St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-06-27
MANGLED BY SCREWS
The Ill-Fated War Ship Vic
toria Went Down With
out Warning.
Many Drawn Down by the
Suction Of the Sinking
Vessel.
Others Cut to Pieces by the
Swiftly Whirling Screw
Blades.
Water, Heated by the Ships
Furnaces, Scalds Swim
merS to Death.

New York, June 26.-An extra edi-
lion of the Evening World, issued this
evening, contains a special cable from
Tripoli, Syria, giving the first full de-
tails of the sinking of the flagship Vic
toria. They are as follows:
About o'clock last Thursday after
noon the English fleet came in sight of
Ell Nina, the port and town Of Tripoli.
1t was coming from the northeast and
making directly for the harDor. The
five big Observation-Disclosures, Camper
down, Edinburgh, Nile and Pareil-were
drawn up in full front. The Victoria was
in the center, the Camperdown was on
her left and the Edinburgh
was on her right. When they
were within five miles of shore Vice Adj
miral Sir George Tryon signalIed to
turn and form III double line. This
meant that the Victoria and Camper
down were to go ahead little and de-
scribe a turn-the Victoria turning to
the left and the CamperdOWn to the
right-then they would advance side by
side in the direction from which they
had come, and others would swing into
double-column order and advance two
and two behind the leaders. When the
order was given the distance between
the ships was less than two cables
length. The
Execution OF the Order
was easy enough for ships further away
from center. but extremely difficult for
the Victoria and the Camperdown. In
turning their bows would pass within a
few fathoms of each other, even if the
movement were executed with the
greatest precision. This movement is
rarely made, and is chiefly for the pur-
pose of training the ship commanders to
move eXpeditiouslS away from shoallng
waters. Whether because Admiral
Markham, of the Camperdown,
could not believe this movement
was to be tried when the
ships were so close together, or because
he thought Admiral Tryon had miScal-
culated the distance, he did not set
about executing Admiral Tryon's order,
but Signaled that he did not understand
it. The Victoria aud the other vessels
had not hesitated. The Victoria began
to turn at once, as she still held to the
signal. The Camperdown no longer
hesitated, but also began TO turn. The
brief delay, however, had been fatal.
The Victoria had nearly turned, and the
Camperdown, swinging around, bore
down upon her.
Both admirals were quick to act. Ad-
miral Tryon swung the Victoria so as to
receive at the smallest angle the blow
which both officers saw was inevitable.
and Admiral Markham did the same for
the Camperdown, beside
Reversing Her Screws.
The twelve-foot ram of the Camper
down struck the hull of the Victoria
Just in front OF the. armored bulkhead
and plunged into the thin plates of her
starboard side. he armOr ends at the
bulkhead and the forward part of the
Victoria above the water line was mere
cardboard to the great iron wedge so
nightly propelled. There was a smash
ing of wood and iron plates. and the
ram and eight feet of the bow of the
Camperdown crashed twenty feet into
the bowels OF the Victoria. The Cam
perdown was halted by the heavy armor
of the Victoria, and as her screws were
reversed she at once began to back
away. AS all the other vessels were
moving to get into double line behind
the two leaders they were bearing down
upon the entangled ships, and cataS-
trophe involving all the ironclads was
imminent.
Only the GOODNESS and prompt action
of the other commanders prevented a
general disaster. The Victoria'S bow
was now pointed full toward the shore.
1t seems that Admiral Tyron did not
realize the extent of the damage to the
Victoria. AS no accident of exactly
this kind has happened before, he could
not know what the effect of the hole in
the compartment was to be. He, no
doubt, thought that as one compart-
ment was damaged the others
Would Keep His Ship Affoat,
so when the Camperdown and the other
ships signaled for boats he replied
that he did not need them. The Vic
toria began TO forge straight for the
shore under full steam. It's one of the
rules of the British navy that if a ship
is in danger of sinking and shore is not
ldI away sue Hluot NC SoI llilo SHdiloW
water, so that if she goes down she may
be raised again.
So Admiral Tryon was making for the
shore and was widening the distance
between the Victoria and other ships.
When the CamperdoWn'S ram struck
the Victoria Admiral Tryon, the navi-
eating officer two signal officers, and
the men at the wheel were upon the
bridge, either in full view or in the
chart house. Most of the crew was
on the forward deck, lounging
about, trying to keep cool under the
blazing sun of the clear, calm sky.
With the crash they rushed into the
battery and as far atlas possible, but
when the two vessels separated all re-
turned to their places. Discipline was
perfect. The admiral and officers re-
NAMED steadfast upon the bridge, set
ting an example, So good was the dis
clpline that within FIVE minutes after
the blow a diving suit had been brought
OH deck and diver was getting into it
to obey an order 10 go below and find
out the extent of the damage.
n Plunged TO the Bottom.
The untangling and getting under
full Roadway had some little time.
About ten minutes after the blow, the
Victoria, having got something like two
miles nearer the shore from the scene
of the collision, all at once leaned away
over to the starboard, and with a great
roll and plunge, buried her bow
beneath the calm surface Of the sea.
1t was almost instantaneous. There was
only chance for n few wild cries and
he Victoria was almost half sub