The Globe-republican., 1893-06-30
A WATERY GRAVE.
Appalling Collision of Warships in
the Mediterranean.
The British Battleship Victoria Sunk bv
the CamperdOwn-Over Four Hundred
Men and Officers Go Down-Vico
Admiral TryOn Lost.
ocean Disaster.

ish battle ship Victoria, of the Med
iterranean squadron, one of the largest
war ships of the nation, which carried
the flag of Vice Admiral Sir George
Tryon, X. c. b., was sunk off Tripoli,
a town northeast of Beyroot, Syria, to-
day by the British battleship Camper
down, also belonging to the Mediter-
ranean squadron and under command
of Capt. Charles johnson, and at least
400 lives were lost.
An enormous hole was broken in the
side of the Victoria through which the
water poured in torrents. The immense
hull at once began to settle and before
those on board of her could cast loose
their small boats she went to the bot
tom, carrying down with her nearly all
on board.
About go of the officers and crew
managed to get ont of the suction OF
the sinking vessel and We're rescued.
Among those lost was Vice Adm.
Tryon.
Rear Adm Albert II. Markham, OF
the Trafalgar, the flagship of the rear
admiral in the Mediterranean, has tel
egraphed to the admiralty from Tripoli,
under date of to-day, as follows: 81
regret that while maneuvering off
Tripoli this afternoon the Victoria and
Camperdown collided. The Victoria
sank in fifteen minutes in eighteen
fathoms of water. She lies bottom up
permost. The Camperdown's ram
struck the Victoria forward of the tur-
ret on the starboard side. Twenty-one
officers were drowned. Two hundred
and fifty men were saved. The injury
to the Camperdown has not yet been
fully ascerta med, but it is serious and
will necessitate her going on dock for
repairs. propose to send the surviv-
ors to Malta.
The complement of officers and crew
of the Victoria comprised 600 men.
The scene of the calamity was off
Tripoli, a seaport town on the eastern
Mediterranean, fifty miles northeast of
Beyroot. Syria, and a comparatively
short distance from the island of Cy
prus 1t was in that part of the sea
that she met with a serious accident in
January, 1892. and in January of last
year the Victoria ran aground off the
Greek coast near Platea and she was
only iioated after an immense amount
of labor and expense. Hon. Maurice
Bourke. captain of the Victoria and a
son of the late Earl of Mayo. the young
est post captain in the British navy,
was held responsible for the January
accident and was severely reprimanded
by court martial.
ASs l,n ,fst Of ho fof<
saw that there was danger in their
ship laundering orders were given to
close the collision bulkheads in order
to keep the water in the compartment
into which the Camperdown had showed
her ram. The sailors tried to obey the
order but the ship was making water
to fast to allow of action and while the
men were still at work the vessel, with
her immense guns and heavy top hamp-
er turned over and carried them down.
Further Details.
New YORK. June 21-Anextr edition
of the Evening World contains a spec
ial cable from Tripoli. Syria, giving the
first full details of the sinking of the
flagship Victoria. After describing the
The vessel sank slowly, and when the screws
were low enough to begin 10 whirl in the water
again the suction had Increased until there
was 4 deepening vortex Xix n maelStrom. At
the bottom of this maeistrom the screws were
revolving like circular knives The
poor creatures bat;led in vain agains.
this suction They were drawn down
and thrown against the swift blades. Then
came "A scene which made the officers on the
decks OF the other war-shipS OF the feet turn
away, sick with h )rror. Screams and ShriekS
arose and in the white foam appeared red
dened arms and legs, and wrenched and torn
bodies, Headless trunks were tossed out Of the
vortex TO linger a moment on the surface and
sink out of sight.
All within reach of that vortex lost their
presence of mind Men clutched each other in
frenzy and struck each other of. The deep
cone of whirling water with the swift knives
choppng human bodies all to pieces at the bot
tom OF il was a horror TO daunt che bravest
One man who was saved says that he saw in
this great vortex at least fifty of his fellows
fighting with each other and with inevitable
death. In n moment so the knives disap
peared and the vortex began to close up The
ship was beneath the surface just as the whirl
was Swallowed almost TO the surface.
Then there was maffled sound Of thunder
the waters were tossed up and steam burst
from them. Again the shrieks and screams
burst from the swimmers. The boilers had ex-
plodei the sea had rushed into the furnaces
and the swimmers were beating waves Of scald-
ing water.
Thus in less than ten minutes death in these
awful forms attacked the Officers and crew of
the Victoria-death by drowning, death by the
knifelike screws and death by scalding water.
Adm. Tyron stuck on the bridge and refused
to leave il Just before the Victoria made her
under plunge, he saw what was about to hap
pen and issued an order for each man to
save himself. but the order never got
beyond The bridge. for the ruin descended
straghtway.
With the first under plunge of the Victoria
ali the boats were CALEB away from oil the
other ships and came straining over the calm
sea 10 save the stragglers- These boats were
picking up those fortunate ones " no had got
out OF reach OF the terrible vortex So long as
the vortex was there the boats dared not ven
ture near. but they did lift from the scalding
water several wretched sailors who were hor-
ribly burned 1t is thought that more than
half OF those drowned got out OF the ship. but
we're caught in the vortex or scalded to death
by the boiling water.
II is the duty Of the marines when . collision
occurs to Immediately go below and close all
the water.tight compar tments When the
Cafnperdown struck the Victoria. the Victoria's
marines went below for their duty. and. as .
result, out Of I'D marines on the Victoria,
G