The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-06-24
SAILORS DROWNED.
Terrible Accident to a Big
British War Vessel.
FOUR HUNDRED LIVES LOOT.
The Victoria Sunk by Collision
with Q Sister Ship.
WENT DOWN IN FIFTEEN MINUTES,

Were Maneuvering, md Resulted from
the Inability of the OGicers to Control
the Movements of Their vessels-A Les
son to the Navics OF the World Against
Ponderous warshIps.
LONDON, June 24--A most terrible cal
amity has befallen the British battlesbip
Victoria, flagship of the Mediterranean
squadron, and four hundred lives have
been lost.
The Victoria, which flew the flag of
Vice Admiral Sir George Tryon, X. G. b.,
was run into off Tripoli by the British
battlesh.p Camperdown, also belonging
to the Mediterranean squadron, and under
the command of Captain Charles John
stone. 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
posts she went to the bottom, carrying
dorm 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 Sir George Tryon.
commanderin-chief of the Mediterranean
station. He was made vice admiral Aug.
DO. 1901.
The list OF officers drowned includes be-
odes Vice Admiral Tyron, Chaplain Nor
MS, Lieutenant Monroe, Fleet Paymaster
Rickcord, Fleet Engineer Foreman. Enpi-
neer Harding, Assistant Engineers Dead
man, Hatherly and Seaton: Gunner How
eii. boatswain Barnard, Carpenter Beall,
Midshipmen 1nglis, Grieve. Fawkes, Lam
yoo. Henley. Gambler and Scarlet; Cadet
Stocks, and Clerks Allen and Savage.
As soon as the officers of the Victoria saw
That there was danger OF their ship found
srinR orders were given to close the colli-
sion bulkheads in order to keep the water
In the compartment in which the Camper
down had showed her ram. The sailors
tried to obey the order, but the ship was
making water too fast to allow of closing
the bulkheads, and while the men were
still trying to shut them the vessel with
her immense guns and heavy top hammer.
turncd over and carried them down.
The scene OF the calamity was near Trim
oil, a seaport town on the eastern Mediter.
raneln, fifty miles northeast of Beyroot.
6yria, and a comparatively short distance
from the island of Cyprus.
The Victoria was a twin screw battle
ship OF 10.470 tons and "A, 900 horse power
She mounted fifteen guns The Camper
down Is also first class twin screw bat
tieship. She is of 10000 tons and II 500
morse power and carries ten guns. The
complement of officers and crew of the
Victoria comprised GOO men.
Rear Admiral Albert IL. Markham. Of
She Trafalgar, the flagship of the rear adj
Hniral In the Mediterranean, has tcle-
Iphed 70 the admiralty from Tripoli,
B5rla, a. follows:
II regret to report that while maneuyer-
ing of Tripoli the Victoria and Caper-
down collided The Victoria sank in fifteen
minutes in eighteen fathoms of water.
Sbe lies bottom uppermost The Camper
downs ram struck the Victoria forward of
the turret on the starboard side. Twenty
ono officers were drowned. Two hundred
and hfty-five men wore saved The injury
10 tho Camperdown has not yet been fully
ascertalned, but it is serious and will ne
cesstate her going on dock for repairs. I
propose to send the survivors to Malta"
Both the Victoria and tho Camperdown
were accounted among the most effective
line OF battleships in the English navy,
and were supposed to be a match for any-
thing afioat, although not quite so modern
IN type as the Empress OF India, the Hood.
aad few other ships of the very latest
construction. Neither of them has been
ten years in commission.
The Victoria was the largest vessel ever
launched upon the Tyne up to 1883, and IL
was necessary to dredge the river before
she could be taken to Chatham dockyard.
Her dimensions were: Length $40 feet,
breadth 10 feet, meun dranght 25 feet
Inches, displacementin tons l0.500, horse
power II, 600. She was protected by armor
IL lnphaa on1 tn
alo-ton guns, one Bottom gun, twelve 5-ton
guns twelve six-pounder quick firing
guns, nine three FOUNDER quick firing |
guns, besides machine guns for smaller
ammunition. She also had a powerful |
ram and eight torpedo discharges. Her
speed was IA knots, or about twenty |
miles an hour.
In discussing the disaster Lord Brassey.
Tor some time secretary of the admiralty. |
said that the sinking of the Victoria SUP.
piled strong argument against building
more big men-of-war. 1t was evident, he
said, that the Victoria's armor afforded
her no protection from tho Camperdown's
ram. While not convinced that smaller
vessels were safer than large ones, he
thought 1t wiser to distribute the country's
naval strength among many less preten-
sious men-of-war, rather than among a
few monster battleships It was poor pol
Icy to put SO many eggs In one basket,
A court circular issued last evening SAYS
lhat the queen received the news with the
deepest grief and that "her heart bleeds
for the many homes plunged in mourn
Ing" The queen publishes today special
letter of coincidence with the families af-
dlcted by the disaster.
A dispatch just received from Beyroot
says the collision occurred at O'Clock in
The afternoon, about seven miles from
Tripoli. The vessels were almost ut right
angles when the Victoria was struck.
Those on the Victoria's deck at tho mo-
msnt of the collision scrambled away and
we're rescued by boats from the Camper
down and several other vessels. Tho men
below had no time to reach the deck. The
sudden keeling of the Victoria caused her
TO begin to fill Immediately and no escape
was possible. She went down in eighty
fathoms Of wnter. 1t Is difficult to obtain
the names OF the rescued, rs they are
aboard several vessels, and so far all efforts
have been devoted to recovering bodies.
1t is said that several times the Victoria
had shown signs OF weakness in her steer
hH gear. Uus ca.cory Is tnat on account
of this weakness she became uninannge-
able and could not be gotten out of the
Camperdowns way
LORD HAMILToS's VIEWS.