The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-06-26
LESSON Of THE VICTORIA.
The Theories OF Experts on the Re-
cent Great Disaster. 81
ADMIRAL GHERARDI'S OPINION.

no THINKS that ths SteerinS Sear Oh tne
Camperdown Failsd-Limitations OF
the Compartment system-Fleet Tao
tics May he Revised.
tinued absence OF authentic information
as to the exact cause of the Victoria catas-
trophe our naval experts are theorizing
and seeking to read the lesson taught by
this great naval disaster. The opinions
vary between defective steering gear and
misunderstood signals.
Admiral Gherardi Is one of the high ma
val lights who inclines to the belief that
the steering gear failed. He recalls the
fact that in the course of the voyage OF
the vessels of the naval review feet from
the Pacific to Hampton Roads his flagship
on two occasions was abruptly signalled,
once by the San Francisco and once by the
Charleston, and informed that the steam.
gear apparatus had utterly failed. Had
this happened when the vessels of the fleet
were In close formation the results might
have been disastrous collisions. In modern
naval construction every possible precau-
ton is taken to ensure the efficacy of the
steering gear, but even then accidents will
happen.
Ali naval vessels are now handled alto
gether by steam steering gear as the weight
and speed of the great craft make 1t almost
impossible tohandle them quickly by hand.
Still they are fitted with auxiliary hand
steering wheels for use in case of accident
to the steam plant.
Surprise has been expressed in some
quarters at the fact that the vessel was
not saved from sinking by the water tight
compartments into which she was divided.
But the naval constructors say that too
much dependence has been placed on these
compartments They are unquestionably
of great service, as was strikingly shown in
the case of the City of Paris when she sue
ceeded In reaching port with both of the
large compartments containing her engines
full of water.
Had the Victoria been struck at either
end she might still have foated and in
fact the Camperdown which crashed into
the Victoria undoubtedly owes her own
escape from immediate laundering to the
tact that her forward compartment bulk
head kept the enormous flood of water
which probably poured through her torn
bow from flooding the vessel Also the
midship bulkheads may be Of inestimable
service in case Of heavy leaks which can be
confined to one compartment Commo.
dore Farquahar, the hero of the Samoan
wreck, speaking on this point said:
'You never hear of a vessel struck
amidships surviving the blow. They are
bound to fill; the shockx.is so great that
everything substantial that is cut down
is wrenched aud torn apart"
The naval constructors have been ex-
amining the plans of the i'll fated ship and
making some rough measurements based
on the information respecting the collision
that has reached the Department, and they
find that the keen ram of the Camper
down must have entered the hull of the
Victoria Just below the protective deck,
crumpling il up; filling the second large
compartment at once and through the
heavy leaks caused by tearing up the pro-
tective deck also filling the adjoining
compartments.
Chief Constructor Hichborn has made
an interesting calculation TO show in q
graphic manner the enormous force Of the
blow that the Camperdown dealt upon the
hull of the Victoria He says:
"The Camperdown has weight of TO-.
900 tons and was moving at the rate OF
ten knots an hour, or Is 80 feet per sec
foot tons delivered by the sharp ram of
the Camperdown. That is equivalents to
the blow that would be struck by a rail
road train consisting OF six large Pullman
cars drawn by the heaviest of locomotives,
say one of 100 tons, running at speed Of
so miles per hour"
Naval officers say that compartments
sometimes fail Of their purpose because
the water tight doors are not closed in
time to keep out the water from the dam
aged portion. Admiral Gherardi says
that 1t Is absolutely necessary to keep
these doors open most Of the time owing
to the impossibility of securing air to
breathe when they are closed, especially in
tropical climates. 1t is reported that the
Victoria's sailors were endeavoring to
close these doors when the ship went
down. This has led TO the suggestion that
by electrical or other appliances the doors
might be made to close automatically up
on signal of danger. But there are said
to be many practical difficulties in the
way OF such device, not tho least being
the danger Of decapitating or crushing the
sailors who might be caught beneath tho
doors when they were snapped together.
One result has been to bring to the front
numbers of advocates of the ram pure and
simple as weapon OF oHense. On the
other hand there are those who say that
the efficiency of the ram may easily be over.
estimated, for actual experience in warfare
has proven that it is exceedingly difficult
and in most cases impossible to ram an
antagonist that is fully aware of the pur-
pose of the enemy.
II the Victoria could be raised. perhaps
a careful inspection of her injuries might
a ypItt tal .la IN ha htttlJ Of
naval vessels but that is practically inn
possible owing to the great depth of tho
water In which she lies and as it is, the
naval designers do not see that the Victo.
ria's loss Is likely to lead to any essential
change i'm naval construction and the only
result of this terrible lesson will be to
cause a change in fleet tactics and to lead
commanding officers of vessels to the exer-
else OF a hign degree of skill In handling