St. Paul daily globe., 1893-06-24
CARRIED DOWN 400.
Terrible Calamity to a British
War Ship in the Medi-
terranean.
While Maneuvering Another
One Of the Squadron
Rams Her.
In a Few Minutes She Fills
With Water and Keels
Over.
Over Four Hundred Of the
Persons on Board Are
Lost.


sea, without parallel in the naval annals
of recent times, was reported today. The
British battle ship Victoria, the flagship
of .the Mediterranean squadron, has
completed checkered career by sink
ing off Tripoli, after collision with the
Camperdown. a sister ship of the squad
ron. This tragady, resulting in the loss
of 400 men, including Ihevice admiral of
the squadron, had not been equaled in
fatal results since the sinking of the
Royal George Ill 1852. when 600 souls
found their shloud in the oceans
waves. The accounts of the
disaster are very meager and the
responsibility for this woeful loss of life
has not been fixed. Some Of the ships
of the squadron were maneuyering when
the powerful ram of the Camperdown
struck the Victoria forward of the tur-
ret OH the starboard side. Through the
enormous hole made by her sister ship
the water poured so rapidly that
She Was Sinking
before an effort could be made to man
the boats. Even in the face OF impos-
sibility, the sailors stroye to close the
break, but in the midst of their labor of
desperation, the mighty hull turned
completely over and went to the bottom.
Fifteen minutes after the Victoria
had received the fatal blow the water
closed over her. and the brave hearts
that were prepared to battle with all
enemies of their country had ceased to
beat. because the probable mistake of a
friend was more deadly than the de-
signs of any foe. The loss Of this ship
with its attending terrible sacrifice of
life is viewed as confirming the opin-
ion of many naval officers concerning
the monster war ships of the present
day. While the Victoria might be un-
matched as to efficiency in b0mbardlng
seaport town, or in destroying sea-
coast, experts say she was decidedly too
unwieldy for serious maneuvering off
seaboard. Naval engineering, they
point out, has not progressed as rapidly
as naval architecture, and
The StupendOus Mass
of the 10,0g0-ton war ship can not be
controlled with the ease the naval officer
generally desires. 1t had been thought
the twin screws were the desideratum
so Ionged for. They proved them
selves excellent indeed. but the delay
and waste Of energy in propelling the
leviathians is still the same. There is
but little doubt in the minds of those
who have knowledge of naval archi-
lecture that the loss of the Victoria was
mainly due to the defects referred to
above. 1t Is probable that either the
CamperdoWn or the Victoria could not
lessen the impetus received from its
engines when required. 1t is also
commented that while scarcely
anything has been done to nulify the
deadly action of the "ram," the navies
of tho world have given hardly
thought to lifeboat drill, proof of
which is seen in the immense loss of
life in connection with the sinking of
the Victoria. Taking it altogether, the
disaster is regarded by naval people as
a severe lesson to the navies of the
world.
The First News.
LONDON, June 23.-A most terrible
calamity has befallen the British battle
snip Victoria, flagship of the Mediter-
ranean squadron, and hundreds of lives
have been lost. The Victoria, which
flew the flag of Vice Admiral Sir George
Tryon, K. G. B., was run into by the
British battle ship Camperdowu, also
belonging to the Mediterranean squad
ron, and under the command of Capt.
Charles Johnstone. The Victoria had
an enormous hole made in her side,
through which the water poured in tor
rents. The immense hull of the Vic
toria 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. Some of the officers and
crew managed to get out of the sue
tfon caused by the sinking vessel
and were rescued. Among those lastis
Vice Admiral Tryon. AS soon as the
officers of the Victoria saw that there
was danger of their ship laundering
orders were given to close the collision
bnlkheads, in order to keep the water
in the compartment into which the Cam
perdown had showed her ram. The
sailors tried to obey the order. but the
ship was making water too fast to al
low of
Closing the Bulkheads,
and, while the men were still trying to
shut them, the vessel, with her immense
guns and heavy top-hamper, turned
over and carried them down. The first
reports of the disaster stated that about
200 men had been drowned, but later
dispatches show that the loss of life was
far greater, not less than 400 OF the of
flcers and crew Of the Victoria having
gone down with their ship.
The Victoria was twin screw battle
ship of 1O.37O tons and $4,000 horse
power. She mounted fifteen guns. The
Camperdown is also first-class twin
screw battle ship. She is ct 10000 tons