The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-06-27
FOUR HUNDRED LOST.
SINKING OF THE WARSHIP TICTO-
EIA IN THE MEDTTEREANEAN.
Another Warslip Ran Into Her, and Before
the Boats Could be Lowered the Victo-
ria Sank-Excitement in London.

London, June ga tragedy of the sea
without parallel i'll the naval annals OF
recent times occurred today. The British
battleship Victoria, the flagship of the Medl-
terranean squadron, has completed check
cred career by sinking off Tripol, after
collision with the Camperdown, Il sister ship
of the squadron. This tragedy, resulting
III the loss of 100 men, including the vice
admiral of the squadron, had not been
tQualed III fatal results since the sinking
OF the Royal George in lIS2, when 600
souls found their shroud in the ocean
waves.
Details of the disaster are me&Ser, ana
the responsibility for this woeful loss OF
life has not been fixed Some of the ships
Of the squadron were malcuV@rlnS, when
the PROV ram of the CampcrdoWn struck
the Victoria forward of the tuIrct in the
starboard side. Through the enormous hole
made by her sister ship, the water poured
so rapidly i'll that she was sinking before
an effort could be made to man the boats.
Even in the face of impossbillty, the
sailors strovc to close the break, but, III
the midst of their labor of desperation,
the mighty huh turned completely. over
and went to the bottom, fifteen minutes
after the Victoria had received the fatal
blow, the water closing over her, and the
brave hearts that were prepared to battle
to beat, because the mistake of friend
was more deadly than designs OF any toe.
She Wa 70" UnwIeIdy.
The loss of this ship, with its attending
terrible sacrifice of life. is looked upon as
confirming the opinion of many naval 0tll-
GERS concerning the warShipS OF the present
day While the Victoria might have been
unmatched us to efficiency in destroying u
seacoast fertilization, experts say she was
decidedly too unWeldly for serious mancu-
vering off seaboard. Naval engineering,
they point out, has never progressed as
rapidly as architecture, and the stupendous
mass of the tcn-thousand-ton war ship can
not be controlled as we'll us the officers
might desire. Twin screws were the desIder-
atum They proved excellent indeed but
the delay and waste of energy III propellnG
Che levianthans is still drag. There Is
but little doubt in the minds OF those VINO
have knowledge of naval architecture that
the loss of the Victoria was mainly due to
the defects referred to above. 1t is prob
able that either the Camperdown or the
Victoria could not lessen the impetus re
cpived from its engine unrequlred. 1t IS
also commented that while scarcely any
thing has been done to nullify the action
nf the ram. the navies of the World have
given hardly Il thought to the lifeboat.
Taking it altogether. the disaster is regard
ed by naval people as Il severe lesson TO the
nayies of the world.
The Ship and the Admiral.
The Victoria was Il tWin-Screw DattleShp,
of lOO1O tons and of 1900 horse power.
She mounted fifteen guns The Camper
down is also Il tirst-class tWn-screw battle
ship. She is of 10,G0o tons and 1l,oOO
horse power and carries ten guns.
Vice Admiral Sir George Trion was
compander-in-chief of the Mediterranean
station He was made Il vice admiral Au-
gust 20, 1891.
Rear Admiral Albert II. Markham, of the
Trafalgar the flagship of the rear admiral
in the Mediterranean, has telesraphed TO
the admiralty, from Tripoli, under date of
today. as follows:
off Tripoli this afternoon the Victoria and
Campcrdown collidcd. The Victoria sank III
fifteen minutes in eighteen fathoms of water
She lies bottom uppermoSt. Inc CaMptr-
downs rams struck the Victoria forward of
the turret on the starboard side. Twenty-one
officers were drowned. Two hundred and
Twenty-Five men were drowned. The injury
10 the Camperdown has not vet ne2n fully
ascertained, but it is serious and Viii nec.S'
State her going on dock Tor remnrS' pro-
pose to send the survivors to Malta.
List OF Officers Drowned
The complement of officers and crew OF
thr Victoria comprised 600 men. The list
of officers drowned includes. besides wee
Admiral Trion. Captain Morris. licuten-
amt Monro, Fleet PAymaster E'cord' FIRST
Engineer Forman- Engineer Harding, AS
sjStant Engineers Dradman, llatherly and
Scaton. Gunner Howell, Boatswain liar-
mon. CARPENTER Meade, MidShipmen Gricve.
Flakes. Lanyon. Penly, Gambler and
Scarlet, Cadet Stocks and Clerks Allen and
Savage.
4 change had recently been made in the
commander attached to the Victoria.
Charles l.. Ottley, having been detached
and succeeded by Commander FelIicomc,
who was saved, as were also the captain,
the Hon Maurice A. Boulke, and fifteen
other officers.
where the Collision Occurred.
The first dispatches concerning the ac-
cident led to the belief that the disaster
had occurred off the coast of Tripoli. in
northern Africa. Later adviccs show that
the scene of the calamity was near Tripoli.
a seaport town on the eastern Mediter-
ranean.
The eastern Mediterra mean has proved a
most unfortunate cruising ground for the
of the sea that she met her serious
last year the Victoria ran aground off the
Greek coast, near Patca, and she was only
foated off after an immense amount of
labor and large expense.
Tue to Carelessncss.
1t was said that this accident was due
to carcessness. 4 boats crew from the
Victoria was sent to mark with buoy
Il shOal, the existence of which was known
TO the Victoria $ officers. The shoal is
short one, and extends out from the shore
The boats crew was instructed to pro-
coed along the shoals from the shore until
ten fathons of water was reached, and then
to mark the spot with buoy. When
within IL hundred yards of the end, the
boat got off the shoals. and, as the next
sounding showed ten fathoms of water,
the buoy was launched. The Victoria
then came along at Il good rate of speed
ut right angles to the shoal to take Il
position for torpedo practice and, passing
well outside the buoy. struck the shoal
and remained fast. The Ho". Morris
Bourke. captain of the Victoria and Il son
of the late earl of Myo, who is the young
est post captain in the British navy. was
held responsible for the accident, and was
severely reprimanded by a courtmartial.
As soon as the officers of the Victoria
saw that there was danger of their ship
foundering orders We're given t. close the
collision hulkhcuds in order to Keep the
water in the compartment into which the
Campcrdown had showed IL ram. The
sailors tried to obey the order, but the
ship was making water too fast to allow
the closing of the bulkhcads, 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.
Excitement in London.
AS soon as the news of the disaster be-