Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-06-29


the bulkheads. The water must have
entered tho ship in solid mass and
thus entering on one side caused the
vessel to capsize almost immediately
The blow from the Camperdown, he
reasons, must have been delivered slant
ingly to have done the damage he be-
lieves has been done. The damage
would be all the greater to a ship with
her bulKheads pierced. She would thus
be worse off than ship with no bulk.
heads. The cause of the collision, he
said, is yet matter of conjecture.
A su1rowNERs VIEW.
Arthur Bower Forwood, n well-known
shipowner and formerly secretary to the
Admiralty, says it is Ii wonder such an
accident has not occurred before. Tho
Victoria had longitudinal bulkhead
running through her, beside number
running across ship. She was thus
divided in compartments on each side
of the longitudinal bulkhcad without
communication between them.
In his opinion what occurred was
this; The Campcrdown struck the Vic
toria ripping blow glancing along the
side and opening out the plates above
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was then admitted into number of
compartments on one side of the ship,
causing her to capsize by its great weight.
AS DESCRIBED BY A NAVY OFFICER.
LONDON, June 23.-An officer of high
rank in the royal navy, who is unusu-
ally well posted in navy evolutions and
news, told me tonight that the collision
of the Victoria and Camperdown proba.
bly, occurred under the following CON
ditions:
The fleet consisted of nine battleships,
the Victoria, Camperdown, Intiexible,
Sans Pnreil, Dreadnaught, Colossus,
Nile, Edinburgh and the Cottingwood,
and being in double columns, with the
Victoria, Vice admiral Sir George
Tryon's flagship, leading the left hand
column, and the Camperdown, Rear
admiral A. ii. Markham's flagship lead
ing the right hand column.
Signal was likely made for the squad
ron to change positions, making what
is familiarly known in the British navy
as the "gridirDn evolution" The vessels
i'll the port column put up their helms
aport and the other vessels astarbOard
! together, each vessel passing her mate
in the opposite column and exchanging
places with her, after which the double
column order is resumed.
In doing this the Victoria made a
sharp turn to the right and the Camper
down should have made an equally
sharp turn to the left, thus passing each
other on the starboard side.
The distance between the columns is
only four cables lengths, or 2,400 feet
Probably the Victoria swung around
promptly, but the Camperdown, which
has the reputation Of being an erratic
steerer, failed to mannuvre quickly
enough, and forging ahead too fast
struck the Victoria at the thwartshir
boathead, which separated the large for.
ward compartment from the next one
aft, thus filling both compartments
! Forward We're turretS and barbettcs
| bearing lS-inch armOr and two three
ton guns, with many tons of ammu
milton, while there were no correspond
ing weights aft.
The forward compartment filed in
stantly and the ship went down by tht
| bow until the stern was raised high
The weight of water on the right hanC
side gave the ship heavy lift 10 star
! board and caused her to careen cleal
over, or "turn turtle" as sailors say
going down bottom upwards.
Commenting on the effect Of the new:
in London, my informant said that nc
flags were hoisted at half mast because
people had not yet realized the i'm
portancc OF the disaster. 1t was like /
naval defeat, not only in the loss o
ships and men, but above ALL in tho
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