The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-11-04

Of steel between the crew and death at all
times. the risks being increased by the
amazing pace al which these craft cut
their way through the water.
One of the most serious Catastr0phes
to this class of war weapons occurred on
September Is when the torpedo boat de
StroyCT Cobra tOuudered NJ sea and Of
the seventy-nine persons on board only
twelve were saved. The accident has been
variousIy ascribed to collision with a
submerged wreck, a whale and a hidden
shoal. But the most reasonable PROPOSE
ton is that she was doubled mp ike a
hinge hy an explosion and plunged 70 the
bottom stern first The court OF euquiry's
verdict is that she simply collapsed be-
cause she was structurally weak The
fact remains that she was wiped OF the
naval list from battle with only an o-di-
nary storm. Only a few weeks later. on
October 10. the English torpedo boat de-
stroyor NuItUTe bucklad mp in heavy
seas while on her way from Portsmouth 10
Portland. and barely escaped laundering.
She. however reached Portsmouth cou-
pie of days later. when It was found that
several Of her plates were broken in.
verdict StructUralIy weak"
britannia rules the waves has been
maxim hallowed by time, II not by record
Of accidents. for England has been less
exempt from loss of her ships by the Gle
| ments than any other uaIou-vrry likely
Do the neSccutaEc as well as i'm the num-
Der itself In the eighteenth century she
was especially unfortunate In October.
lii1 fourteen IF her warships Zone Of the
'+-Sun class; two of the Ci-gun class. one
OF a guns. and the Others ranging from
II to - guns cachl were caught and de-
Stroyed in a terrible tempest in the West
Indies. II was the greatest disaster that
england had ever experienced in her
naval fleets, an entire fleet being struck
OF her naval list AT -.Oue fell swoop.
There were several vessels lost % the
English navy before The nineteenth cen
tU-y began one of the worst losses being
that Of the 6S-guu frigate Ardent. which
was blown uu of Corsica in APRIL. 1874
and all hands. about 500 were lost.
Among the most important disasters to
the British navy ~ different times since
then have been the following.
The Queen OF Charlotte. a frigata Of 10
guns, was destroyed by fire or Leghorn
on March Il. $50. and Of the crew Of SO.
6l3 were lost.
The Invincible q frigate of = guns was
wrecked off the coast near Yarmouth on
March l5 lSll. and Of the crew af -a3
more than 900 persisted
The venerable. another 1i-guu friE4te
, wa MItGAe "a al Roundem Head or No
The Maria was one Of large number
OF ne lp-gUn brigs that were lost from
llIne 10 time not a soul being saved she
foundercd at sea Ia lSgT and no ono e-IT--
EiVed- These l0-gUn brigs were built dur-
ing the war between England and France
much after the manner OF the Q-J4,- r,1rv
DOats OF the American Navy. and were
almost all unfit for sea. A large uurr7l,a-
OF them toundered in ordinary stormy
weather, involving terrible loss Of life
rom their tendency to turn bottom nm
ward they were called turtles hence the
term turning turtle in the marine va
cabulary- The Martin seems TO have
( been an unlucky name for Britain's navy.
TOT three or them-Of Is. Is and % r-f1us
pectiyely-fOundered. one I'm 1850 an
other in 1896 and the third in 1926. not a
soul being saved The fatality which foI-
lowed the 10-gun brigs also seems 10 have
ATTENDED the j. and Is gun slO0ps iudg-
ing from the fatality list Of England.
The 6i-gun frigate Athsueum was
wrecked near Cape Bon on October % 1895.
and 30 livesc were lost
The Java, 32-gun vessel fouudered off
The Island Of Rodriguez. Indian Ocean In
February, 1867, and not "a soul was saved
The Magicienne q S6-guu vessel was
wrecked IN an engagement with the
French OF Nautilus on August 3. 1910
The l+-gun frlgate MiuOtaur was wreck
ed OF the mouth OF the Texel December
=. $50 and Of q crew Of $50 more than
900 were lost
VII AllF ''1-l OF aALlanl. on December
-, ISL, the ss-gun frigate ST. George and
two s4-guu frigates-thc Defence and the
HerO-fOundered IN a tempest OF the
total number Of people on the three ships
tabout lNoH. not twenty were saved
The frigate Atlanta was wrecked on
SambrO Island on November 10. 1913
The Delight. a lG-gun brig. fouudered
IN hurricane near MauTitius on Febru-
airy -. 1924. and not a soul Of the crew
Of sevcnty-five was saved.
The frigate Avenger WAS wrecked in
the Mediterranean on December 90 1S47.
and only four Of the crew of nearly 300
escaped drowning.
The Raleigh a 5J-gun ship was
wrecked on the southeast coast OF Macao
One Of the most mysterious disasters Of
the British navy was the loss OF the tur-
reted lronclad ,5ptaln- she was capsized
and fOundered Oft Cape Flnlsterre. Spain
on September T. 1870 and only seventeen
escaped OF nearly 500 on board.
On September ]. 1870. the cruiser Van
guard was run into and sunk by the iron
clad Iron Duke.
Less than year aftcrWard. on July T.
1876. one Of the boilers OF the battIeshin
'Inuudercr exploded. when fJrty-Gye Of
the crew We're killed outright and about
fifty more or less injured. The same
vessel exploded one of her 3s-tOn guns
on February J.. 1850. when ten OF the
crew were killed and forty OF more
on March p. 1873. the training ship
EurydiCe f0uUdered in a gale of the Isle
Of Wight. when BOD lives were lost
on March 6. 1859. the irouclad Sultan
was wrecked by running ashore on the
Maltese group.
one Of the most remarkable and almost
uuaccOuutable disasters ia the British
navy was that of the batIlcship Eicto-
ria. which was sunk by collision with the
hattlcship CampcrdOwu on June p 1899
OF the people on board there were nearly
goo lost including Admiral TryOu.
There have been disasters I'm other ma
Vies as Wen. but not So large a proper
ton as IN the British navy. The United
States Navy has not been exempt by any
means. but while there has been more or
Jess criticism of American naval officers
and some have suffered the penalties of
the cOurt-martial. there has been a small
or percentage Of losses than in the Eng
fish service
w hats In name Is an Old and IA
miliar maxim. but there Is a good deal IN
the opinion Of many naval men. 20 en-
courage superstition when one recalls the
losses Of some OF the ships. For instance
the people Of Boston felt houOred when
one OF the first vessels TO be built for the
modern steel navy was named the BOs-
ton. but she was not the first The first
Rostou. built iE that city In 1776. was a