The herald., 1898-06-22
SWEPT INTO THE SEA
Terrible Disaster Attends Launching
of the Albion

L. LONDON, June 21.-During the +
l. launch of the British first-class battle +
+ ship Albion, of 1880 tons, at Black r
r. well today, by the Duchess of York, r.
+ ceremony in which the United States r
r ambassador, Colonel John Hay, and h
r Mrs. Hay and Lieutenant-Colonel +
H. Well, the United States naval attache, 4,
+ assisted, the displacement of water r.
4 caused an immense mass Of water to r
n rise on all sides, completely submerg- +
+ ing one of the lower stages of the yard 1.
r and immersng hundreds of people. r.
+ Ten bodies have been thus far recov- 4,
l. cred, and it is estimated that fifty per- 4,
+ sons were drowned. 4.
+ Another. but discredite1d report, 4,
+ says the warship sank. +
r. AS this dispatch is sent the bodies +
Il of twenty-seven men. women and chill 4.
l. dren have been recovered from the 4,
i, scene of the Blackwell disaster 4
L. The Duchess of York and Colonel i,
Il and Mrs. Hay and the remainder of 4,
!. the distinguished guests did not see r
r. the accident, which occurred at the r
r moment when three cheers were called 1,
!, for the successful launching, and the 4,
T. cries and screams of the victims were 1.
4, were drowned by the outburst of hur- 1,
r rah and steam sirens. r
H. Later-The bodies of five men, 4,
i, eighteen women and eleven children 1,
!, have been recovered at Blackwell. r
/, The Duke and Duchess of York !,
!. have telegraphed assurances of their 1.
r profound regret and sympathy. 4,
/, Thousands who witnessed the r
r. launching, including the royal party, r
r. left the scene ignorant of the disaster. 4,
+ The staging that was destroyed had 1,
!. been erected for workmen near the 1,
r stern of Japanese cruiser in course /,
4, of construction in the Blackwell yards r
r. 1t was a light structure about fifty #
r feet long. and notice had been post \,
/. ed warning the public that it was i,
+ dangerous. r
4, Despite the efforts of the police Z,
1, some two hundred people invaded the 4,
r. staging, which commanded a good +
i, view of the launching. Two great +
L. waves completely demolished it, and 4
l. on receding carried most of its occu- 4
!, pants into deep water. The water 4
r. was alive with struggling people and +
T. floating debris. 1t was a scene of +
r terrible confusion. The shrieks of +
r. the unfortunate people mingled with 4
T. the cheers over the success of the 4
r launching. Fortunately there was 4
T. plenty of help near in the shape of 4
r. police boats and other craft The 4
T. ship builders, with drags, and the 4
1. firemen who participated were all I
l. prompt in affording succor. A num- L
], Der of nurses, who had come to wit /
+ ness the launching were among those 4
r. engulfed. Some of these and many 4
1, others We're revived by artificial res 1
T. piration. Some were injured by col L
r. liding with the debris. 4
1, Heart-rending scenes have been wit i,
r. throughout the evening as the identi- 4
r f1catsons of the dead slowly proceeded. +
l. The Albion is a first-class battleship 4
+ of 1850 tons, 300 feet long. "a feet 1
+ broad and drawing % feet inches of +
r. water. She is to have 13 SEQ indicated 4
1. horsepower, has two propellers, and 4
1, costs about 81. 900 ,000 The new bat +
r. tleship has eight inches of harveyized l.
/, steel on her sides, six inches on her +
!, bulkheads and from twelve to fifteen +
1. inches on her gun Sponsors. Her ar +
r. mored deck is from two to three inches +
r in thickness, her estimated speed is +
+ nearly nineteen knots: she is to carry 4
+ 1850 tons of COAL her crew is to number 1,
+ 700 men and her armament is to con- +
r sist of four 12-inch guns twelve 6-inch +
r. quick-firing guns. and eighteen small +
i, er quick-firing guns with five torpedo +
+ tubes. 1.