commander Jellico, who
 was lying in his berth sick with fever,
 started up and dashed to the deck in
 paJamas, to find himself immediately
 struggling in the water. A lieutenant
 swan to him, put his arm around him.
 and despite the handicap of supporting
 a helpless man, was able to get away
 from the side of the sinking ship. The
 huge hull was drawing in the water as
 1t went down,and several hundred men, l hurled suddenly into the water fully 1 dressed, had to battle against the in- 1 creasing suction.
 | | scended upon them. The great engine, l deep in the heart of the hull, and in-
 closed in a water-tight compartment,
 was still throbbing at full speed and | the great steel hanges of the twin
 screws were whirling around up in the air. As the vessel sank the screws
 came nearer and nearer to the water
 and descended into the midst of the
 struggling human beings. The vessel
 sank slowly, and when the screws were | low enough to begin to whirl in the
 water again the suction had increased
 until there was adeepening vortex like
 a maelstrom. At the bottom of this
 maelstrom the screws were revolving
 like circular knives. The poor creatures
 battled in vain against the suction. | They were drawn down and in
 against the swift-revolving blades. | Then came a scene which made 1 the officers on the decks of the
 other war ships of the fleet
 turn away sick with horror. Screams
 and shrieks arose, and in the white foam
 appeared reddened arms and legs, and
 wrenched and torn bodies. Headless l trunks were tossed out of the vortex, | to finger moment on the surface and sink out of sight. All within reach of
 that vortex lost their presence of mind. Men who knew how to swim ceased
 swimming and fought by themselves. l Men clutched each other in frenzy and | struck each other off. One man who has escaped says that he saw in this I h,c faI1 ,rh (. | ing with each other and with inevit | able death. In a moment or so the
 knives disappeared and the vortex be- gan to close up. The ship was be-
 meath the surface just as the whirl was 1 shallowed almost to the surface. Then l there was a untitled sound of thunder the waters were tossed mp and the steam burst from them. Again the | shrielxs and screams burst from the
 swimmers, the boiler had exploded, the sea had rushed into the furnace, and the swimmers were beating waves of scald. 1 ing waters. Thus in less than ten min- l utes death in three awful forms at. l tackled the officers and crew of the Vic l toria-death by drowning, death by | knife like screws, and death by scala l ing water. With the first under plunge | of the Victoria all the boats were called away from all the other ships, and came straining over the calm surface to save the strugglers. These boats
 were soon picking up the fortunate ones who had got out of reach of the 1 terrible vortex. So long as the vortex was there the boats dared not come
 near, but they did lift from the water l several sailors who were horribly | burned. It is said that more than hall of those drowned got out of the ship 1 but were caught in the vortex ol
 scalded to death.
 l Admiral Tryon stayed on the bridge and refused to leave it. Just before l the Victoria made her under plunge
 he saw what was about to happen and | issued an order for each man to save himself but the order never got be- yond the bridge, for ruin descended straightway.
 l The diver whom he had ordered be- | low to look into the danger was still l on deck and dressed for his descent, | except his helmet. He would have
 been dragged to the bottom by ms | heavy lead-soled shoes had 1t not been | for a seaman who stopped to cut hlm loose from his heavy clothes. The l diver was saved, but the man who cut | him free was drowned, This was one
 of many acts of heroism, self-forgetfui' | ness and daring.
 The peril in the water was increased | Inv the fact that the sea therea bouts IS | infested with sharks. It is the duty of