The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-06-26
FOREToLD In FICTION.
Loss Of the Victoria Described by a
Naval Expert.
IMAGINARY DISASTER READS LIKE
THE AWFUL TRUTH.

In the Story It Is the Victoria which
& a Battle-But the Story of the Ram
ming Is Singularly Like the Accounts
Received of the Camperdown's Acct
dental Onslaught.
WASHINGTON, June 25.-The appalling
calamity which recently befell the Brit
ish battle-ship Victoria has served as a
startling reminder of sea tale, written
soon after that great vessel was launched
by the well known naval expert, H. 0.
Arnold Forster, in which he gives sup
posititious account of naval battle, in
which ha represents himself as taking
the Victoria, which he called the Majes-
tic, into action.
Naval officers very generally comment
ed today upon the fact that in this
graphic account the Victoria should
have been described as defeating her en-.
emy by powerful stroke of her terrible
ram, sending her to the bottom, very
much as she herself was destroyed.
Here is an extract from this interest
ing narrative:
''Suddenly, amidst the din of the fir
ing, and easily distinguishable above the
thunder of the guns, came the report of
a fierce, rapid explosion, followed by an
instantaneous cessation of the enemy's
fire. 1t was impossible to see what had
taken place; but the fact remained be-
ycnd doubt, and Instantly determined
10 ouni1 r,,uco1f of +,,r 4, +l,o
lieutenant and bade him transmit my
orders through the ship. The orders
were simple.
!" Lay both guns ahead, full speed, and
prepare to RAM
81 was convinced that for time, at
any rate, my adversary had lost control
of his ship. We were now separated by
a distance of less than 800 yards. and
still the same apparent indecision
marked the movement of the enemy,
who was moving slowly, with almost a
full broadside presented to us, and
somewhat on our starboard bow
Suddenly she appeared to gather full
way, and her head began to come in
slightly toward us. But it was too late:
the time has come. 1 moved my hand
and the officer by my side flashed my
will to the great turret guns.
ION both sides there was roar and a
crash; the thunder of the tornado with
the shock of the earthquake. Swept
and shattered by the point blank dis
charge of the terrible artillery to which
she had been so exposed, the Majestic
still held her course, and her course was
that on which I had launched her. On
either side the last bolt was sped. The
gun had had its final wad, a greater pow
on, tn er,v re
from that decision there was no appeal.
'Our opponent lay between us and
the southern sun, and I can at this mo-
ment remember the instant when the
low bow of the Majestic entered the
shadow cast upon the water.
'"Then, with deep, grinding, terrible
crash the ram did it's work. We had
struck the enemy about so feet from her
bow, and the slight change
in her direction made the blow
slanting one. The Majestic shivered
from stem to stern and could actually
see the iron work on the bow ripping
and splintering as it forced it's way into
the opposing side. But it was not there
that the fatal wound had been given.
Far underneath the water line the pro-
truding ram had struck blow from
which no human power could save the
victim.
For moment all was still save for
the sound of the stretching and rending
of the iron; then suddenly, with a steady
but certain heave, the great ship
seemed to bow down toward us. +
watched her for moment, long
enough to see the surface of the deck as
it showed up with the heel Of the ship,
and then knew no more. The strain
was over.
''My work was done, and it was not till
month later that [ opened my eyes in
Haslar Hospital and came back once
more to the land of the living. Within a
quarter of an hour after the ram of the
Majestic struck her the last vestige of
that splendid ship had sunk beneath the
waves, her hull absolutely broken in
two by the force of the collision. We
had time to save some 120 of her crew
with the greatest difficulty
More Praise for the Machias.
WASHINGTON, June 24.-It is said at
the Navy Department that the gunboat
Machias when submitted for trial was
more complete in every detail than any
ship that has been tried in recent years.
From this fact it becomes possible to
use the ship almost Immediately, SO that
she will probably be put in commission
next week and will soon be sent to
China.
Shipping Commissioner at Rockport.
WASHINGTON, June 24.-Roscoe
Thurston of Maine is appointed shipping
commissioner at Rockport, Me.