Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-06-24
AN AWFUL DISASTER.
Over Four Hundred Persons Hurried
Into Eternity.
COLLISION or BRITISH BATTLES SHIPS.
Ope Sinks Almost Immediately and Car
ries Down O6fcers, Men, and Marines
Excitement in London.

tBy Angio-American caoie W sne D"b"~S''
LONDON. June pa most terrible CO
lamity has befallen the British battie-snip
Victoria, flagship OF the Mediterranean
squadron. and hundreds Of lives were los''
The Victoria, which few the flag of Vice
Admiral Sir George Tryon. X. G. b., was
run into off Tripoli by the British battle
ship Camperdown. also belonging to the
Mediterranean squadron and under the
command of Captain Charles Johnstone.
The Victoria had un enormous hole maue
in her side, through which water poured
in torrents. The immense hull OF the VIC
toria at once began 10 settle. and before
those on board OF her conid cast ioose
their small boats she went to the bottom,
carving down with her nearly all on
board. Some Of the officers and crew man
aged 10 get out of the suction caused Dy
the sinking vessel and were rescued.
Among those lost was Vice-Admirai Iryon.
FOUR HUNDRED MEN DROWNED.
| The first reports of the disaster stated
| that about 200 men were drowned. put
| later dispatches show that the loss OF LIE
| was far greater, not less than 400 or the
| officers and crew of the Victoria having
| gone down with their ship.
The Victoria was twln-screw oattle-
-
| She mounted fifteen guns. The Camper
| down is also first-class twn-screw battle
ship. She IS OF 10000 tons and ll,5C0
| horse power and carries ten guns. Admi-
| raj Sir George Tryon was conmander-in-
| chief Of the Mediterranean station. lie
was made vice-admiral August 20. 1881.
ADMIRAL MAREHAM's REPORT.
Rear-Admiral Albert II. Markham. Of
tho Trafalgar, flagship of the Rear-Admiral
| in the Mediterranean, has telegrs phed to
the admiralty from Tripoli, Syria. under
date of to-day as follows: :" regret TO
report that while manGuvring oil lnpon
| Camperdown collided. The Victoria ssuk
| in fifteen minutes in eighteen fathoms or
water. She lies bottom uppermost. The
| Camperdown's ram struck forward OF the
turret on the star board side. Twenty-oDe
| of the officers were drowned. Two hun
| dred und fifty OF the men were saved
| The injury to the Camperdown has not yet
been fully ascertalned. but Is serious ana
will necessitate her going on the dock TOR
repairs. | propose to send the survivors
to Malta"
| TIE OFFICERS DROWNED.
| The complement of officers and crew OF
| the Victoria comprised coo men. Tho list
| of officers drowned includes, besides VICE
| Admiral Tryop, Chaplain Morris, Lieu
| tenant Munro. FleetPaymaster Rockford.
| Fleet Engineer Foreman, Engineer Hard
| ing. Assistant-Engineer Deadman, Gunner
| Howell. Boatswain Barnard. Carpenter
Bell. Midshipmen Fawos. Lanyon, Henley,
| Gambler, and Scarlet, Cadet Stokes. and
| Clerks Allen and Savage.
| A change was recently made IN the COM
mander attached to the Victoria, Charles
| Il. Ottley having been detached and sue
ceeded by Commander B. Fellicome, who
was saved. as were also Captain the Hon.
Maurice A. Bourke, and fifteen other oin-
GERS.
NOT TBIPoLI, AFRICA.
The first dispatches concerning the ac-
cident led to the belief that the disaster
| had occurred off the coast of Iripoli, In
| Northern Africa. Later advices show tDat
| the scene oe the calamity was near Irlpoll,
| n seaport town on the eastern Medlterra-
mean coast. fifty miles northeast OF bey-
root. SYRIA, and comparatively short dis
tance from the island OF Cyprus.
| TIE SINKING.
| As soon as the officers of the Victoria
saw there was danger of their ship founder
| ing orders were given TO close the col
| llslon- bulkheads, In order TO Keep tne
water in the compartment into which the
| Camperdown had showed her ram. The
| sailors tried to obey the order, but the ship
closing the buikheaCis, 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. =,
| As soon as the news of the disaster be-
| came known in London the Duke OF Edin-
| burg, who was lately promoted to the po-
sitlon of admiral of the feet, visited the
admiralty and conferred with the officials
| ,f.f bn IN hoard
| was held, and telegram Of instructions
was sent to Rear Admiral Markham.
| LONDON INTENSELY EXCITED.
The news of the calamity caused the
most intense excitement. not only among
those who had friends on board the Ill
fated ship, but among all classes OF the
| nopuIation. The Admiralty Office, in
] Whitehall, was besieged by relatives and
| friends of the officers and crew, reporters
seeking further details OF the disaster
| and throngs OF people attracted oy curl
oslty. SO dense was the throng in the VI
cinlty that the admiralty officials were
compelled to summon policemen to re-
strain the crowd.
EXPERT OPINION OF THE ACCIDENT.
LONDON. June 23.-Lord George Hamil.
ton. First Lord of the Admiralty i'll Sails
| bury's Cabinet, said to-day IN an inter
| view that without doubt the Camper
| downs ram had cut away the plating on
the Victoria outside OF several of her trans
verse bulkheads. Had this not been. the
case. the bulkheads could have been
| closed and the water kept IN one, or, al
| most. two compartments, and the vessel
would still have foated. But with the
plating torn off or cut away outside ol
| several of the bulkheads the inflow OF
| water would have been enormous. and
there would have been no time. even II II
would have ayailed anything, to close the
bulkheads.
sHIP-owNER's VIEW.
Arthur Bowen Forwood, ship-owner
and formerly Secretary 10 the Admiralty
Isaid the Victoria had a longitudinal bulk
head running through her. besides mum
Der running across the ship. she was
thus divided INTO compartments on eaGl
| side of the longitudinal buikheads WITH
ont communication between them. lc
his opinion, what had occurred was this
The Camperdown had struck the Nictorlf
a scraping blow. glancIng along the side
ana ouenlng out the plate above seyera
of the compartments. The water wa
then admitted into q number OF the com
partments on one side of the ship. causing
her TO caps.ze by its great weight.
TIE vIcroRIA's ARMAMENT.
The Victoria was single-turret ship
carving TWO ll0-tOn guns, mounted IN
forward turret coated with lS inches OF
compoupd armor: one 10-inch 30
ton gun, firing aft. and a broad
side auxiliary armament OF twelve
6.inch 5-ton guns. OF artillery OF
a smaller nature she carried twenty-ont
quick. firing and eight machine guns. hel
maximum speed was 1875 knots. Sht
could stow 1900 tons OF coal in her bunk
ers. and be. radius of action at ten knots
speed. with her full complement OF coal
was estimated at 1000 knots Her ar
mored belt and bulkheads consisted o.
compound armor from Is to lS inches II
thickness. She was built at Elswick.