The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-03-14
DISASTER IS TERRIBLE.
Powder Magazine on q French
Battleship Blows Up.
RESULTS ARE FRIGHTFUL.
Entire After Part of the lena Utterly
Demolished, Large Number of Crew
Killed or Wounded and Some Vic
Tins Are Cremated.

Toulon, March IA terrible dis
| aster occurred here The powder mag
| aZine on board the French battleship
lena Cor Jenal and as a result Capt
Adigard, commander of the battleship.
Captain Vertier chief of staff of the
Mediterranean squadron, and from sew
enty to eighty blue Jackets are dead,
while Rear Admiral Manceron and hun
| dreds OF other men are suffering from
injuries, some of them horrible in their
extent. Naval circles are aghast, and
the public is stunned by the appalling
catastrophe, coming so soon after the
loss Of the French submarine, Lutin.
in which sixteen men met death
The entire after part of the lena
was blown to pieces. The bodies Of the
victims were hurled through the air
by succession of explosions, and
panicstricken workmen at the arsenal
fled from the vicinity Of the dry dock
for their lives Scores of those on
board the lena jumped overheard on
the stone quarries and sustained seri-
our, injuries.
The primary cause of the accident
was the explosion of a torpedo. What
caused the explosion is not known, but
the powder magazines of the lena were
set on fire and their contents, in ex-
ploding, practically destroyed what
was conceded one of the best vessels
OF the French navy.
nj
ing. The first shock was extremely vi
olent, and shook the vessel fore and
aft. 1t was followed instantly by 9th.
ers shocks. The crew was thrown into
condition of panic.
They rushed wildly about the deck.
The men forward, who had been at
tending the lecture, clambered over
the buIwarks and jumped down, some
to the deck and others to the stone
quarry, many sustaining fatal inju-
rles. The hundreds of men below
deck were In a fearful position. They
were engulfeh In SNAKE, and while
they CROPPED their way toward the exits
they became the prey of the suffocat
ing fumes, which caused many of them
TO fall unconscious.
In the meantime the detonations had
become more frequent, and the entire
afterpart Of the ship. which was yirtu-
ally blown to pieces caught fire. Shells
and charges of explosives In the mag.
azines continued to explode. and mass
es Oh metal were hurled inte the air to
fali everywhere abotu the decks and
the arsenal These flying missiles de
mollshed the torpedo shed, the engine
WORKS and the Pumphouse near by and
constituted most serious menace to
the lives OF those who made their way
toward the battleship to begin the
work of rescue. In spite of the dan
ger, many heroic efforts were made
10 render assistance, but for the most
part In vain. The lena was aflame
from bursting projectiles, and the fire
prevented approach.
Many OF those who ESCAPED with |
their lives suffered most severe in. |
1uries, and, becoming temporarily in |
sane, rushed frantically around unit, |
they fell exhausted.
Captain Vertier occupied cabio
near the after turret. Immediately aft.
Of the explosion he tried to get out.
but the door Of his cabin was blocked
with debris, and the only means of
Exit was impossible. The flames then
broke out, and Captain Vertier died
horrible death. After the fire had been
extinguished the rescuers found his In.
body, as we'll as the terrible
burned bodies of several other Officers
Who had been caught In the after cham.
Der