Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-03-13
Roll of Those on Board French
Battleslip Show Large Num-
ber Missing
FoRTY.FouR ARE IN HOSPITALS
Officers Believe Some of Missing Are
Alive and Sought Refuge With
Friends in Toulon-Those on Board
When Explosion Occurred Numbered
:. 6ao-Later Details Of Disaster.

Toulon, Marc h13-Minister of Ma
rine Thomson arrived here this morn
ing from Paris The roll of the battle
ship lena, on which a disastrous eX-
plosion occurred yesterday, was inme
diately called and 407 men replied tt
their names. Twenty four officers ano
engineers are reported to be safe, be-
sides there We're forty-four of the crew
lying in the hospitals, seriously injured
The officers and crew numbered $50
There were. 153 not accounted for, bu
the naval authorities consider it most
probable that number of these sought
refuge with friends in Toufon.
Later in the day forty-one missing
men turned up, leaving ia unaccouht-
ed for or killed.
The crew of the lena had finished the
midday meal only a short time before
the explosion and had dispersed tt
various parts of the vessel. Most o1
the men were engaged in work connect
ed with the approaching departure OF
been detailed to attend lecture that
was being given forward.
The explosion came without warning
The first Shocks was extremely violen,
and shook the vessel fore and aft. II
was followed by other shocks, and the
crew was thrown into panic.
The men rushed wildly hither and
thither about the deck The men for
ward who had been attending the lee
ture clambered over the bulwarks and
jumped down, some of them to the
deck and others to the stone quay.
Many of them who jumped sustained
fatal injuries.
The hundreds of men below deck
We're in a fearful position. They were
enveloped in smoke, and while they
groped their way toward the exits they
became the prey of suffocating fumes
which caused many of them to fall un-
conscious.
In the meantime the detonations had
become more frequent and the entire
after part of the lena caught fire
Shells continued to explode and
masses of metal were hurled into the
air to fall everywhere about the decks
and the arsenal. These flying missiles
demolished the torpedo shed, the en-
gine works and the pumphouse near
by, and constituted a most serious
menace to the lives of the rescuers. In
spite of the danger many heroic eff
forts were made to render assistance
but for the most part they We're in
vain.
After the ship was flooded the
search for the dead and wounded was
commenced. The lower decks of the
lena were Uttered with the fragments
of shattered and torn bodies, while
the surrounding water was dotted with
human fragments.
Many Of those who escaped with
their lives suffered most severe injur-
les, and, becoming temporarily insane,
rushed frantically around the vicinity
Of the dry dock until they fell ex-
lausted. The arsenal authorities or
ganized an ambulance service without
loss of time, and soon a long procession
of injured men was on the way to the
hospitals.
A quartermaster gave an account Of
his experiences. His face was black
ened, his hair and beard had been burnt
off, his uniform was inRrags and he had
sustained number OF minor injuries.
Il was on the bridg Ind just about
to call the afternoon -oll," he said,
when the explosion Nrred. I had
no idea what had happened. 1 felt my
self hurled into the air, and a few sec
bonds later found myself lying on the
quay. ! managed to rise and run.
had no idea of where was going"