The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-06-24
VICTORIA'S DEATH BLOW.
Over -Four Hundred British Tars
Lost With Their Ship.
THERE ARE MANY SADDENED
HOMES In OLD ENGLAND.

During Maneuvres in the Mediterra-
nean-The Great Ship Turned Bottom
Up and Went to the Bottom-It Is Be-
lieved 43O Lost Their Lives-Sir George
Tryon Among the Dead.
LONDON, June GA most terrible
calamity has befallen the British navy.
The battle ship Victoria. flagship of the
Mediterranean squadron, has been lost
with hundreds of lives.
The Victoria, which flew the flag of
Vice Admiral Sir George Tryon, K. c.
B., was run into off Tripoli by the Brit
ish battle ship Camperdown, also be-
longing to the Mediterranean squadron,
and under the command of Capt. Chas.
Johnstone. 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 be.
gan 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
uAlO OluOCIc duO CI6W IldudSE1 W R0U Ouu
OF the suction caused by the sinking
vessel and were rescued. Among those
lost is Vice Admiral Tryon
The first reports of the disaster stated
that about 200 men had been drowned,
but later dispatches show that the loss
of life was far greater, not less than 400
of the officers and crew of the Victoria
having gone down with their ship.
Admiral Sir George Tryon was COM
mander-in-chief of the Mediterranean
fleet. He was made a vice admiral
August 20, 1891.
Rear Admiral Albert Fl. Markham, of
the Trafalgar, the flagship of the Rear Ad-
miral in the Mediterranean, has tele-
graphed the Admiralty from Tripoli,
under date Of today, as follows:
II regret to report that while maneu-
yering off Tripoli yesterday afternoon the
Victoria and Camperdown collided. The
Victoria sank in Is minutes in 4S fathoms
of water. She lies bottom uppermost.
The Camperdown's ram struck the Vic
toria forward of the turret on the star
board side. Twenty-one officers were
drowned. Two hundred and fifty-five
men were saved. The injury to the
Camperdown has not yet been fully as
certained, but it is serious, and will
necessitate her going on dock for repairs.
I propose to send the survivors to
Malta.'
The tirst dispatches concerning the ac-
cident led to the belief that the disaster
had occurred off the coast of Tripoli, in
Northern Africa. Later advices show
that the scene of the calamity was near
Tripoli, a seaport town on the Eastern
Mediterranean, fifty miles northeast of
Beyrout, Syria, and comparatively
short distance from the Island of Cy-
prus. The Eastern Mediterranean has
proved most unfortunate cruising
ground for the Victoria, for it was in
this part of the sea that she met with
her serious accident in January, 1892.
AS soon as the officers of the Victoria
saw that there was danger of their ship
foundering, orders We're 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 or
der, but the ship was making water too
fast to allow the closing of the bulkheads,
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.
The complement of officers and crew of
the Victoria comprised 700 men. The
list of officers drowned include, besides
Vice Admiral Tryon, Chaplain Norris,
Lieutenant Munro, Fleet Paymaster Rick
cord, Fleet Engineer Foreman, Engineer
Harding, Assistant Engineers Deadman,
Hatherly and Seaton, Gunner Howell,
Boatswain Bernard, Carpenter Beall,
Midshipmen Inglis, Grieve, Fawkes, Lam
yon, Henley, Gambler and Scarlett, Cadet
Stocks and Clerks Allen and Savage.
A change had recently been made in
the commander attached to the Victoria,
Charles L. Ottley having been detached
and succeeded by Commander Fellicome,
who was\ saved, as were also Captain
Maurice A. Bourke and 15 other officers.
AS soon as the news of the disaster be-
came known in London the Duke of
Edinburgh visited the Admiralty and
conferred with the officials there. A
meeting of the Admiralty Board was held
and telegram of Instructions was sent
to Rear Admiral Markham. The news Of
the calamity has caused the most intense
excitement, not only among those who
had friends on board the Inflated ship,
but among all classes of the population.
The Admiralty Office in Whitehall is be-
sieged by relatives and friends of the Off
GERS and crew.
As soon as Her Majesty received Rear
Admiral Markham's dispatch she gave
orders for the postponement of the state
ball that was to have taken place at
Buckingham Palace tonight.
Mr.. Gladstone was greatly shocked
when he was informed of the sinking of
the Victoria and the great loss of life
that had attended the laundering of the
vessel. The Prime Minister informed
the House of Commons of the accident
and paid most glowing tribute to the
worth of Vice Admiral Tryon, who, it
is said, was one Of the ablest and most
esteemed officers in the service of Her
Maj esty.
Mr.. Gladstone said that there were Gil
officers, seamen and boys and 1O7 ma
rines on board the ship. 1t was feared of
this total of 71S souls 430 had been lost.
He was sure that the deepest sympathy
of the House would be felt for the
brave who had found an
untimely grave in the service of their
country. and that it would be extended
to their relatives and friends.
Lord George Hamilton, formerly First
Lord of the Admiralty, indorsed every
thing that Mr.. Gladstone had said, and