Huntsville gazette., 1893-07-01
had taken some little time.

victoria, having got something like
two miles nearer shore than the scene
OF the collision, all at once leaned
away over to the starboard. and with q
great roll and plunge, buried her bow
beneath the sea. It was almost insta
neous. There was only chance for a
few wild cries and the Victoria was al
most submerged, bow foremost, with
| her swiftly-revolving screws whirring
clear of the water and high in the air.
Those on deck were immedi-
ately plunged into the water. The men
below had not time to rush to the deck,
but found themselves cropping for doors
OF rooms filed with water and COM
pressed air. Commander Jellico, who
| was lying in his berth sick with fever,
started up and dashed to the deck in
pajamas, TO find himself Immediately
struggling in the water. A lieutenant
swan to him, put his arm ground him,
| and despite the handicap of supporting
| helpless man, was able to get away
| from the side of the sinking ship. The
huge hull was drawing in the water as
| it went down, and several hundred men,
| hurled suddenly into the water fully
dressed, had to battle against the in
| creasing suction.
| A moment later new peril de-
| scended upon them. The great engine,
deep in the heart of the hull, and in
closed in a water-tight compartment,
was still throbbing at full speed, and
the great steel fianges of the twin
screws were whirling around up in
| the air. As the vessel sank the screws
came nearer and nearer to the water
and descended into the midst of the
struggling human beings. The vessel
sank slowly, and when the screws were
low enough to begin to whirl in the
| water again the suction had increased
until there was a deepening vortex like
a maelstrom. At the bottom of this
maelstrom the screws were revolving
like circular knives. The poor creatures
battled in vain against the suction.
| They were drawn down and in
against the swift-revolving blades
| Then came a scene which made
| the officers on the decks of the
other war ships of the fleet
| turn away sick with horror. Screams
and shrieks arose, and in the white foam
appeared redeemed arms and legs, and
| wrenched and torn bodies. Headless
| trunks were tossed out of the vortex,
| to linger moment on the surface and
sink out q sight. All within reach OF
tnat vorGdx los;t ~ ciioil prosc1oo fmiEa.
Men who knew how to swim ceased
| swimming and fought by themselves.
| Men clutched each other in frenzy and
struck each other off. One man who
has escaped says that he saw in this
vortex at least fifty of his fellows fight
| ing with each other and with newt
able death. In moment or so the
knives disappeared and the vortex be-
| gan to close up. The ship was be-
meath the surface just as the whirl was
| Swallowed almost to the surface. Then
| there was muffled sound of thunder,
the waters were tossed up and the
steam burst from them. Again the
shrieks and screams burst from the
| swimmers, the boiler had exploded, the
sea had rushed into the furnace, and the
swimmers were beating waves of scald-
| ing waters Thus in less than ten min
! utes death in three awful forms at
| tackled the officers and crew of the Vic
toria-death by drowning, death by
| knife-like screws, and death by sCald'
| ing water. With the first under plunge
of the Victoria all the boats were called
away from all the other ships, and
| came straining over the calm surface
| to save the strugglers. These boat1
were soon picking up the fortunate
| ones who had got out of reach of the
! terrible vortex. So long as the vortex
was there the boats dared not come
near, but they did lift from the water
several sailors who were horribly
burned. 1t is said that more than hall
of those drowned got out of the ship,
| but were caught in the vortex OF
| scalded to death.
Admiral Tryon stayed on the bridge
and refused to leave it. Just before
the Victoria made her under plung:
| he saw what was about to happen and
| issued an order for each man 70 save
| himself, but the order never got be-
| yond the bridge, for ruin descended
straightway.
] The diver whom he had ordered be-
| low to look into the danger was still
on deck and dressed for his descent,
! except his helmet. He would have
been dragged to the bottom by his
heavy lead-soled shoes had it not been
for a seaman who stopped to cut him
loose from his heavy clothes. The
| diver was saved, but the man who cut
him free was drowned, This was one
| of many acts of heroism, self-forgetful-
ness and daring.
| The peril in the water was increased
| by the fact that the sea thereabouts is
| infested with sharks. 1t is the duty OF
| the marines when collision occurs to
Immediately go below and close all the
water-tight compartments When the
| Camperdown struck the Victoria the
Victoria's marines went below for their
duty, and, as result, of 100 marines
| on the Victoria, "a were lost.
| To be Court Martialed.
LONDON, June 27.-It has been def
| nitely decided that Rear-Admiral Al
| bert H. Markham, who was second IN
command to Rear-Admiral TryoD, OF