The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-06-24
Loss OF THE VICTORIA.
Cause Of Collision with the Camper
down Seems to be a Mystery.
PECULIAR COMPARTMENT SYSTEM
Maritime Authorities Say IL is n Wonder
that such an Accident Has Not Hap
pened Before Misreading of Signals
May Have Caused the Accident

LONDON. June "a. The accident to the
British battleship Victoria. the flagship OF
the Mediterranean squadron, has never
been equalled in fatal results in naval an
mails OF recent times
Arthur Bower Forwood, a well-known
shipowner of Liverpool, who was for
merly Secretary to the Admiralty, said it
was a wonder that such an accident had
not occurred before. The Victoria had
longitudinal bulkhead running through
her. besides number running across-
shin. She was thus divided into compart-
ments on each side of the longitudinal
bulkhead. without communication be-
tween them.
In his opinion what had occurred was
this: The Camperdown had struck the
Victoria q ripping blow, glancing along
the side, and opening out the plates above
several of the compartments. The water
was then admitted into a number OF the
COMMITMENTS ON one side Of the ship,
causing her to capsize by the great weight.
The longitudinal bulkhead was good
thing in its way, Mr.. Forwood said, but 1t
did not serve TO avert disaster.
The immediate cause Of the collision. he
added, cannot now be exactly stated. The
squadron appears to have been vancouver
ing. probably within space OF three miles,
leaving a small area for each vessel TO
move in. A misreadng Of signals may
have caused the accident.
The Victoria. which flew the flag of
Vice Admiral Sir George Tryon. X. &. b.,
was run into off Tripoli by the British
battleship Camperdown, also belonging to
the Mediterranean squadron, and under
the command Of Capt. Charles Johustone.
The Victoria had an enormous hole made
In her side through which the water
poured in torrents.
The immense hull Of the Victoria at
once began to settle and before those on
board OF her could cast loose their small
boats she went to the bottom, carrying
down with her nearly all on board. Some
of the officers and crew managed to get
out of the suction caused by the sinking
vessel and were rescued. Among those
lost is Vice Admiral Tryon.
The first dispatches concerning the acci-
dent led to the belief that the disaster had
occurred of the coast OF Tripoli, In North
eru Africa. Later advices show that the
scene Of the calamity was near Tripoli, .
seaport town on the Eastern Mediterranean,
hfty miles northeast OF Beyroot Syria, and
q comparatively short distance from the
Island of Cyprus
The Duke Of Edinburgh has received
this despatch from Emperor William III:
Words cannot express our horror We
al sympathize with our British comrades
AS token Of our sympathy your ensign is
flying from the mainmasts OF our vessels,
with our own ensign at halfmast, accord
ing to my orders"
In discussing the disaster this morning
Lord Brassey late Secretary of the Admir-
atty, said that the sinking of the Victoria
supplied a strong argument against build
ing more big men .of-war. 1t was evident
be said, that the victoria's armor afforded
no protection from the Camperdown's
RAM While not convinced that smaller
vessels were safer than larger ones, he
thought it wiser to distribute the conn
try's naval strength among many less pre-
tentious men of war rather than among
. few monster battleships. 1t was poor
policy to put so many eggs In one basket.
A court circular issued last evening says
that the Queen received the news with the
deepest grief and that ''her heart bleeds
for the many homes plunged in mourn
ing"
The Quoen will publish to-day a special
letter of coincidence with the families al
hicted by the disaster.
A despatch received at 2 o'clock this
morning from Bayroot says that the col
lision occurred at o'clock Thursday af-
ternoon, about seven miles from Tripoli.
The vessels were almost at right angles
when the Victoria was struck
Those on the Victcria's deck at the
moment Of collision scrambled away and
were rescued by the boats from the Cam
perdown and several other vessels. The
men below had no time to reach the deck
The sudden heeling OF the Victoria caused
her to begin to fill Immediately and no es.
cape was possible. She went down In 80
fathoms Of water.
1t is difficult to obtain the names OF the
mon rescued, as they are aboard several
vessels, and so far all efforts have been
devoted to recovering bodies.