The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-02-14
BATTLESH|P BLOWS. UP
Brazilian Ironclad A~quidaban Sinks
and PIP Men Perish,
EXPLODES LIKE TX MAINE
Tragedy Occurred Near PorE Jacarepa'
gus, Twenty Miles From Rio Janeiro-
Four Admlrals Observation-Disclosures
Sailors Wounded and % K~escuedAVes-
sel Went Down in Three Minutes.

Four Admirals Drowned-rh irty-str
Sailors Wounded and % RescuedAVes-
sel Went Down in Three Minutes
Rio .Janeiro, Brazil.-Within three
minutes after an explosion III the pow
der magazine of the Brazilian turret
ship Aquidaban, the ship with almost
all of it's crew and" officers sank dur
ing the night at Port Jacarepagua,
south OF this city. The ship, which
was one of the best fighting vessels
in the Brazilian Navy, was being used
for the accommodation of supernu.,er-
airy officers and men attached to the
fotilla escorting the cruiser Barroso,
having on board the Minister Of Marine
| and his chief of staff. who were ill.,
specting the sites proposed for a new
arsenal.
Most of those OH the ship were asleep
when the explosion occurred. The big
war vessel seemed to fall apart, and
before any one could tell just what had
happened the vessel sank. There had
been no time to lower a boat, and
those who were saved were picked up
by boats sent out by the other vessels.
-Four Observation-Disclosures, Da
Graca, Candido-Brazil and De Larrigo
and 212 men lost their lives when
the ship sank. Some were hurled cut
of their hunks by the explosion and
| many of them were killed outright. The
others were drowned. in their. cabins.
Ninety-eight of those aboard were
| saved. There will be a national funeral
for the victims.
Just how the explosion occurred in
the powder magazine has not been de-
termined and probably never will be.
The entire sea tragedy happened SO
| quickly that none Of the survivors bad
time to note anything. Those on the
other vessels lying in the harbor, sim.
ply know that q moment before the
explosion they saw the outline of the
Aquidaban and that everything aboard
seemed to be. all right. Then came a
loud report, part of the vessel seemed
to be torn from the other part, and
three minutes later she sank beneath
the waves. There was not an outcry
from those on board the ship, and out
side OF the loud ceport and the disap-
p%earance of the ship there was nothing
to show tho terrible tragedy that had
been enacted.
The loss of the Aquidaban IS a seri-
GUS blow to the Brazilian Navy. The
vessel took q prominent part in the rev
olution of 1884, having been the
flagship Of Admiral CustodiO Jose de
Mello, who for a time was Minister Of
Marine, and who secretly seized the
Brazilian warships in the harborI of
Rio Janeiro and declared against Presi-
| dent Peixoto. Many of the harbor
forts yielded to Mello when he arrived
with his squadron, and for about six
months after he began the insurrection
he kept up all intermittent lombard
ment Of the forts that remained loyal
TO the President.
President PeiXpto ordered a Govern
ment feet which had been cruising in
American waters to assemble and give
fight to the insurgent ships, and when
the loyal feet arrived several of the
insurgent vessels surrendered. Mello.
however, retained the Aquidaban and
several other ships, and he attacked the
Government feet, but was repulsed.
The A%quidaban vas ~torpedoed several
days after the repulse, but was snbse-
quently raised and rebuilt. She wGs Of
1850 tons displacement and G200 horse
power. She was built in England in
1885, and cost 81. 725, 900. Her arma-
ment consisted Of four 9.4-inch Camel
guns, four 5.5-inch guns and several
smaller guns. She also had five tor
pedo tubes, and had a speed of fifteen
knots