Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-06-29
OCEAN DISASTER.
Appalling Result Of Collision OF
BRITISH Warships.
The Great Battleship Victoria Sunk by the
Camperdown- Over Four Hundred
Officers and Men Perish-Vice
Admiral Tryon Lost.

LONDON, June 24.-The colossal Brit
ish battle ship Victoria, of the Med
iterranean squadron, one of the largest
war ships of the nation, which carried
the flag of Vice Admiral Sir George
Tryon, K. c. B., was sunk off Tripoli,
town northeast of Beyroot, Syria, to-
day by the British battleship Camper
down, also belonging to the Mediter-
ranean squadron and under command
of Capt. Charles johnson, and at least
400 lives were lost
An enormous hole was broken in the
side of the Victoria through which the
water poured in torrents. The immense
hull at once began to settle and before
those on board of her could cast loose
their small boats she went to the bot
tom, carrying down with her nearly all
on board.
About $50 of the officers and crew
managed to get out of the suction of
the sinking vessel and were rescued.
Among those lost was Vice Adm.
Tryon.
Rear Adm Albert II. Markham, of
the Trafalgar, the flagship of the rear
admiral in the Mediterranean, has tel
egraphed to the admiralty from Tripoi,
under date of to-day, as follows: 81
regret that while maneuvering off
Tripoli this afternoon the Victoria and
Camperdown co1lided. The Victoria
sank in fifteen minutes in eighteen
fathoms of water. She lies bottom up
permost. The Camperdown's ram
struck the Victoria forward of the tur-
ret on the Starboard side. Twenty-one
officers were drowned. Two hundred
and fifty men We're saved. The injury
to the Camperdown has not yet been
fully ascertained, but it is serious and
will necessitate her going on dock for
repairs. / propose to send the surviv-
ors to Malta
The complement of officers and crew
of the Victoria comprised 600 men.
The scene of the calamity was off
Tripoli, a seaport town on the eastern
Mediterranean, fifty miles northeast of
BeyrOot, Syria, and comparatively
short distance from the island of Cy
prus. 1t was in that part of the sea
that she met with serious accident in
January, 1892, and in January of last
year the Victoria ran aground off the
Greek coast near Platea and she was
only hoated after an immense amount
OF labor and expense. Hon. Maurice
Bourl1e, captain of the Victoria and a
son OF the late Earl Of Mayo, the young
est post captain in the British navy,
was held responsible for the January
accident and was severely reprimanded
by a court martial.
|. As soon as the officers of the Victoria
said that there was danger in their
ship laundering orders were given to
close the collision bulkheads in order
to keep the water in the compartment
into which the Ca,nperdown had showed
her ram. The sailors tried to obey the
order but the ship was making water
to fast to allow of action and while the
men were still at work the vessel, with
her immense guns and heavy top hamp-
er, turned over and carried them down.
The Victoria was single turret ship
carrying two 110-ton guns mounted in
a forward tr1rret, coated with Is inches
of compound armor, one 10-inch 29-ton
gun firing aft and a broadside auxiliary
armament of twelve 6-inch 5-ton guns.
She carried twenty-one quick firing and
eight machine guns. She was Of 49,
40 tons displacement and $4,000
horse power. She was launched April
Q, 1887 was protected by eighteen inches
of the finest steel armour and had
u maximum of speed of 1872 knots per
hour. She was one of the largest iron
,ciads in the English navy, being $40 feet
long and 20 wide. In the Transportat ton
building at the worlds fair is a model
! of the Victoria. of steel and nickel, and
costing 81, 800.