Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-06-26
LESSON OF A WRECK
What the Victoria Disaster Shows
Naval Constructors
A VESSEL STRUCK AniDsHlPs
- nou.d - Go Do~n Dsspiss Water
1txhs ConparssAr~ss--Ths Camp
es<lowns' Awful Biow.

~ 20 tho exact cause IT the Victoria
catastrophe. our naval experts are thee.
rizing and seeking 10 read the lesson
taught by this great naval disaster.
Ths opinions vary between defective
steering gear and misunderstoodsig nals.
Admiral Gherasdi 10 one IL the high
lights who ineiipes to the stecrage gear
failure. lie recalls tho fact that in the
course of the voyage Of the vessels Of
the naval review ficct from the Pacific
to Hampton Roads. his flagship on two
occasions was abruptly signalled, once
by the San Francisco and once by tho
Charleston. and informed that the steam
steering apparatus had utterly failed.
Had this happened when the vessels 81
the fleet were in close formation tho re-
sults might have been disastrous COLI
sions. In modern naval construction
every possible precaution 10 taken to
insure the efficiency of the steering gear.
but even then accidents will happen.
All naval vessels are now handled al
together by steam steering gear, M the
weight and speed II the great craft
makes il almost impossible "a handle
them quickly by hand. Still they are
Tilted with auxiliary hand steering
wheels FOR use In case of accident To the
steam plant
Water Tight Compartments.
Surprises has been expressed in some
quarters that the veesel Was not saved
by the water tight compartments into
which she was divided. But the naval
constructors say that too much depend
ence has been placed on those compart-
ments. They arc unquestionably Of
great service. as was strikingly shown in
the case Of the City Of Paris when she
succeeded in reaching port with both II
the large compartments containing her
engines full Of water. Had the Victoria
been struck at either end she might still
have fioated. and in fact the Camper
down. which crushed into the Victoria.
undoubtedly owes her own escape from
immediate laundering 10 the fact that
her forward compartment buikhead
kept the enormous How Of water. which
probably poured through her own bow.
from oooiing the vessel. Also the mid.
ship bulkheads may be Of inestimable
service in case OF heavy leaks which can
be confined to one apartment.
Commodore Farquhar. 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 ill. the shock in SO great
that everything substantial that Is not
cut down Is wrcnched and torn apart.
Force of the Camperiown's Blow.
The naval constructors have been ex-
amining the plates Of the Inflated ship,
and on making some rough measure
ments. based on the information re-
speeding the collision that has reached
the department. they find the keen ram
~ the Camperslown must have entered
the hull IL the Victoria just below the
protective deck. crumpling il up. filling
the second large compartment 9 once,
and through the very leaks caused 10y
tearing up the protective deck also I'LL
ing the adjoining compartments. Had
the blow been n little higher and Iii.
rectly upon the edge 81 or above the
very steel plates OF the protective deck
the great strength 81 that deck might
have materially reduced the size Of the
aperture through which the water
flowed. But hole. and q great one
at that, was inevitable. say tho construc
tors; and on this point Chief Con
structor Hichborn has made an interest
ing calculation TO show in graphic
manner the enormous force II the blow
that the camperdown dealt upon The
hull of the Victoria. He says. The
Camperdown has weight Of 10.6Ot
tons and was moving at rate Of ter
knots per hour. or 1856 feet per second
This would give an impact of 1890 foo,
Sons delivered by the sharp ram Of tho
Camperdown. That il equivalent TO tn,
blow that would he struck by railroad
train consisting OF six large Pullman
cars drawn by the heaviest 81 locomo
tivcs. say one of 10 tons. running at .
speed Of fifty miles per hour"