Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-06-24
LOSS OF The VICTORIA
Cause of Her Collision With
the Camperdown Seems
to be a Mystery.
PECULIAR COMPARTMENT SYSTEM
OF THE VESSEL

-SS.-
Maritime Authorities Say it is a Wonder
That Such an Accident Has Not Hap
pened Before NIIsreading of Signals
May Have Caused the Accident-Thres
Hundred and Forty-fve Lives Were
Lost-1ntense Excitement In England.
Expressions of Sympathy.
LONDON, June 24-The accident to the
British battleship Victoria. the flagship of
the Mediterranean squadron, has never
been equalled in fatal results in naval an
mails of recent times
Arthur Bower Forwood, a we'll known
shipowner of Liverpool, who was for
merly Secretary to the Admiralty, said it
was wonder that such an accident had
not occurred before. The Victoria had a
longitudinal bulkhead running through
her, besides a number running across
ship. She was thus divided into compart-
ments on each side of the longitudln al
bulkhead, without communication be-
tween them.
In his opinion what had occurred was
this: The Camperdown had struck the
Victoria a ripping blow, glancing along
the side, and opening out the plates above
several of the compartments. The water
was then admitted into a number of the
compartments on one side of the ship,
causing her to capsize by the great weight.
The longitudinal bulkhead was a good
thing in its way, Mr.. Forwood said, but it
did not serve to avert disaster.
The immediate cause of the collision, he
added, cannot now be exactly stated. The
squadron appears to have been vancouver
ing, probably within space Of three miles,
leaving a small area for each vessel to
move in. A misleading of signals may
have caused the accident.
The Victoria, which few the flag OF
Vice Admiral Sir George Tryon, K. G. B.,
was run into off Tripoli by the British
battleship Camperdown, also belonging to
the Mediterranean squadron, and under
the command of Capt Charles tombstone.
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
boats she went to the bottom, carrying
down 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 Tryon.
The first reports of the disaster stated
that about 200 men had been drowned,
but later dispatches show that the loss Of
life Is far greater, not less than 345 of the
officers and crew of the Victoria having
gone down with their ship.
The Victoria was twin screw battle
ship of the first class. She was an
nl IA 0nD
horse power. She mounted fifteen guns.
The Camperdown is also a first class
twin screw battleship. She is of 10, 600
tons and II, 500 horse power, and carries
ten guns.
Admiral Sir George Tryon was com.
mander-in-ch on the Mediterranean
station. He was made a Vice-Admiral
Aug. 20, 1891.
Rear Admiral Albert H. Markham, of
the Trafalgar, the flagship of the Rear Ad,
miral in the Mediterranean, has tele-
Syria, as follows:
81 regret to report that while manoeuv-
ering off Tripoli the Victoria and Cam
perdown collided. The Victoria sank in
fifteen minutes in eighteen fathoms OF
water. She lies bottom uppermost. The
Camperdown's ram struck the Victoria
forward of the turret on the starboard
side. Twenty-one officers were drowned.
Two hundred and fifty-fve men were
saved. The injury to the Camperdown
has not yet been fully ascertained, but II
is serious and will necessitate her going on
dock for repairs. I propose to send the
survivors to Malta"
According to the navy list the principal
officers of the Victoria were: Vice-Ad-
miral, Sir George Tryon; Captain. Maui
rice A. Bourke; Commander, Charles L.
Ottley; Chaplain, Rev. Samuel S. o. Nor
ris; Fleet Surgeon, Thomas Bolster; Fleet
Paymaster, Valentine D. J. Rickcord; Fleet
Engineer, Felix Foreman.
The complement of officers and crew of
the Victoria comprised 600 men.
The list of officers drowned include, be-
sides Vice Admiral Tryon, Chaplain Nor
ris, Lieutenant Munro, Fleet Paymaster
Bickcord. Fleet Engineer Thomas Fore
man, Engineer Harding, Assistant Engi-
neers Deadman, Hatherly and Seaton,
Gunner Howell, Boatswain Barnard, Car
penter Beal, Midshipmen Inglis, Grieve.
Fawkes, Danyon, Henley, Gambler and
| Scarlett, Cadet Stocks, and Clerks Allen
| and Savage.
AS soon as the news of the disaster be-
came known in London, the Duke of Edin-
burgh, who was lately promoted to the
position of Admiral of the Fleet, visited
WAN ~
| dcials there.
A meeting of the Admiralty Board was
held, and a 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
| ILL fated ship, but among all classes of the
| population. The Admiralty Office in
whitehall is besieged by relatives and
friends of the crew, reporters seeking fur
| ther details of the disaster, and throngs OF
| people attracted by curiosity. So dens'
| was the throng in the vicinity that thu
| Admiralty officials were compelled tt
| summon the police to restrain the crowd
The first dispatches concerning the acct.
| dent led to the belief that the disaster hae
occurred off the coast of Tripoli, in North
| erp Africa. Later advices show that thu
| scene of the calamity was near Tripoli, .
seaport town on the Eastern Mediterranean
| fifty miles northeast of .Beyroot, Syria, ane
/ a comparatively short distance from tn
Island of Cyprus
| The Duke of Edinburgh has receives
this despatch from Emperor William II