The herald., 1893-06-29
Il TALE or TIKI OCEAN.

No one can read the account Of the
sinking Of the British battle ship Vic
toria, with its attendant loss OF life,
without feeling that the idea OF the
poet, ''on horrors head horrors &C.
cumulate," was terribly realized on that
occasion. The feet wore making their
evolutions on bright day in CLASSY
sea. All was serene and nothing could
have been farther from the men on the
doomed ship than that anything outside
OF the usual course was to happen. At
once the scene changes. There is a coll
lision, and the ram OF the Camperdown
came cashing through the starboard side
Of the Victoria. The waters rushed in
and the longitudinal bulkhead, instead
Of being device OF ssfety, became an
instrument of destruction. 1t prevented
the water from spreading equally over
the ship and confined it to one OF its
upper sides. TIE great weight soon dis
turbed the equilibrium of the vessel,
and when the center of gravity was
changed, the great ship gave lurch,
toppled over towards the breach, which
was well forward, and then plunged
stem fret into the depths.
Even at this point, those who beheld
the awful scene from the decks of the
nearest vessels had hopes that most OF
the lives on the Inflated Victoria would
be saved; but az she went down her
stern raised above the level of the sea,
and it was seen that her propellers were
making foarfully rapid revolutions.
They were the last to disappear, but it
was soon made apparent that they had
brought into the scene another and
more horrible engine of death. The
struggling mass Of mariners were drawn
into the vortex and thrown against the
revolving blades to be cut as it we're into
mincemeat; for second later the water,
covered with dismembered arms and
legs, was red with blood.
"Will great Neptunes ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No; this my hand Will
rather
The multitudinous seas incarnardine,
Making the green-one red"
Such was the image of the poets
fancy, but here was the dread realiz-
alton.
One would feel that this had reached
the climax OF horrors held in store for
the unfortunate mariners struggling in
the water. But no. A deep, smothered
noise is heard, and then volumes OF
steam arose from the surface OF the
water. The boilers OF the Inflated ship
had exploded, and another avenue OF
death was opened to the struggling mass,
| for the vicinity was at once seething
sea of scading water. Then, to heap
horrors again on horrors head, the man
eating sharks of the Mediterranean
scented the feast of human flesh await
ing them, and came to the scene in
voracious sehoola. 1t 10 not, under the
circumstances, wonderful that 30 many
we're lost, but it is miraculous that any
escaped.
Many a freside will be rendered
lonely and dssolste by this terrible
tragedy of tho sea; and in the years to
come the story will be told in many q
hamlet, how como dear one went down
to death in the Victoria.
1t is not gracious task to try to draw
from an event so horrible the consola-
ton OF lesson that it will teach for the
benefit of others. But we will venture
simply to cay, ii these monster ironclad
battle-shipe are subject to disaster 30
complete and sweeping on calm sea,
under cloudless sky, and in the COM
pany of friendly fleet, what will they
not be subject to in battle. with enc
mics all around them2 viii it not
teach the nations that with the acces :
sion Of power by size, there ia a loss
OF easy motion and elasticity which
renders such monster ships more
dangerous than all the advantages
they may have occurred by the fact that
they can carry heavier guns aud more
powerful armements than modest sized
craft? Will it not clinch the fact that
there is point in aize in naval archl-
lecture over which it is onsafe to 60
After all, it is not the men OF giant
stature who perform the great effec i've
work OF the world; it is the great multi.
tude of ordinary men, as to phyeque
whose combined efforts count in the
advances made by the human family
Ofwhst avail was Guliver's great bulk
of body, when the Lilliputs had him
securely bound and were making race
track OF his ponderous dimensions?